What Can CPG Entrepreneurs Learn From Hip Hop Legend NAS?

from the Joshua Schall Audio Experience · host Joshua Schall

I’ve always believed that Hip Hop and CPG entrepreneurship are linked together. Firstly, Hip Hop is seen as counterculture to other music genres, which is similar to CPG entrepreneurship in today’s “technology” filled founder landscape. Additionally, Hip Hop and CPG entrepreneurship are both centered around being salesmanship and the ability to hustle. Moreover, Hip Hop music is rooted in remixing (or sampling) previous music, and this iterative innovation process is also core to the CPG industry. Finally, Hip Hop is more than music, it's a cultural lifestyle...which anyone in the CPG industry knows it functions in the exact same way. This is probably why you see so many hip-hop artists that are involved with CPG entrepreneurship (or investing).  While NAS has never been a CPG entrepreneur to my knowledge, he has invested in at least one known CPG brand “Walker & Company” in 2015. This was 3 years before the maker of men’s grooming products was acquired by Procter & Gamble. If you think that investment exit was a fluke, think again because NAS is actually a highly regarded investor. His QueensBridge Venture Partners venture capital firm that was started in 2013 and has invested in over 110 startups. One of the first investment NAS made was in the Series B round of Coinbase at around $1/share! Other notable investments have been in Dropbox, Ring (acquired by Amazon), Lyft, SeatGeek, Robinhood, Away, and ClassPass. Though many of NAS investments have been in technology, I believe lyrics from his extensive catalog of music that spans more than two and a half decades will show you that he could be a successful CPG entrepreneur. These lyrics provide keen lessons for any CPG entrepreneur. So, what can you learn from the hip-hop legend NAS?

What this episode covers

I’ve always believed that Hip Hop and CPG entrepreneurship are linked together. Firstly, Hip Hop is seen as counterculture to other music genres, which is similar to CPG entrepreneurship in today’s “technology” filled founder landscape. Additionally, Hip Hop and CPG entrepreneurship are both centered around being salesmanship and the ability to hustle. Moreover, Hip Hop music is rooted in remixing (or sampling) previous music, and this iterative innovation process is also core to the CPG industry. Finally, Hip Hop is more than music, it's a cultural lifestyle...which anyone in the CPG industry knows it functions in the exact same way. This is probably why you see so many hip-hop artists that are involved with CPG entrepreneurship (or investing). While NAS has never been a CPG entrepreneur to my knowledge, he has invested in at least one known CPG brand “Walker & Company” in 2015. This was 3 years before the maker of men’s grooming products was acquired by Procter & Gamble. If you think that investment exit was a fluke, think again because NAS is actually a highly regarded investor. His QueensBridge Venture Partners venture capital firm that was started in 2013 and has invested in over 110 startups. One of the first investment NAS made was in the Series B round of Coinbase at around $1/share! Other notable investments have been in Dropbox, Ring (acquired by Amazon), Lyft, SeatGeek, Robinhood, Away, and ClassPass. Though many of NAS investments have been in technology, I believe lyrics from his extensive catalog of music that spans more than two and a half decades will show you that he could be a successful CPG entrepreneur. These lyrics provide keen lessons for any CPG entrepreneur. So, what can you learn from the hip-hop legend NAS?