Jason ‘Jadakiss’ Phillips, a rapper and entrepreneur, aspired to be a sportsman since childhood. However, the reality of his SAT results would force him to alter course and pursue a different passion.
Then came music and MCing, but he eventually wanted to own something. Despite his interest in entrepreneurship, he felt he was too young to pursue it further.
“I knew I wanted to own something or work for myself, but I didn’t think about it until about 10th or 11th grade, when I realized the reality of SAT scores and coaches looking at me as a little wimp. “I knew I had to find something else to do,” he remarked on BET’s “The Business of Hip Hop,” according to AfroTech.
After quitting sports, music became his second love, and he joined forces with Sheek Louch and Styles P to enter the rap scene with their own distinct style. They quickly established themselves as a dominant force in the rap game.
“[When] you first get into the business, you’re young, you’re radical, and you’re bugging out,” Jadakiss described his entry into the music industry. “I just wanted to be the best rapper, and I had no idea about publishing or splits. I had no idea about any of the things I had learnt throughout the years. After reflecting, I realized that I should have read more chapters while writing the 16s.
He goes on to say, “But then, as you grow you start setting up, you start paying your taxes, and then you want to start, eventually, either getting into real estate or some sort of ownership.”
While developing his music brand, he spotted a financial opportunity and seized it. His first step was to invest in Juices For Life, the health bar he co-founded with his brother and former LOX group member Styles P in their hometown of Yonkers, New York, in 2011.
“Once you create some financial revenue and invest wisely, do something you love to further it,” Jadakiss went on to say.
Combining his experience in developing a music brand and business, he decided to start a firm that would last generations, and he did it with his father and son.
“I worked for the country’s largest coffee company at the time,” Jadakiss’ father, Bob Phillips, recounted. “As I gained more knowledge in the profession and my son gained more reputation, I believed we had the vehicle to launch a product and reach a large audience. As I approached retirement age, it was something I wanted to leave for future generations.”
Jadakiss founded Kiss Cafe Coffee, a family-oriented, three-generation coffee brand, with his father and son, Jae’Won Phillips.
“I feel like I’m on my way to becoming a mogul in the making, but it’s more than that for me because we have something special here. Jae’Won, a Clark Atlanta University alum, stated, “We have a legacy, tradition, and family business.”