Dear You,

Business will demand your brain, and thick skin. You will think strategy. You must think strategy unless you aren’t building greatness.

Hip-Hop as a business depended, at some point, on strategy on knowing when to cross over. When to collaborate with the “other side” to make the culture global.

They had to deliberately work with some white talents.

Mariah Carey.

Eminem.

And more were used to sell the business of Hip-Hop.

Mariah Carey came with melody and whiteness that melted into black rhythm. Her collaborations with Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, and Jay-Z were not just musical they were marketing moves.

They opened R&B and Hip-Hop to suburban radio stations that once called rap “noise.”

Then came Eminem; the perfect commercial Trojan horse. A white rapper in a black-dominated culture, backed by Dr. Dre.

It wasn’t just talent; it was genius marketing. Eminem didn’t only sell millions of records; he sold Hip-Hop to middle America. He made it comfortable for the corporate world to write cheques.

Then you have Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, and Post Malone. All white, all strategically integrated into black music spaces to make Hip-Hop the world’s most consumed genre.

Timberlake danced between R&B and Pop, borrowing swag from black producers like Timbaland and Pharrell and in exchange, he gave mainstream audiences a softer entry point into urban culture.

Miley Cyrus used Hip-Hop aesthetics ; twerking, trap beats, collaborations with Mike WiLL Made-It, to rebrand from Disney darling to edgy adult. And after the culture gave her heat and headlines, she pivoted right back to country-pop. That’s business strategy. Controversial, but effective.

Post Malone? He’s Hip-Hop’s country cousin. A hybrid product designed for all markets. His music blends enough rap for credibility, enough melody for pop playlists, and enough tattoos for street appeal. Every record label dreams of a Post Malone. Someone who can sell in both Walmart and Brooklyn.

The lesson?

Culture becomes commerce when you understand who can carry it farther. The black creators built it; the white collaborators expanded it. That’s not betrayal. That’s business evolution.

And as you build your brand, your art, your company. Remember this: You may be the originator, but to grow big, you must learn to collaborate beyond your comfort zone.

Don’t just create for the crowd that already understands you. Create for the world that’s still learning your language.

That’s how Hip-Hop moved from the Bronx to the Billboard.

That’s how business moves from hustle to empire.

To scale, many entrepreneurs had to learn the word “Franchising”.

Franchising is a business model where one company (the franchisor) gives another person or company (the franchisee) the right to use its brand name, business system, and products/services. Usually in exchange for a franchise fee and ongoing royalties.

When Psquare and Mo’Hits were paying heavily for HipHop collaborations. Many thought they were insane. But see what those invasions have done to Afrobeats today.

You think Burna Boy was stupiid when he sampled Tony Braxton on the Breakfast song. To the point

Burna Boy revealed in an interview that Toni Braxton receives 60% of the royalties from Last Last, because the song samples her track “He Wasn’t Man Enough.”

For us at Sabistation we have middlemen everywhere. From far away India, to Jamiaca, to UK, and then across Africa and other continents.

They are PR agents . But they depend on us to deliver for their clients. We understand the game. We treat them well as well. And help the eco system.

I bought over 20 blogs from bloggers. And then we have them structure and have them work the work.

These things are strategy needed for advancement.

Soon we will start a journalism academy.

Your industry needs you to collaborate. Grow and expand. Don’t just limit your dream.

Your Strategy Spotter

Ediale

#ForTheCulture

PS: When you put your stories and interviews across top newspapers. You are being strategic. And doing more good to your brand.

See 20 ways you grow your business like Hip-Hop did with these white artistes (see comments)