Notes From The Week #27

Happy Monday! Hope we’re all doing well. I’ve been thinking about my writing practice for the newsletter quite a bit recently. I’m looking to systemise my process better this year. If you know any good literature, articles or podcasts that could help with this please feel free to send my way. Much appreciated in advance.

This week we’re taking a look at one of my favourite companies ever: Roc-A-Fella Records and we’ll be also looking at the power of storytelling in venture capital.

Roc-A-Fella Mafia

In the technology space the PayPal Mafia have almost become Silicon Valley royalty. The PayPal mafia is a group of former PayPal employees and founders who went on to found and/or develop additional technology companies. Many of the companies that have been formed have gone on to be category-leading and defining companies such as: Tesla, LinkedIn, Palantir, SpaceX, Affirm, YouTube, Yelp and Yammer.

While the PayPal Mafia certainly get just dues for their contribution. I sincerely believe that Roc-A-Fella Records doesn’t get their just dues for their contribution to not only music but to culture as a whole. In my humble opinion, it’s hard to find another company that has impacted the psyche of culture in a way that they have.

The tweet above was actually prompted by this article. I had seen the news that Iddris Sandu’s Spatial Labs had raised a $10 million seed round. The round was led by Blockchain Capital with Marcy Ventures (Jay-Z’s Venture Capital firm) also participating in the round. When I read that Marcy Ventures had participated in the round I recalled Jay’s verse on GOD DID when he refers to his investment in Savage X Fenty: “We pushin' Fenty like fentanyl, this s--- is all legitimate." In January 2022, Savage x Fenty raised a $125 million Series C round in which Marcy Ventures was an investor which had the Abu Dhabi Growth Fund entering the round as an investor.

Roc-A-Fella Records was an American hip hop record label and music management company founded by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon "Dame" Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1994. It was initially formed as a vehicle to market and distribute Jay-Z’s debut album Reasonable Doubt after he was turned down for a record deal by most major labels at the time.

Roc-A-Fella’s impact on culture will help them go down as one of the most important companies America has produced. Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), Rihanna, J.Cole and not forgetting Jay-Z have been some of the most important music artists produced in the last 20 years. Alongside that has also been the products and services that they were able to leverage as result of their star power: Rocawear (which provided a blueprint for most urban streetwear brands), Yeezy and Fenty. There are times when I’m left to wander if egos hadn’t collided in the way that they did—what would have Roc-A-Fella been able to go on and achieve? I guess we can only guess. In the meantime I’ll continue to have Reasonable Doubt on repeat taking in the essence of 3 hustlers from inner-city New York coming together to create something beyond their wildest dreams.

It Ain’t Hard To (Story)Tell

After rising through the ranks of Netscape and having a stint at AOL, Ben Horowitz would begin a series of profitable entrepreneurial pursuits with Marc Andreessen. The two would then launch the renowned VC: Andreessen Horowitz. On the surface, it could seem quite confusing to understand why Ben Horowitz would resonate with Nas when you look loosely at their backgrounds you can see that they come from two totally different backgrounds. The magic is in the authenticity of Nas’ story. Horowitz labels Nas the “greatest storyteller of our generation.” Nas learned a lot about investing from Ben Horowitz, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz and one of Silicon Valley’s most respected and experienced entrepreneurs.

It is in the DNA of a good venture capitalist to understand, perceive and tell stories. To embrace narratives and to make assessments on what they believe the future will look like. So when the kid from the Queensbridge Projects tells the different boroughs in New York that the world is theirs; he makes a profound assessment of what their future will look like. Providing not only them but also us with the hope that we will embrace a more inclusive and equitable world. Nas’ entry into venture capital came from him uniquely telling his story about himself and where he comes from. His skill, storytelling and authenticity resonated with people who weren’t like him but could resonate and were inspired by his art. 

It would be these stories that resonate with Ben Horowitz. It’s Nas’ confidence to stand from his vantage point and to honestly, authentically and confidently tell his story. When doing the press run for his book The Hard Things About Things, Horowitz said the number one reason readers had given him for why they liked his book came from a lesson he took from Nas: “be exceedingly honest”.

If you’ve got a spare hour this week. Would definitely recommend tapping into this podcast episode. A very useful conversation on a new personal finance vehicle that is becoming popular amongst online creators. Hope it’s helpful.

Until next week. Peace.