Getty Images Rapper Jay-Z
Jay-Z suprised many when RocNation, announced that they were teaming up for events and social activism for the Super Bowl.
Jay-Z and RocNation’s lateral movements with the league are said to include consulting on who the league booked for live music performances, including the Super Bowl, as well as the social justice initiative ‘Inspire Change.’
On a recent episode of the Scoop B Radio Podcast, I spoke to Ash Cash Exantus, one of the nation’s top financial educators. Exantus is dubbed as the Financial Motivator who uses a culturally responsive approach in teaching financial literacy. The bestselling author is best known for helping people maximize their full potential by giving them the inspiration, tools, & resources needed to live their best lives.
Check out a snippet from our Q&A below:
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: I’ve watched you for awhile especially your social media posts but what really sold me on you was your book “The Wakeup Call: Financial inspiration learn from 4:44” For those who weren’t familiar with 4:44 that was Jay-Z last installment that he released in 2017. A lot of people were woke or fake woke. How long did it take you to write that book?
Ash Cash Exantus: Aw man, maybe like two months. I think for me part of what I’ve been a writer for 10 years now. So my first book came out in 2009 and so part of why it didn’t take that long to write was because the information is the information. I didn’t makeup how to teach you about credit or life insurance things of that nature. But what was intriguing about 4:44 is that when he’s telling you. What’s better than blowing money in the strip club is your credit or generational wealth is the key state planning and all that stuff. When he’s telling you about that stuff it was sort of like a layup. People focusing on the infidelity when that’s only like 10% of the album, the other 90% of the album he was giving you the key a million dollars worth of game for $9.99 come on. Like why are people missing this and for me I was like as a financial educator to mesh the two say okay he’s giving you what needs to happen but how are you going to do it. So, I basically filled in the blank and gave you the how.
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: You’re considered a financial educator. How does one become that?
Ash Cash Exantus: I think it’s really your experience. I think that for me my background you know I’m from the home of the hustlers right, I’ve been an entrepreneur since eight years old packing bags, selling t-shirts on 125th street. I’ve always had that hustle in me than I was a banker for ten years. Managing money for high network individuals. When I was a private banker, my biggest client was worth 22 million dollars. Until I understood how to manage money for wealthy individuals. But I’m also from the hood so I can get that aspect of it. Me being a financial educator is simply just going out and teaching what I know being at the bottom living paycheck to paycheck but then also admanseing some form of wealth being able to learn from those who have wealth based on my experience you know what made me a financial educator.
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: We’re talking financial literacy and more you did write that book in 2017 about Jay-Z and I’m curious from your perspective talk about it on Instagram but I want to make for the record. Do you think that for African Americans whatever he’s doing with the NFL but for people who may not be in the same tax bracket as him. You think for some people its unforseen for them to understand what’s going on or do you think he’s taking people for a ride?
Ash Cash Exantus: No, I think that his work speaks for itself I think when you look at people’s resumes I think you should judge them based on what they have done. What they don’t have to do he’s been an advocate for the culture for a very long time it’s not only 2019, when he came out he was trying to teach game and obviously you want to get paid to do what you want, which is to teach the game you know it’s not a charity. I do think that you have to be on the inside to make change. I always hear people talk about how why don’t you build your own but if you really look at wealth in America black people are what 13 to 15% of the population in America and so if we’re going to get rich build wealth you can’t only sale to black people because the numbers just don’t add up, like you’re going to have to cross market. Think about how he became a billionaire it wasn’t only because black people were buying his stuff it’s not only black people who are buying hip-hop right now You know. So I think that people forget in order for us to truly build wealth you have to be able to integrate and gain access to other people and so I think it’s a smart move to be able to use his leverage use his influence to dictate change from the inside opposed to trying to do it from the outside.