Darren Jason Watkins Jr, known globally as IShowSpeed, marked his 21st birthday with a historic milestone: surpassing 50 million YouTube subscribers live on stream while celebrating in Lagos, Nigeria. The achievement places IShowSpeed among a small group of creators whose audiences rival mid-size television networks. According to Black Millionaires, he is the first Black creator to reach the 50-million-subscriber mark. As the subscriber counter ticked upward during the livestream, IShowSpeed framed the moment as a collective win. “Chat, this is the best birthday gift that I could ever ask for,” he
Khaby Lame, the most-followed creator on TikTok, has finalized the sale of his core company, Step Distinctive Limited, in an all-stock deal widely reported at around $900 million. The buyer is Rich Sparkle Holdings, a Hong Kong–based firm that also trades in the US as ANPA.US. Under the agreement, Rich Sparkle will hold exclusive operational rights to Lame’s brand for an initial three-year period, while Lame becomes a controlling shareholder in the acquiring company. From Viral Reach to a Single Operating System Lame, who was born in Senegal and raised
Steven Bartlett’s Flight Story has partnered with Dr Raphael Sofoluke, founder of the UK Black Business Show, to launch Legacy Black. The 50/50 joint venture aimed at building a global media brand focused on Black business and wealth creation. The partnership targets over £100 billion ($134 billion) of economic impact over the next decade. It emerged after Bartlett spoke at the UK Black Business Show in 2023, evolving into a media business designed to convert community into a sponsor-backed revenue model. Flight Story And UK Black Business Show Join Forces
A 13-year-old boy in the UK is paying his own boarding school fees using profits from his Caribbean food business, a venture he started at just six years old. Malaki Conteh now covers the portion of his school fees not covered by financial aid at The Prebendal School in southern England, where he attends as a full-time boarder. Tuition runs about £4,000 ($5,384) per semester, with Conteh paying the remaining balance after receiving a 50% scholarship, My London reports. Turning a Family Kitchen Into a Business Conteh runs Malaki’s Food
Three-time Grammy Award–winning artist Megan Thee Stallion has opened her first Popeyes restaurant as a franchise owner, turning a high-profile brand partnership into a direct stake in a revenue-generating business. The restaurant opened this week on Washington Avenue in South Beach, Miami, a high-traffic corridor popular with both locals and tourists. It features Megan-themed design elements and menus. From Campaign Partner to Franchise Owner Megan’s Popeyes location builds on a relationship that began in 2021, when she and the fast-food chain announced an expanded partnership that went beyond a typical celebrity
Google’s Year in Search 2025 data confirms a long-standing reality in the digital economy. Black American culture serves as the primary engine for what the U.S. clicks, buys, and watches. This annual roundup highlights the questions that shaped the cultural zeitgeist, and 2025’s results are characterized by Black-led moments across every major category. Culture The rise of the Philadelphia-rooted “67” phrase—popularized by rapper Skrilla’s track “Doot Doot (6 7)”—highlights how regional Black slang quickly becomes the default language of the internet. Dictionary.com even named “67” its Word of the Year
For the past decade, Danielle Udogaranya, CEO and co-founder of Ebonix, has been one of the most influential voices championing Black representation in gaming. “Ten years ago today, I stopped accepting what we were given as Black gamers: an afro, some Killmonger locs, a teeny weeny afro, and maybe a low cut fade,” Udogaranya shared in a recent TikTok video. Now, as she marks ten years of reshaping virtual identity, she is celebrating the milestone with a new London exhibition, Black Lines of Code. The exhibition brings together more than 20
Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman is taking legal action against companies and individuals who have replicated his iconic voice and likeness without his permission. His stance comes amid growing concerns in Hollywood over the use of AI to create deepfakes and synthetic replications without consent or compensation. Morgan Takes Legal Action Against Unauthorized AI In a recent interview with The Guardian, Freeman made his position clear: “I’m a little PO’d, you know. I’m like any other actor: don’t mimic me with falseness. I don’t appreciate it, and I get paid for doing stuff like that, so if you’re gonna do it without me, you’re robbing
This episode is sponsored by DeleteMe. Get 20% of DeleteMe at joindeleteme.com/techish with code TECHISH. This week on Techish, hosts Michael and Abadesi breakdown Amazon’s cutting 10% of its corporate workforce, the future of HR in tech, why networking and referrals matter more than ever, and leaving a toxic workplace. And for the Patreon folk, did Mango founder Isak Andic fall to his death or was he pushed? Chapters 00:30 Amazon Lays Off 30,000 Employees14:22 Why Referrals Are Key to Beating the Job Market19:10 Exit Interviews at a Toxic Company24:31
Entrepreneur Steven Bartlett’s company Steven.com, which houses his creator media assets and ventures, has closed an eight-figure funding round to build the “Disney of the creator economy.” The round, reportedly the largest of its kind for a creator holding company in Europe, was led by Slow Ventures and Apeiron Investment Group and puts his company’s valuation at $425 million. Bartlett, best known as the host of The Diary of a CEO podcast and a former Dragons’ Den investor, shared the news on X (formerly Twitter). Building the Platform for the Next Creator Era Founded
