- He wouldn't know 2 Chainz
if he was standing right in front of him.
- Exactly, exactly! - For real.
Oh, I didn't see you there!
Hey, my name is X Mayo, and you're watching "By Black,"
your guide on the road to Black equity.
This week, we're looking at a product
that combines music and food,
and is creating buzz in bodegas everywhere, Rap Snacks!
The company has made a name for itself
in a space that is dominated by brands
like Frito-Lays and Kellogg,
who combined, grossed nearly $29 billion in 2019.
When Rap Snacks founder and CEO, James Lindsay,
saw those numbers, he also saw a potential
with the Black community.
♪ Black and I'm proud ♪
♪ I'm Black and I'm proud ♪
♪ Black and I'm proud ♪
♪ Say it loud ♪
♪ Black and I'm proud ♪
♪ Back and I'm proud ♪
George Crum was the head chef at a restaurant
in Saratoga, New York.
Legend has it that a customer
by the name of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt
ordered French fries,
but when he claimed the fries were too thick,
Crum sent out thinly-sliced fried potatoes to spite him,
and the potato chip was born.
This legend has been disputed,
as Crum makes very little mention of the fry
in his own work.
His sister, Kate Wigs, a Black woman,
is likely the inventor of the potato chip,
as is attributed in her obituary, in 1924.
The potato chip has become an American staple,
from the hands of a Black woman to the world.
And today, Rap Snacks founder and CEO, James Lindsay,
is seeking to reclaim that legacy.
Today, we have one of the most powerful entrepreneurs,
he is making chips, baby!
The wonderful, savory, addicting Rap Snacks,
please give it up for James Lindsay.
- Hello, hello, hello! - I love Rap Snacks.
As soon as production told me that Rap Snacks was on it,
I said, "Oh, damn!"
When I was in New York, I was living in Harlem,
I went all the way to East New York to get these damn chips.
I took an hour-and-20-minute ride and I didn't care,
I was like a dope thingy.
I was like, "I need these damn chips right now!"
So, tell me a little bit about yourself,
and how you came up with the idea for Rap Snacks?
- I grew up in the inner city of Philadelphia,
unfortunately the kids in the inner city,
sometimes we'd eat snack foods for breakfast, lunch,
and dinner sometimes.
My first job, I was actually on a trip
with one of my salespeople, and I'm just saying to myself,
even with the snack foods,
this is really wasn't anything that was something
that a kid like me walking into a store
that would really relate to.
At the time, I felt like the culture of hip hop
would really eventually determine
a lot of the segments of the marketplace.
And I got up, in the middle of the night,
and actually wrote Rap Snacks down,
and this just came to me,
it really felt like this came from God,
like, "All right, this is what you need to be doing!"
Let's move- - Oh, it did!
- Yeah- - It really did!
And I just, I'm sorry, 'cause it's sitting right here,
I can't, I got to eat one, I'm sorry.
'cause it's an Oowee! - There you go!
That's popular!
I actually called this company called Giggles and Nibbles
and the gentlemen who answered the phone,
his name was Bob Foner,
who was a white gentleman who was probably in his 60s,
or maybe on his 70s, early enough,
he said, "Jim, I love this idea!"
So, now just think about that,
you got a white guy that's almost 70 years old,
that doesn't know anything about rapping.
- He wouldn't know 2 Chains,
if he was standing right in front of him.
- Exactly, exactly! - For real!
How did the collaboration come between you and Master P?
- I met P years ago, he actually called me up on the phone,
he really like the brand.
And he's like saying, "You know, I'm gonna come on in
"and kinda really help take your brain to another level."
And here we are today. - And let me tell you,
the flavor is bomb and yeah, it tastes bomb!
But the flavor could have just been, you know,
just like Bologna and Spam.
It's true. - Right?
- The baddest bitch, the baddest princess,
haters dismissed, like I want to get in support training.
So, it's so smart for you to have their face on it,
just the fact that you are depicting images
that are so powerful and strong and positive,
and those are things that we see,
because media is extremely powerful.
That's why we're fighting for representation,
that's why shows like "Insecure" and "Atlanta"
are so powerful, because we're able to see
so many more images of ourselves.
- One of the big motivators for me was,
"Hey, we're not used to seeing Black people
"that are doing well,
"and that are role models on our products."
You know, we had Uncle Ben's, At yo Momma,
we had all of these different thinkers-
- Racist depictions. - That yeah, right?
Caricatures of who we are. - Exactly.
- Yes! - Absolutely.
And none of that money was going back to our communities,
but for example, if you are in a corner store,
and if there are hundreds of products in those stores,
you may only have one product
that's owned by African-American,
and as well as that's manufactured them.
Ultimately everything's being overly extracted
from our communities, and nothing being put back in.
When we pull our resources together, how strong we can be,
not only for us at the present, but for the kids
and the other generations that are coming behind us,
because that's the most important thing
when it comes to spending that money,
and getting that return back into our communities.
We are at this is a very critical time,
like entrepreneurship,
because I see dependent on changing, but we got to continue
to motivate the young entrepreneurs coming up behind us,
and from me personally,
through some of our Boss Up program,
we're trying to really connect the dots
with some of these young entrepreneurs,
and let them know that
this is not as hard as you think it is.
- Well, wait, wait, the Boss Up program,
okay, please tell me more about that!
- My community has always supported the Rap Snacks brand,
but, again, I'm a product of the community, right?
So, I'm selling like you know,
how do I continue to reach back, and give information,
teaching how to distribute, manufacture,
and all of the above.
And one of the programs I'm most proud of,
is called Boss Up program, which is an app that we created
to really help us, as people,
understand that investing at an early age
is one of the most important aspects
of creating financial stability in the future.
You know, if we had $100 invested in Apple 20 years ago,
what would that investment look like?
- It would look like a few houses, a Rolls Royce,
whipping it, okay? - There you go!
For real!
- It's really doing well, I mean, and it's weird,
because the Black female is dominating that app,
- Period, James!
- That guys y'all got to catch up, man,
y'all gotta catch up, bros!
- I gotta say, I feel like that's maybe even more impactful
than Rap Snacks because they're leaving a legacy, right?
And you're also showing us how to do it,
it's not just like I have Rap Snacks, that's it?
It's like, no, you're not like lifting as you climb,
what are you doing? - Right, absolutely!
Okay, so, James, we here, at By Black,
have a little surprise for you,
so I want you to open it up now.
- Okay!
- In 1994- - Mike B.-
- James and I met, and he told me about his dream,
he told me how he wanted to develop a potato chip company,
that was for the people and from the streets.
- Wow! - That was Rap Snacks.
I believed in this dream,
and now look, 2020, this is a national brand,
no, Rap Snacks is a global brand now.
- Absolutely. - Yeah!
- He's empowering young people,
teaching them the importance of money, entrepreneurship,
education, the future for Rap Snacks,
and the highway that James has Rap Snacks on,
the skies is the limit. - Wow!
- Good luck, James!
Keep doing what you're doing,
and you're doing the right thing my brother.
- Oh, wow! - Yeah.
Mike Brian, oh, wow!
He doesn't have any
he's like my unofficial brother that we're very competitive,
but even then God has always supported me from day one,
and definitely appreciate it.
- I love that.
I'm so happy we were able to give you that, encourage you.
- No, I'm good I guess. - And I'm a little upset,
'cause my chips they done.
Okay, James, please tell everyone
how and where they can find you on social media,
give your address, I don't know,
you may want people to pull up.
I'm an Instagram guy,
so @askfly1 on Instagram.
- And then does Rap Snacks have their own?
- Yeah, @officialrapsnacks.
- Yes, James,
it was such a pleasure speaking with you,
and I love the amazing work that you're doing,
and I love that people will get to know you more now.
So now when they purchase Rap Snacks,
they know it is not just a chip, it's a lifestyle, right?
Like it's bigger than just snacks,
but it's also very good and you should eat it.
♪ Say it aloud ♪
♪ I'm Black and I'm proud ♪
♪ Black and I'm proud ♪
♪ Say it loud ♪