Ceaser Emanuel Talks Building His Tattoo Empire & Owning His Own TV Show Franchise
With over five tattoo shops across the country and a popular reality show franchise using his copywritten imprint, the owner of Black Ink and star of VH1’s Black Ink Crew,Ceaser Emanuel, couldn’t believe it took this long to get featured in BLACK ENTERPRISE!
He made sure to let us know while sharing his journey of building a tattoo empire and landing his own reality TV franchise on a major network. Emanuel was extremely happy to appear on “Hip Hop & Enterprise,” where he takes us back to his start in tattooing and how he expanded what started as one location in Harlem to a tattoo franchise with nationwide reach.
“First it was just me getting my shop and being the boss of all bosses,” Ceaser said.
But as Black Ink Crew grew in popularity and Emanuel became a TV star, the self-made artist decided it was time to expand. While the process wasn’t easy, challenges are something Emanuel enjoys.
“I always have a problem. We get uncomfortable,” he said. “I’m more accustomed to being uncomfortable. You understand? Like being comfortable, it makes me wary. I’m always good when I’m uncomfortable. I’m fine like that.”
After opening three locations in New York, one in Atlanta, and a location in Houston, a recent episode showed Emanuel’s new location in Milwaukee. The community welcomed Black Ink with open arms, and Emanuel was introduced to the city’s culture and the large community of Black business owners.
The experience is one of many that helped to reshape his views on expansion.
“The only way is you got to come out of New York, you got to expand,” he said.
“I was comfortable with Atlanta. So that’s why Atlanta was my first one. But then I saw all these other cities and all this stuff. And honestly, I got my eyes right now on at least six cities. At least Miami, Dallas, and Detroit.”
Elsewhere, Emanuel teased his newest business ventures in real estate and the industries he’s hoping to stake a claim in. Press play below to learn the latest on Ceaser Emanuel’s rising empire.
Ariel Alternatives’ First Acquisition For Project Black Cited At National Minority Supplier Development Council Forum
In its first purchase under Project Black, Ariel Alternatives has acquired a top provider for people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing in a deal reportedly worth $1.3 billion.
The private equity business of Ariel Investments, Ariel Alternatives, bought 52.5% of the common stock from the shareholders of Sorenson Communications, Willkie Farr & Gallagher reported. The deal announced last month is the initial one for Project Black, a fund that invests in and scales minority-owned firms.
The virtual and live event, held May 11-12, included roughly 850 attendees covering a broad mix of business and government leaders.
The development, too, was compelling as emerging ventures like Project Black, gaining work from potentially lucrative infrastructure packages and expanding into new technologies like electric vehicle charging stations, could represent new game-changing opportunities for Black businesses.
“As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we know there is still much more work to be done,” Ying McGuire, CEO and president of NMSDC said. “This leading event will tap the top leaders of corporate America, the Administration, and leading thought leaders in academia to re-calibrate the MBE (minority business enterprise) narrative to be an integral part of the American economy and serve as a catalyst towards achieving $1 trillion in MBE annual revenue generation (4.3% of U.S. GDP) to support MBE growth.”
In a news release, NMSDC claimed its success is unmatched. Among its successes, the group says it has over 15,000 MBEs connected to over 1,500 corporations. It also reported this week that $396 billion in economic output was generated by its certified MBEs.
In another development, several firms, including DuPont, Google, Hightowers Petroleum Co. and Disney made pledges toward NSMDC’s $1 trillion revenue goal.
The commitments are needed. McGuire asked, “Are we moving the needle enough for economic prosperity for all?” For instance, she pointed out why Black businesses only received 1.67% in federal procurement contract opportunities of over $559 billion eligible for small businesses. She asked why the racial gap has increased 70% since the COVID-19 began. “I’m asking you to lead the march toward economic equity.”
The forum is geared to trigger solutions to the critical challenges minority businesses face, including gaining more access to contracts, capital, and other resources. It also hopes to forge pivotal relationships between MBEs pivotal C-suite leadership.
In the “Getting Scalable MBEs in the Game” session, Mellody Hobson, president and co-CEO of Ariel Investments, and Leslie Brun, co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Ariel Alternatives, spoke on the Project Black Initiative. Ariel Investments, the nation’s first Black-owned mutual fund firm, launched Ariel Alternatives and Project Black in February 2021.
BLACK ENTERPRISEreported Ariel entered the private fund business with a $200 million commitment from JPMorgan Chase. Ariel Investments is No. 1 on the BE Asset Managers list.
With Project Black, Brun says Ariel Alternatives is trying to change the perception of what Black and Brown businesses look like. Unlike other private equity firms, he says Ariel Alternatives is fortunate to have investors who believe it can grow these companies far more quickly or better than they could alone.
Among her comments, Hobson, a board member at JP Morgan Chase, covered how Project Black surfaced. She says she came up with the idea from two sources: a call in late summer of 2020 from Jamie Dimon, Chase’s chairman and CEO, and the murder of George Floyd.
She spent a weekend writing a memo that she socialized with her smartest friends, including Brun. In the spirt of investment banking, she called the memo Project Black. The idea was to scale sustainable minority businesses by bringing two things together: capital and customers. She added the goal was to have those businesses be Tier 1 suppliers to Fortune 500 companies.
Hobson thought about the scale challenges that exist in our community since 95% of Black and Brown businesses have less than $5 million in revenue. She then thought doing it a totally different way. She asked what if we scale those businesses from the top-down, buying ones with between $100 million and $1 billion?
“They might not necessarily be minority businesses when we buy them,” Hobson thought. But by virtue of our ownership and how we run the businesses with majority boards, C-suite executives, rank and file being owners of the business and growing and diversifying in underserved communities, “we can actually change the narrative for Black and Brown businesses of scale,” she added.
In another session, John Rogers, co-CEO and chief investment officer at Ariel, said more Blacks are being appointed to corporate boards and more people are listening. He said Blacks in those leadership roles must keep fighting for minority communities to create wealth and sustain it for the next generation.
For his part, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises, discussed how using connections to gain a desired outcome, remaining humble, and constant listening, helped him become and remain successful for years. He talked about JLC, a firm he recently formed with Jim Reynolds, chairman and CEO of Loop Capital Markets, and No. 1 on the BE Investment Banks list.
Johnson says JLC’s first project was New York’s newly completed LaGuardia Airport Terminal B. He says the total value of the design, construction, and subcontracting work is $2.3 billion, 30% of which is targeted for MWBE participation.
He added the firm is part of the JFK Airport Terminal One project slated to close this year. He says it has a targeted MWBE goal of $2.2 billion, including $1.5 billion for MBEs. JLC focuses on the transportation, communications, energy, utilities, and social infrastructure sectors.
NY Suspect in Racist Shooting Was Questioned After Threat Last Year
By Jenna Zucker and Gabriella Borter
BUFFALO, N.Y. (Reuters) -A white teenager who killed 10 people in a racist attack at a western New York grocery store in a Black neighborhood had been taken into custody last year and given a mental health evaluation after making a threat at his high school, authorities said.
New details, including the previous threat, emerged on Sunday that provided a fuller portrait of the suspect, Payton Gendron, 18, and his assault on a Buffalo supermarket that authorities described as an act of “racially motivated violent extremism.”
“The evidence that we have uncovered so far makes no mistake this is an absolute racist hate crime that will be prosecuted as a hate crime,” Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia told reporters on Sunday.
Gendron surrendered to police after Saturday’s shooting of 13 people, 11 of whom were Black. He has been charged with first-degree murder – which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole in New York – and has pleaded not guilty.
Authorities said on Sunday that Gendron had driven to Buffalo from his home several hours away a day before the attack to do “reconnaissance” on the area. On Saturday afternoon he drove to the Tops Friendly Market, where he commenced an assault that he broadcast in real-time on the social media platform Twitch, a live video service owned by Amazon.com.
Dressed in tactical gear, Gendron opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle that he had purchased legally, but then modified illegally. Authorities found two other guns – a rifle and a shotgun – in his car.
Gramaglia told reporters that Gendron had appeared on the radar of local law enforcement last June, when police detained him after he made a “generalized” threat at his high school. Gendron was given a mental health evaluation at the time, but was released after a day and a half.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul told ABC News on Sunday that an investigation would focus on what could have been done to stop the teenager, who appeared to have advertised a slew of violent, racist views online.
“I want to know what people knew and when they knew it,” she said.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will visit Buffalo on Tuesday, the White House said in a statement.
“Our hearts are heavy once again but our resolve must not waver; we must work together to address the hate that remains a stain on the soul of this nation,” Biden said in a Twitter post.
A 180-page manifesto that circulated online, believed to have been authored by Gendron, outlined “The Great Replacement Theory” – a racist conspiracy theory that white people are being replaced by minorities in the United States and other countries.
Another document online that appeared to have been written by Gendron sketched out a to-do list for the attack, including cleaning the gun and testing the livestream.
A spokesperson for the Erie County district attorney’s office declined to comment on the documents.
‘I’M TERRIFIED’
On Sunday, several dozen community members held an emotional vigil for the victims outside the store, where Sharon Doyle, a 55-year-old security guard with Erie County Public Library, led a chant of “Black Lives Matter, my life matters.”
“We all go in this Tops. I was scared to even go to Walmart last night,” Doyle said. “I have to go to work tomorrow and I’m terrified.”
Nearby, at the True Bethel Baptist Church, a reverend led a mournful service for a crowd of worshipers, including some family of the victims and some who had been at the store at the time of the shooting.
One was Charles Everhart Sr., 65, whose grandson Zaire Goodman, 20, worked at the store. Goodman was shot in the neck but survived.
“He was pushing the carts back to the store and he was one of the first to get hit,” Everhart said.
The Buffalo shooting follows other racially motivated mass murders in recent years, including a Pittsburgh synagogue attack that left 11 dead in October 2018, and the Atlanta spa shootings in March 2021 in which a white man killed eight people, targeting Asians.
Stephen Belongia, the FBI special agent in charge of the bureau’s Buffalo field office, said the attack would be investigated both as a hate crime and as an act of “racially motivated violent extremism” under federal law.
Hochul, meanwhile, said she was dismayed that the suspect managed to live-stream his attack on social media, which she blamed for hosting a “feeding frenzy” of violent extremist ideology.
“These outlets must be more vigilant in monitoring social media content,” she said.
Social media and streaming platforms like Twitch, which said it removed the stream after less than two minutes, have grappled with controlling violent and extremist content for years.
“The user has been indefinitely suspended from our service, and we are taking all appropriate action, including monitoring for any accounts rebroadcasting this content,” a Twitch spokesperson said.
(Reporting by Jenna Zucker in Buffalo, New York; Additional reporting by Kanishka Singh, Doina Chiacu, Sarah N. Lynch, Gabriella Borter, Ken Li and Tyler Clifford; Editing by Paul Thomasch, Lisa Shumaker and Daniel Wallis)
These Bluetooth Headphones Are Designed For Swimmers
A good pair of headphones are guaranteed to get a lot of mileage. From sessions at the gym to relaxing evenings on your back porch, a quality set of headphones goes a long way in setting the tone for a good mood. Headphones over the years have evolved from cumbersome earmuff-style contraptions to minimalistic earbuds that often go unnoticed if not for the fact they emit sound.
The Wave Open-Ear Bone Conduction Headphones take it even further by offering a quality listening experience for swimmers. For a limited time, you can purchase a pair for just $89.95.
Designed for swimmers, Wave Open-Ear Bone Conduction Headphones produce a premium listening experience whether you’re in the water or on dry land. They’re rated IP68, which means they’re waterproof and submersible in up to 1.5 meters of water. These dual-threat headphones securely fit around the back of your head so you won’t have to worry about them dangling free and getting in the way during listening sessions.
They’re packaged in a lightweight ergonomic design that makes them ultra-comfortable, and you’ll hardly notice them whether you’re swimming, running, cycling, walking, or commuting to and from the office.
Its Bluetooth 5.1 capability allows for streaming audio. It also comes with 16GB of MP3 storage, so you can load up albums (3,000 songs) and playlists and leave your phone at home. Exclusive earplugs, which attach to the headphones, can be used while swimming. Five-hour battery life is more than enough to keep the music playing.
Although these headphones are tailor-made for swimmers, they can be enjoyed by anyone. Avid trail runners and casual walkers alike will appreciate their high-quality sound and durability. More-than-capable storage is ideal for those who like to leave their phones at home during their workout sessions or activities.
Founder of Slutty Vegan Restaurant Gifts LLCs to Entire Clark Atlanta’s Class of 2022
Atlanta restaurant owner Aisha “Pinky” Cole surprised over 800 graduates of her alma mater Clark Atlanta University with a kickstart to launch their own businesses.
The Slutty Vegan CEO spoke to the class of 2022 during their commencement ceremony on Saturday, and gifted the entirety of the class a limited liability company, or LLC, reports FOX 5.
“I have partnered with Varo Bank to provide every single graduate in this audience with a new LLC and a path to entrepreneurship,” Cole said before the uproar of applause. “Every single graduate in this audience will leave this stadium as a business owner,” she proclaimed.
Per a press release from the university, Cole graduated in 2009 with a major in mass communication/media studies. She was crowned Miss Clark Atlanta during her undergrad in 2008 and initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Sigma chapter.
“It is a full-circle moment to have Ms. Aisha Pinky Cole serve as Clark Atlanta University’s 2022 Commencement orator. We are excited that Pinky — as we affectionately call her – will serve her alma mater in this capacity,” said CAU President Dr. George T. French Jr.
“Pinky Cole had a business and lost everything,” Cole said during the address. “My car got repo’d, got kicked out of my house, went flat broke, almost lost my mind — and almost four years later, she now owns and operates at $100 million vegan brand. She found aspiration in the losses,” she said. “You think I was gonna give up because of some failure? Hell no. And neither will you.”
“I’m telling this to you, the class of 2022, that I want you to fail. I want you to fail so hard you become an expert in failure and you get a PhD in failology. I want you to fail because failing is not failing at all — it is finding aspiration in the losses.”
She shared with 11Alive that the bill for the LLCs was over $400,000.
Cole’s nonprofit, the Pinky Cole Foundation, aims to empower future generations by supplying financial literacy support and entrepreneurship training.
Naomi Osaka Breaks Ties With IMG To Launch Her Own Sports Agency ‘Evolve’
Four-time Grand Slam singles tennis champion Noami Osaka, 24, is making significant moves in terms of her career. She recently announced that she is ending her professional relationship of six years with IMG, a global sports talent management company, and branching out to establish her own sports agency, Evolve, with her sports agent, Stuart Duguid, according to Sportico.
“I’ve spent my career doing things my way, even when people told me that it wasn’t what was expected or traditional, Evolve is the natural next step in my journey as both an athlete and businesswoman,” Osaka said to the outlet.
Both Osaka and Duguid share an equity stake in the company without the help of investors, according to Cassius.
“I’m excited to start this with my business partner Stuart and our plan is to use the same approach we took in building my businesses authentically and strategically as a vision for this company,” Osaka continued. “I strongly believe in the power athletes have to use our platforms to drive meaningful business.”
Last year, Osaka raked in close to $60 million, earning approximately $55 million from corporate endorsement deals. She tied for 12th place on Forbes List with golf champion Tiger Woods, Forbes reports.
Duguid disclosed when Osaka was competing in the Tokyo Olympics sparked the idea of the bespoke agency, according to Cassius.
“We were discussing the business models of some of her mentors like Kobe and LeBron. We thought – why has no transcendent female athlete done that yet,” said Duguid. “It’s athlete-driven and focused on big picture brand building rather than quick checks with a commission attached.”
Entrepreneurship is not uncharted waters for Osaka. In 2021, she launched her skincare line, KINLÒ, and initiated her Play Academy program in 2020, aiming to empower girls and young women through sports, according to People.
“We believe that all kids — especially girls — deserve a chance to play, no matter where they come from or what they look like,” Osaka told the outlet in 2021.
“The more we provide girls with opportunities to get active, the more opportunities we are giving them to become leaders in their communities.”
“For me, building Play Academy was not just about impacting others and encouraging young girls in sports; it is about raising awareness, and so creating a website shines a light on the work we do,” said Osaka to People about Play Academy’s website launch.
An Extra Month Added to WNBA Star Brittney Griner’s Detention in Russia
Alexander Boykov, lawyer for Brittney Griner, revealed after a court appearance on Friday, that a month has been added to the Olympic gold-medalist’s pretrial detention in Moscow, reports the Associated Press.
Griner appeared for a brief hearing handcuffed, in a Khimki courtroom just outside Moscow, and photographed for the first time since her mugshot was released in early March. Donning an orange hoodie, her dreadlocks covered her face, her head bowed down from cameras.
“We did not receive any complaints about the detention conditions from our client,” Boykov said.
Griner has been under Russian custody for nearly three months, since before the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
According to Boykov, the case would soon reach trial after this extension.
However, that same day, Russian news agency TASS published an article stating that the U.S. is in talks of exchaning Russian businessman Viktor Bout, who is held on charges for financing terrorism, for Griner, per a source in the Public Monitoring Commission, the Russian outlet said.
Federal U.S. officials told ESPN that they were skeptical about the report, presumably a tactic used to pressure the government.
“Timing is one of the most important factors I look for; it’s one of the clearest ways we can glean intentions in a negotiation,” said Dani Gilbert, an assistant professor of military and strategic studies at the U.S. Air Force Academy. “The fact that they would make that statement at the same time doesn’t seem like coincidence. It’s consistent with how these negotiations have typically gone.
“We honestly don’t know if this is good or bad news. It could mean buying time to work out a swift deal for her release, or it could mean more complications put on the table.”
On May 3, the U.S. Department of State determined that Griner is being “wrongfully detained by the Russian government.” This change in status proposed a more immediate pursuit of her release by the Biden administration.
U.S. representatives, the WNBA, and Griner’s wife Cherelle Griner have tirelessly called for her release since February without avail.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price confirmed that U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan conducted a meeting with Russian officials, but no details were given concerning Griner or her case.
Female Security Guard, 3 Louisiana Juveniles Taken Into Custody in Houston After Prison Escape
Three male juveniles escaped the Ware Youth Center detention facility in Coushatta, Louisiana, with the help of a 21-year-old female security guard just before 3 a.m. on Saturday, state police say. Authorities have now taken all four fugitives into custody, just after midnight today, revealed the Red River Parish Sheriff’s Office in a statement.
Tyjuan Lafitte, 17; Na’varaya Lane, 17; Jeremiah Durham, 15; and security guard Victoria Tunewere apprehended in Houston, Texas by the Houston Police Department’s Midwest Crime Suppression Team.
In a press release by the Red River Parish Sheriff’s Office, video footage caught Tune escorting the three orange-jumpsuit-wearing juveniles off the facility premises in a white 2010 Pontiac G6.
(Image: Red River Parish Sheriff’s Office)
It wasn’t until the day shift employees clocked in that they realized three residents were missing. Officials were notified at approximately 6:50 a.m.
Lafitte was charged with attempted first degree murder, Lane was charged with attempted second degree murder, and Durham was charged with armed robbery. Louisiana state police said that “all three are considered dangerous.”
In collaboration with LA State Police Troop G Investigations Unit, the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office, the LA Fusion Center, and the Houston Police Department‘s Crime Suppression Team, the escaped juveniles and security guard were holed up in a Houston motel after authorities located the getaway vehicle in the parking lot. HPD surveilled the car for several hours before striking.
“Eventually all four suspects, being driven by one of the suspect’s relatives, returned to the vehicle where they were surrounded and taken into custody by HPD’s Crime Suppression Team,” per Lt. Troy Murray. “All suspects will be extradited back to Louisiana where they will face additional charges reference the escape.”
Tune faces three counts of accessory to simple escape.
News of the Louisiana prison break come almost a week after former jail boss Vicky White committed suicide once being surrounded by cops following 11 days on the run with fugitive beau Casey White.
Pastor Jamal Bryant Takes Aim At Kevin Samuels, Singer Omarion, And Rapper T.I. Defend The Controversial YouTuber
Even beyond the grave, Kevin Samuels continues to tap on the nerves of his most ardent critics, notably Pastor Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia, according to Hot New Hip Hop.
Bryant took the podium and denounced the teachings of the late Samuels; although he never publicly said his name, his congregation quickly deduced who he was referring to when questioned, “How can a man say that you are of low value after 35? How can a man say that you don’t have the level of traction of a high powered man when that man has to get a GoFundMe for his funeral?”
Supposedly, Samuels’ friend Melanie King created the GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses. However, it was discovered she was a scammer, and his family claimed that they had never heard of her. The campaign is no longer available. Samuels was reportedly worth $4 million and owned luxury cars.
Yet, celebrities like R&B singer Omarion and Atlanta rapper T.I. have expressed online that the ongoing criticism of Samuels is unnecessary.
“It’s sad when people can’t respect “the family” after losing a loved one. He’s no longer here. Why add insult to injury? What about the people that loved him- like his mom?”
“They gotta see this or hear about it. This is disgusting & wack asf. Regardless of his views, he didn’t kill nobody. We all need to have more compassion. This is why I don’t attend these “fake” places of worship. Respectfully,” posted the “Ice Box” crooner on an Instagram page.
T.I. also came to the defense of the controversial YouTuber and said he was fed up with the online discourse about Samuels which he considered “bullying.”
“The shit is f–king a travesty of justice,” said the rapper. “I can’t stand it, I can’t stand it. I ain’t gon’ let y’all bully this dead man. We gon’ let this man rest in peace.”
He added: “Whatever he did, he did it and [he’s] gone. He got away with it, f–k ya. That’s between him and God. Him and the Lord gon’ have to deal with it. You ain’t got no heaven or hell to put him in.”
On May 5, Samuels was found unresponsive on the floor of his Atlanta apartment, and the cause of death is not known, according to The New York Times.
4 Black Teens Dead, 1 Injured in Tragic Single-Car Collision in Henry County
Five students from Henry County, Georgia were in the car when they suddenly crashed down an embankment off of Oak Grove Road in McDonough on Wednesday, reports 11 Alive.
Kendarrias Dodson, 16; Katrina Owens 15; and Jordan Brown 15, all died at the scene, while Kendarius Jackson, 16, succumbed to his injuries on Friday.
The fifth student, Zakyra Jones, 15, is still hospitalized with serious injuries.
According to police, the crash occurred around 3:15 p.m., less than two miles from Eagle’s Landing High School, which all students attended.
Although there were no brake marks on the road, officials say the 2002 Nissan Altima traveling northbound swerved off the street, striking several trees.
Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the crash.
Eagle’s Landing High School announced they would hold a community vigil for the classmates tragically killed in the accident on Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the football stadium.
“Our condolences go out to these students’ families during this extremely difficult time. We ask that everyone keep these families and this school community close in your thoughts,” read a statement released by the Henry County Schools. They additionally offered a crisis intervention team that would be available to students or staff who need counseling or support services.
On Thursday, scores of students released balloons during lunchtime to commemorate their classmates.
Kenderrias’ parents, Charles and Terra Dodson, said they were leaning on one another for support. Their son was behind the wheel at the time of the crash.
“He was a very happy kid. He was a good kid, very mannerable, very respectful, and all teachers, anybody he came in contact with loved him,” his mother Terra said.
“He wanted to make it to the pros and play for the Braves one day,” his father Charles said.
No further details about the crash are available at this time.
Our community is gathering to pull on the strength of one another during this time. Please join us for this EL Community Vigil on Monday at 7:30 in the evening. pic.twitter.com/yqNMkcI87E
