Co-presented by Zócalo Public Square, ASU, and California Forward (CA FWD) in partnership with Stocktonia

Moderated by Robeson Taj Frazier, Director, USC Annenberg Institute for Difference and Empowerment in the Arts

Hip-hop is big business—venturing from the world’s grandest and most expensive stages into lucrative sponsorships in sneakers and apparel, nightlife and liquor, real estate and sports. The industry has gone from “main street” to mogul, turning Dr. Dre’s beats into a lucrative headphone brand and transforming an artist like Jay-Z from a “businessman” to a “business, man.” Is hip-hop the driving force behind Black business and economic mobility? What can we glean from its innovative strategies and enterprising spirit? And how do the creative economies hip-hop has brokered affect California’s racially diverse and rapidly changing communities?

Hip-hop brand marketer and executive Tara DeVeaux and media executive for youth culture storytelling Detavio Samuels discuss hip-hop’s impact on the economy during the opening night of CA FWD’s 2025 California Economic Summit.

This public conversation, on the opening night of CA FWD’s 2025 California Economic Summit, will be followed by a reception hosted by San Joaquin Partnership at the Banner Island Ballpark, featuring a live musical performance, drinks, and bites.