Hip Hop x Financial Empowerment with fintech founder, DIVINE of Solvent

[00:00:00] I am Brother Cornel West and this is Hip-Hop Can Save You Manny!

[00:00:08] Peace and love everybody, it's your Manny Faces.

[00:00:13] Just wanted to let you know that Hip-Hop Can Save America is now available as a live stream

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[00:00:56] Now let's go.

[00:00:58] You know, we know that hip-hop can uplift humanity and improve society across the board.

[00:01:01] This is every demographic, every nook and cranny, every tight person, every race, religion

[00:01:08] culture, creed all that because we've seen the receipts we know that it can work.

[00:01:11] But perhaps it's most importantly focused on helping uplift the lives and livelihoods

[00:01:17] and communities that have been traditionally left behind or under resourced or underfunded

[00:01:22] or underloved by the rest of humanity, by the white supremacist structure that exists

[00:01:27] in this country.

[00:01:28] So while it can help everyone and it should and it will and it does, it's best suited

[00:01:33] to make sure that those who have been traditionally underserved will get the benefits that they

[00:01:40] so deserve.

[00:01:42] That being said, so when we talk about hip-hop and education like we did with representative

[00:01:46] Bowman, that's one area.

[00:01:49] Education can be fixed if we incorporate hip-hop from a holistic viewpoint.

[00:01:53] We've talked about health and wellness.

[00:01:55] We talk about science and technology on this show.

[00:01:57] And one area which I love getting into because there's a lot of people who want to know

[00:02:03] how this industry or this field, this discipline can be better suited through a hip-hop mindset,

[00:02:11] the hip-hop mentality is the world of finances which always confuses me and I'm not very good

[00:02:17] at because you can tell because I'm broke all the time.

[00:02:21] But that being said, I wanted to bring on someone that I've known for a very, very long

[00:02:25] time that comes from the world of hip-hop that's come from as introduced earlier in the show,

[00:02:30] the perspective of being systems impacted, being a hip-hop head, being a very, very,

[00:02:35] very, very, very good dude and has been around in a long time and has wound up in the world

[00:02:39] of FinTech, financial technology, startups, venture capital.

[00:02:44] All the things that I'd like to know more about.

[00:02:47] So my man, my mellow, divine, I'm bringing you to the stage.

[00:02:52] We're going to get rid of this.

[00:02:53] We're going to bring you on and we're going to kick it.

[00:02:56] What up, divine?

[00:02:57] It was good, my brother, how are you?

[00:02:58] I'm doing well.

[00:02:59] I'm doing as well as could be expected.

[00:03:00] I haven't seen quite some time but it's good to see you right now.

[00:03:04] It's been a minute, man.

[00:03:07] It's great to be able to be able to achieve another man.

[00:03:09] Yeah, yeah.

[00:03:10] The privilege and pleasure is mine.

[00:03:14] As I mentioned, let's start at the end and then maybe we could go back a little bit.

[00:03:18] Let's kind of not start at the end.

[00:03:19] We'll start at the now as they, the end.

[00:03:21] It's never the end with you.

[00:03:22] Nothing ever ends.

[00:03:23] It's always forward progression, right?

[00:03:26] Right now, the reason, I mean, I've watched you and we go back and forth on time but solvent

[00:03:30] is the thing that caught my eye right now.

[00:03:33] That's I think the main baby, the main project right now, correct?

[00:03:36] Yes, yes indeed.

[00:03:37] Let's just let's just tell the people right out the gate, what solvent?

[00:03:40] What are you working on right now and you'll know immediately know why I love you so much

[00:03:44] and the work you do.

[00:03:45] Yeah, well, you know, solvent is a financial technology company.

[00:03:50] It's a mobile first, only one banking and financial empowerment platform that's focused on people

[00:03:55] who are system impacted.

[00:03:56] So when we say system impacted, what we mean, we break that up in the four segments and

[00:04:01] that's that people who are socioeconomic, disadvantaged, people who are formerly incarcerated,

[00:04:07] the family, friends and loved ones of the formerly incarcerated and incarcerated in the incarcerated.

[00:04:12] And what solvent does is the platform is really helped them optimize their financial

[00:04:16] lives, man.

[00:04:17] You know what I mean?

[00:04:18] Yeah.

[00:04:19] We do that through different ways.

[00:04:20] By having affordable tech, driven personal financial and banking tools, products and services

[00:04:25] as well as having a mix of financial literacy and empowerment, content curriculum and resources.

[00:04:33] Yeah.

[00:04:34] So what does that look like in practice?

[00:04:35] What are some of these programs?

[00:04:37] Well, first and foremost, we looked to get them individuals banked, right?

[00:04:42] That's the first step.

[00:04:43] Okay.

[00:04:44] Bank account, debit card and then we have credit, credit repair and building tools as well

[00:04:50] so they can soak because the most people that come from the demographic were focused

[00:04:53] on.

[00:04:54] Individuals come from poverty, right?

[00:04:56] People who have been affected by mass incarceration whether it's them or their family, friends

[00:05:02] and loved ones that's been incarcerated before.

[00:05:04] And dealing with the mental health issues of being formerly incarcerated.

[00:05:09] So we try to address all those type of things.

[00:05:11] Again, we go back to the credit repair and when you think about credit repair and credit

[00:05:15] building, a lot of these individuals have either a low score or no score or a very thin

[00:05:20] credit profile, right?

[00:05:22] So we look to empower them around the credit piece as well as looking at other different

[00:05:30] services that can help them resources.

[00:05:33] People come home transitioning from being incarcerated, coming back to the streets, how do they

[00:05:38] transition and get their financial foundation back in order?

[00:05:41] That's what Salvin told about.

[00:05:43] And when you think about Salvin is really how I was able to take my personal journey,

[00:05:49] coming from poverty, being incarcerated, as you know for a decade of my life.

[00:05:54] And I made a lot of money in my time, right?

[00:05:57] In the streets.

[00:05:58] I went to federal prison at 19 years old and for the most part, you know, I go on to

[00:06:02] federal prison unless you're doing something major.

[00:06:05] And I was doing that.

[00:06:06] And I seen a lot of money, man.

[00:06:08] But that money never gave me the financial empowerment I was seeking because I didn't have financial

[00:06:14] literacy.

[00:06:15] I didn't understand, you know, stocks.

[00:06:17] I didn't understand these other tools that can help you elevate your financial life or

[00:06:21] even optimize it.

[00:06:22] So that's how Salvin is more so just taking my journey and productizing, if you would.

[00:06:30] When I say productizing it, it's putting it in a system and in a process.

[00:06:36] So other people can follow it and say, okay, divine has success this way.

[00:06:41] Now everybody's going to make a billionaire like I did, right?

[00:06:43] As you know, I know to get more into that.

[00:06:45] But not everybody's going to meet a billionaire like I did.

[00:06:47] So if they can't meet that billionaire, how does the vantig when he's learned from being

[00:06:51] in that space, bring it back to those in the streets or those that are in poverty, stuck

[00:06:57] in poverty still, we're trying to get out and empower them.

[00:07:01] Yeah.

[00:07:02] What state is this solvent right now?

[00:07:05] In other words, is this something that's out to the public that can be, you know, using

[00:07:12] different parts of the country?

[00:07:13] You know, just give me an idea of like how someone would use this or get involved with

[00:07:17] this.

[00:07:18] If they had a loved one, maybe they'll just get not you know, getting out of and I needed

[00:07:21] this kind of help.

[00:07:22] Yeah, well, this currently nationwide.

[00:07:23] So it's a villa, a donation wide.

[00:07:25] So we actually go, we actually go live with our arm.

[00:07:28] We actually go live without free membership where people can come on the platform and actually

[00:07:32] learn financial literacy, engage with entrepreneurship education as well.

[00:07:37] Yeah.

[00:07:38] They have about 5,000 resources that are going to be available around entrepreneurship.

[00:07:43] And of a thousand, a 2000 of content and curriculum online classes around financial

[00:07:52] empowerment.

[00:07:53] So it goes live in the next few weeks.

[00:07:56] I make sure that I tap in with you and let you know exactly when it goes live.

[00:07:59] The bank in portion will be available in the next 90 days.

[00:08:01] So people will be able to download the app.

[00:08:04] Yeah.

[00:08:05] Google Android, download the app.

[00:08:07] Google Android and iOS app, iOS download the app and then create an account.

[00:08:13] Go and engage with the free resources, the free content, the free curriculum, sign up

[00:08:17] for the bank or the bank account debit card.

[00:08:19] Get on a wait list.

[00:08:21] So we're looking about lots of that in the next 90 days.

[00:08:23] Got it.

[00:08:24] So when you say there's a banking portion to it, sort of like not to, you know, I'm just

[00:08:28] trying to compare it.

[00:08:29] I want to say like green wood, like that kind of banking platform, not a bank bank but like

[00:08:34] another man.

[00:08:35] Yeah.

[00:08:36] Yeah.

[00:08:37] We're, we're, we're a neo bank.

[00:08:38] What they call a neo bank.

[00:08:39] I don't say we're super neo bank.

[00:08:40] Understood.

[00:08:41] We're super neo bank because we have a comprehensive platform.

[00:08:44] Right.

[00:08:45] Because don't, we just don't give you a one point product of a bank account in the debit

[00:08:48] card.

[00:08:49] Right.

[00:08:50] And we really think about a bank account debit card.

[00:08:52] Those aren't financial and proud of tools.

[00:08:55] Those are those are utility tools, right?

[00:08:57] They they they make your financial like more efficient.

[00:08:59] They make you more convenient but they don't give you financial and proud of it.

[00:09:02] And really when we look at people coming from this demographic and the target audience,

[00:09:06] these are people that really need financial and proud of it.

[00:09:08] Yeah.

[00:09:10] And so when you think about green wood, green wood is something similar to what a

[00:09:15] solveness was solveness more niche focus, right?

[00:09:18] We're focused on people.

[00:09:19] If you thought it with focus on people who are the lowest of the low, right?

[00:09:24] The people that that banks don't want to deal with but once you get on solven's program,

[00:09:28] once you use utilized our platform, you're going to turn into somebody that the banks

[00:09:32] are definitely going to want, right?

[00:09:34] And and that's what it's about.

[00:09:35] Right.

[00:09:36] And then add one last thing onto that.

[00:09:37] Sure.

[00:09:38] When you look at neo banks like green wood and these other ones that out, remember this

[00:09:42] is something I started working on in 2014, right?

[00:09:46] 2014.

[00:09:47] I started working on this but we were doing pre pay debit cards as an alternative to the

[00:09:50] sort of rush card and we wanted to have a social impact component.

[00:09:53] And that was around the financial literacy and entrepreneurship education.

[00:09:57] So I was up five years early of thinking about what a neo bank could possibly be,

[00:10:01] right?

[00:10:02] Such as with green wood and others are doing.

[00:10:04] Yeah.

[00:10:05] That sounds like you're saying that the rush card really didn't actually help people.

[00:10:08] Anyway, just moving along.

[00:10:10] I'm just my own two cents but no, I appreciate that.

[00:10:14] Having that obviously that we say niche focus, but it's an important one because it's

[00:10:20] folks that don't get that specialized attention.

[00:10:22] They have very unique needs and very unique concerns that the rest of the banking population

[00:10:28] right wouldn't necessarily be concerning themselves with.

[00:10:31] So it's important that that focuses there otherwise they get swept up and it's not even

[00:10:35] helping them directly.

[00:10:36] It's not helping them specifically, right?

[00:10:39] Exactly.

[00:10:40] No, absolutely.

[00:10:41] You hit it right ahead.

[00:10:42] Yeah.

[00:10:43] Folks who are listening by the way, my good friend Devon who I've known for a while, you

[00:10:48] might have heard him just casually throughout there that he met a billionaire because most

[00:10:53] of us do, right?

[00:10:54] At some point or another but that's actually a really interesting twist, a really interesting

[00:10:58] part of the story.

[00:11:00] It's, I don't say it's how you got here.

[00:11:03] Obviously, doing a bunch of important things leading up to this place.

[00:11:08] But tell the story of being a billionaire and how that kind of changed the direction of

[00:11:12] what you were doing.

[00:11:13] Yeah, yeah.

[00:11:14] So, wow.

[00:11:17] I was found myself incarcerated yet again at the Delaware citizen for years and you grew

[00:11:22] up where?

[00:11:23] Just to let people know.

[00:11:24] You were where.

[00:11:25] I was born in Newport, Rhode Island and then Brooklyn's my second home, New York City.

[00:11:29] Yes, sir.

[00:11:30] I was in the Maryland City of Beverly, so you know, connect with my people out there.

[00:11:34] So anywhere I was incarcerated about 10 years ago, actually 12 years ago, my last time

[00:11:40] incarcerated and I became 100% dissatisfied with my life.

[00:11:45] And when I started examining, doing an antropetial inspection, I started saying, you know, what

[00:11:49] am I going to do with my life?

[00:11:50] I always felt that I was destined for something greater than just being incarcerated and living

[00:11:55] in our crime culture because that became my culture.

[00:11:57] Crime was my culture.

[00:11:58] Yeah.

[00:11:59] Anyway, did that and I said, you know what?

[00:12:03] I really like the process of making money.

[00:12:04] I've always been intrigued with financial with the financial world.

[00:12:08] I never understood it but I knew that you could become highly successful in it and with

[00:12:12] it.

[00:12:13] And I always wanted to dig into that.

[00:12:15] But at that point, I wasn't thinking all the financial world.

[00:12:17] I was just thinking, how could I just change my life?

[00:12:20] And I came across an article about this fame Silicon Valley venture capital and billion

[00:12:25] and they've been always, how are you sip hop?

[00:12:28] How are you sip hop to tease business lessons to his employees?

[00:12:31] So that intrigued me immediately.

[00:12:33] And then what also intrigued me about him was the fact that he was a venture capitalist,

[00:12:38] was a billionaire and he was in, you know, not the financial but the technology space.

[00:12:45] And I didn't see how those connected with hip hop.

[00:12:48] I mean, hip hop comes from the struggle from the pain, from poverty, from negativity and

[00:12:55] the sense of the environment you live in and you try to get out and you sip hop to

[00:12:58] get out of that.

[00:13:00] And I was intrigued by that.

[00:13:01] I came home, reached out to him on Twitter to make a long story short, accident meant

[00:13:07] to me.

[00:13:09] We became fast friends and that man just changed the whole trajectory, trajectory of my

[00:13:14] life.

[00:13:15] And I was exposed to Silicon Valley.

[00:13:17] I was exposed to venture capital.

[00:13:19] I was exposed to, you know, former entrepreneurship as well as a startup building.

[00:13:24] High growth.

[00:13:25] High growth started building in the technology space and that was it.

[00:13:32] And as I got known for that when I entered the technology space, I started framing my

[00:13:39] story whenever I did interviews.

[00:13:41] I would frame my story from crack to rap to tech.

[00:13:45] And when you look at my life and my story, and those are the three major things in my

[00:13:50] life that have guided me throughout my lifetime.

[00:13:54] From crack was with my mother's drug addiction, right?

[00:13:58] From the crack to rap.

[00:14:00] To rap was more so when I got incarcerated, hold my skills and made a determined idea

[00:14:06] to become a professional hip hop rapper.

[00:14:07] Good notice.

[00:14:08] Not just anyone but one of the best ones.

[00:14:11] And that was when I sent my market.

[00:14:15] So not only that, but I also learned the music business while incarcerated.

[00:14:19] So I'm on record label when I came home because I wanted to be able to have creative control

[00:14:23] make the most money of my art and own my masses.

[00:14:27] So these are things I was thinking about incarcerated long before before I became.

[00:14:31] Yeah.

[00:14:32] Before you actually actually chewing on it right?

[00:14:34] Head of the curve.

[00:14:35] I always man as I was been.

[00:14:38] So with that being said, from for all of the crack to rap and then to tech piece came

[00:14:44] when I met Ben.

[00:14:45] When I learned about Ben and connected with him.

[00:14:48] Yeah well and he's known for a bunch of early startup successes just so people know like

[00:14:54] what the what it's and just sheen the harrow its and really I always get it wrong but

[00:14:59] it's far and so I'm allowed to.

[00:15:00] Yeah.

[00:15:01] He'll be mad.

[00:15:02] Don't be tell Ben Ben don't know me but tell Ben my apologies.

[00:15:05] I got the hardwoods part right so come on.

[00:15:09] So what are some of the things that they've been involved with that?

[00:15:13] I mean Facebook is a major one Twitter as well.

[00:15:18] You know a lot of these companies in the technology space that have been going on to become

[00:15:24] unicorns coin bases are good one.

[00:15:25] When we do crypto coin bases another one right?

[00:15:29] Yeah.

[00:15:30] Yeah they were in early and all these what they call high growth technology startups.

[00:15:35] Yeah.

[00:15:36] And you know they can go on to become dung and dollar value with the companies.

[00:15:39] Yeah.

[00:15:40] I mean.

[00:15:41] I'm bringing dollar value with the companies.

[00:15:42] Yeah and I mean you know this you know the story it sounds cliche right because it's

[00:15:46] like here's a guy who you wouldn't think you know could be smart and no but of course

[00:15:53] because the things that you got to go through to survive in the circumstances and da da

[00:15:58] doesn't negate the fact that you could be brilliant like you're a brilliant dude.

[00:16:02] You were brilliant in the streets.

[00:16:03] You were staying alive doing things that took a lot of managerial skills let's just say

[00:16:08] a lot of quick on your feet thinking a lot of improv and a lot of determination all the

[00:16:13] things right that they say you have to have.

[00:16:16] So but given the opportunity to say wait a minute I still have this pension for you know

[00:16:21] looking seeing the money making opportunities but my legit way let me learn the music business

[00:16:26] and start the label wait hold on let me get in the technology thing my whole like philosophy

[00:16:31] here is sort of like the hip hop mindset certainly you know coming up in in in situations

[00:16:37] like you say you know what you would you deal with with your mom and and the time and the

[00:16:42] place where you grew up like that all instills sort of genius ways of thinking into a young

[00:16:48] people.

[00:16:49] And they get very often thought of as not being capable of doing those things so you're

[00:16:54] you're not a unicorn in that fact in that sense in that a lot of young people a lot

[00:17:02] of folks who have these abilities just got to be given the right chance at the right situation.

[00:17:06] I mean yeah you hit it right now I would go so far I say the genius I think we all

[00:17:12] have genius capabilities right right but I'll say I'm very innovative right right right

[00:17:17] I have a real unique perspective on how I approach everything I've ever done in my life I've

[00:17:23] always been ahead of my time in that sense always matured for my age always learning from

[00:17:28] older individuals right myself so I learn fast I learned to pick up and adapt and I learned

[00:17:33] to master my environment no matter where that was whether that was in the streets with

[00:17:37] my mother on crack cocaine and you know trying to figure out how do I make money.

[00:17:42] What resources do I have to leverage to do that to go into prison how do I maintain in prison

[00:17:47] how do I you know I turn my prison experience into into into into my university right it became

[00:17:55] my university where I learned the things that I learned and I really focus on spirituality

[00:17:59] and of course second thing was the music business right and then you know finally I'm now

[00:18:04] in the financial technology space you know the building this company but yeah you hit it right

[00:18:09] on the head man it's like we don't have a lot of resources will be come from and we have to be

[00:18:13] very innovative in our approach to how we survive and how we how we are thrive and make money man.

[00:18:19] Yeah I mean you look at other folks that we know of and know personally folks like Nas for example

[00:18:25] who have gone in this direction where those those life skills are transferable is what I'm saying

[00:18:31] it's what I'm getting now yeah the life skills are transferable you know Nas like what's it you know

[00:18:36] the idea that that that transition from those worlds to those worlds are transferable same thing

[00:18:43] you're you're familiar right no absolutely not as somebody else that's connected to Ben

[00:18:48] yeah actually met Ben like a year before me I believe whatever it was but then Ben was very

[00:18:53] instrumental so on Nas is entering the technology space and you know doing the investments he

[00:19:01] and the success he's had in that space with Queensborough's Ventures it's more so you know salute Nas of course

[00:19:07] of course we just we're just we're him and Ben out at the Super Bowl weekend so nice

[00:19:11] you gotta got to salute them yeah sure yeah but um yeah definitely like that transition like coming

[00:19:17] from you know the projects coming from the streets taking those taking those skills and like

[00:19:24] you said they're very they're very transferable you know when the streets I was somebody who

[00:19:28] I had the source product I had the um I had the package product right I had um you know man is all

[00:19:33] these different components to make a money you know I wasn't just a lower level type of dude I was

[00:19:39] more than a managerial role and I was dealing with people like you know 10 years my age you know what I mean

[00:19:44] at the time I got I got knocked in 19 so yeah people would you know people would way older than me

[00:19:50] but I took responsibility for what I did and you know my time and and kept them moving man

[00:19:56] but I've never been someone to let to let my prison experience define who I am yeah for sure

[00:20:02] I mean if you met me you know me if you met me you would never tell I did a day in prison right

[00:20:06] right um because I'm not thoughtful about you know who I am and who I'm trying to become

[00:20:12] I can't stay stay stuck in that and I gotta keep elevating and building so

[00:20:17] yeah and you know what that's I think uh you know they always say you know was defined by you know

[00:20:21] the worst thing they did or no one's defined by the you know but you still take those experiences

[00:20:26] and obviously use them to mold and shape and and move uh to younger people I imagine you talk to

[00:20:31] young folk a lot or you know you get these opportunities to at least you know maybe as a mentor

[00:20:35] at least you know speaking to young kids um for those of us that aren't sure a lot of folks here

[00:20:40] are educators or you know listen to show whatever our educators sometimes their school counselors um

[00:20:46] what I guess I don't know gems lessons do we pass on to the young folk who might feel like

[00:20:54] they're in a world where financial success and certainly to the level of technology finance venture

[00:21:00] capital all that stuff is so far into them they just don't get the exposure to that but there

[00:21:05] no less capable of ending up there as you know what what do we say to them how do we guide them how

[00:21:10] you know take do what we do what little we can with without little you know connections to young folk

[00:21:15] particularly I think I think we're we live in an all better time and to take advantage of technology

[00:21:21] and let us that to really become self-made I mean there's so many so many directions and avenues

[00:21:26] you can go to um you know to become successful become you know financially and proud would

[00:21:32] and be able to build wealth yeah uh it's it's it's it's astronomical the abilities that technology has

[00:21:38] given us yeah to reset to reset our high level that we can that we can think of and dream of so all I

[00:21:44] can say is that take advantage of everything that's out there you know knowledge as a foundation

[00:21:48] and um you know there's no shortcut to knowledge especially knowledge learned through experience

[00:21:53] so you know dig in dive in and um and and and and and and and really don't be afraid like if you can

[00:22:01] if you can conceive it you gotta you believe it then you can achieve it how we say that you know

[00:22:06] or think and grow rich now man simple right think I see but achieve it conceive it believe it

[00:22:11] achieve it and and I've always lived by that right whatever thought I had in my mind I've always been

[00:22:16] successful on my undertakings because I always took that thought and I always built on top of it

[00:22:21] you know what I mean it's not gonna open happen overnight when you see these so-called overnight

[00:22:24] successes that's 10 years 20 years in the making for sure you know what I mean it's never overnight

[00:22:29] success but it's all about taking those steps one step at a time like um thanks uh

[00:22:35] Sun Zhu Sun Zhu said uh uh the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step

[00:22:42] so you know that's what it is it's a step don't be afraid and I think everything

[00:22:47] everything that you fit everything that you desire and life is on the other side of fear

[00:22:52] I didn't just I didn't just you know I didn't just come out having confidence I did just come out

[00:22:57] having different things you know I love is my DNA intelligence my mother my father

[00:23:01] but I still had to go through life and learn and adapt the massive different environments man

[00:23:07] I had to build up the high self-esteem I had to build up the strong self-confidence that allowed me

[00:23:11] to walk through these doors it's funny because speaking of confidence yeah um people would always

[00:23:16] ask me like oh I can't believe you you know you reached out to then that's crazy just down a third

[00:23:21] but I said I can't believe you didn't okay I can't believe you did if you can't believe I did

[00:23:27] I can't believe you didn't right well I wouldn't do I wouldn't do right they just but that shows

[00:23:31] you the level of fear they have I get it and when I reached out to Ben I just seen him as a human being

[00:23:36] I didn't see him as as a venture capitalist I didn't see him as a bringing in even my new

[00:23:39] these things about him I conducted with his spirit first on hip hop yeah yeah just how and just

[00:23:45] on how he approached approach life you know what I mean I identify with it I think the first time I

[00:23:53] heard of him was through that same article like that same like here's some business like because

[00:23:57] he's a hip hop head and he recognizes and again like we talk about here we he recognizes all these

[00:24:02] traits and characteristics that hip hop or being a hip hop you know being part of hip hop culture

[00:24:08] gives you by nature like just it's there it's part of that creativity the remix culture make

[00:24:14] makes something out of something else you know getting through the back door you can't get in through

[00:24:18] the front door so we get in through the back door we can't we can't buy the turntables so we go

[00:24:22] on stealing you know what it is you know what it is you know I mean the the wreckage skipping put a

[00:24:29] knee a nickel on top of the needle like everything about hip hop was these kind of we got no

[00:24:34] electricity we gonna plug it to the lamp or yeah from day one from day one one day one and so when

[00:24:39] people recognize that not as a yeah I do a whole actually I should tell you I got to talk to you

[00:24:44] off line by I do a whole keynote called hip hop can hack everything and it's aimed at the tech

[00:24:49] audience and so it goes through the history of hip of hip hop's connection with technology

[00:24:54] and all the things that hip hop is innovated technologically and including like you said just the day one

[00:24:59] electricity in the in the you know the park jam all the stuff grand master flash did with you

[00:25:04] know with the quick mix theory all the stuff that you know happening in all these years and it's like

[00:25:08] now I look at hip hop I've always looked at hip hop for I've been one of them every DJ is an engineer

[00:25:13] every DJ is a low key engineer you know we fix things things don't work we find it with the

[00:25:18] and so I recognize that ingenuity and it's like why wouldn't you come to the hip hop generation

[00:25:23] why wouldn't you come to someone that you know has that in his heart that remix that get by

[00:25:27] that make a dial out of 15 cents mentality that's just what we should be doing off red

[00:25:32] no no I definitely agree man and that's why you know I got love love someone's love for Ben not

[00:25:37] only because you know he changed my life and it bless me and and open up this new world to me

[00:25:42] right but because um he's authentic he's genuine and it's really rare like you know the main

[00:25:47] and in every sense of it from top to bottom yeah he's a thobble he's a thobble dude and you know

[00:25:52] I respect him and mine him a lot and um you know so big up to him man yeah indeed love it

[00:25:57] we gotta get him on a show long overdue um but yeah in the meantime so now listen I want to keep you

[00:26:01] all night I appreciate you uh you hitting I don't know where you at these days you you all all over

[00:26:06] the place you're you're your frequent fly miles is up so I don't know where you at you might be in

[00:26:12] Dubai for all I know I don't want to keep you up all night tell me once again I love solvent because

[00:26:16] uh you know friends might know he passed a little over a year ago my brother from another mother

[00:26:21] was was in and out of the system for many many years I went through it with him I was you know

[00:26:26] helping him work on his case and taking the calls and you know doing all the things you know

[00:26:31] so I did that for I mean well over well over a decade you know um so I personally know what it's like

[00:26:37] we have a lot of friends and family that have family members that have been in pain and we're not

[00:26:40] to talk about being incarcerated with foster system uh like you said just being poor and having

[00:26:45] to negotiate the uh you know the government services and all that stuff is such an important

[00:26:51] and and and I don't say I neglected a group of folks so this is important to do this is important

[00:26:58] to get the word out to folks so that they know this is available what's next for solvent how do we

[00:27:04] you know look into it more like once again how do we spread the word about it and and and who can

[00:27:09] this once again just tell the folks might be tuning in late who's this really going to help benefit

[00:27:13] and how could we help make that happen as friends and family of folks who have been going through these

[00:27:17] things yeah yeah I just think you know all across the board man solvents all about financial empowerment

[00:27:23] you know I mean so we have all the tools resources on the website www.justsalvin.com.

[00:27:29] j-u-s-t-s-o-l-v-e-n-t.com um we just got to an accelerator with visa so we just partnered with visa

[00:27:36] so we're looking forward to finishing that and you know and we raised we raising capital right now

[00:27:41] so you know we just look forward to really building a solvent out to something that you know in my

[00:27:45] mind it was something that I would want to have when I came home yeah I mean yeah uh even

[00:27:51] Tony black man I think in here you know I don't know if you know Tony blackman uh said someone

[00:27:55] here I wish I had this one I left home at 17 you know exactly not that I feel the same way like I

[00:28:02] wish I have financial financial financial literacy yeah financial intelligence I never was never

[00:28:06] exposed to that right fortunately so yeah all the money I made all the money I made which I

[00:28:10] was trying to make it to get out of that poverty right then it fit me right just put me in prison

[00:28:16] right piles of money don't isn't the answer yeah yeah prison uh chosen zulu says financial

[00:28:22] literacy is a key component in knowledge of self that's why they highlighted as the number one

[00:28:26] aspect to help you develop from day one and their knowledge of self discussions you know what

[00:28:30] that's about yeah yeah yeah and uh we're just getting a lot of love in the chat a lot of folks saying

[00:28:36] this is great um you know this is really important and uh we want to we want to you know no more

[00:28:41] about it be able to spread the word and it's something that um like I said we know uh no that's the

[00:28:45] wrong banner I got I figured out man I'm the only one pressing these buttons uh we'll get we'll

[00:28:49] get more people to know about it just sovint.com right yes sir just yeah calm all right my man

[00:28:55] freedom yeah yeah no I really appreciate I'm glad we finally linked up uh I could talk to you

[00:29:00] every six months not to say that you'll be entrepreneur happen uh because you still you know the

[00:29:05] stuff you don't just walk away from a project everything leads up to a new one yeah yeah you still

[00:29:09] do music though I'm asking I'm wondering oh so I'm I'm gonna let it be known right here in your

[00:29:13] podcast because it could be no better than letting it know in your podcast I am getting back in the

[00:29:18] music um not in a sense of you know as a profession because I'm already yeah yeah professionals what I

[00:29:23] do right right we've done it's my first love back play it more so to really drive um the marketing

[00:29:29] and push and the adoption of solvent to the younger generation and just really spread the word

[00:29:35] so I'm getting back in the lab and working with a few people we in the we in talks right now

[00:29:38] because my man tragic Adafi he's gonna be on deck no doubt on Phantom of the beats just link

[00:29:44] back up with him you know he did he uh he did 50 cent little Ken's magic stick that's right

[00:29:49] so did my he also did my uh my joint I did for Ben venture capital like Ben Horowitz yeah

[00:29:54] anyway you know just tapping into all my connections and looking to do this project man come back

[00:30:00] and do what do what I do man yeah you know this shows called hip hop to save America so you know

[00:30:05] we always to figure that people with the sort of the hip hop mindset as Toby James calls it um

[00:30:10] you know this hip hop mindset helps us take the things that are out there that exist

[00:30:16] and you know flip it right remix it make it our own and um and I guess that's uh that's you sort of

[00:30:23] I mean you sort of a textbook example of it so you know creating yo created something from nothing

[00:30:27] I call the magicomics yeah there you go that's what it is divine yo anytime you got something to

[00:30:34] talk about just hit me up man and we'll spread the word about it appreciate you brother all right man

[00:30:39] this cross bath paths in real life soon now that there's no pandemics or stuff has been a minute no

[00:30:43] my friends all right brother be safe please brother I will again divine my man divine from just

[00:30:49] solvent calm check out that uh that platform uh share it with the folks that you might know

[00:30:55] that need that kind of assistance as I said uh it touches me to my heart uh my brother uh y'all

[00:31:00] y'all might know as Coleman if you know me personally um passed away about a year now

[00:31:04] passed away a year after he got out um and that happened sometimes because you know when you get out

[00:31:10] you're not necessarily stable you're not you're trying to make it work you're working but maybe

[00:31:14] you're overworking you're not connected with healthcare which costs money uh you're not connected

[00:31:19] with your family necessarily you might be stressed because of your family connections and things might

[00:31:23] you know you're trying to get back you're trying to come back after a long time away uh it's very

[00:31:27] important cause to me personally uh so I would have certainly loved this program but um now that it's

[00:31:32] here let's spread the word about it my man divine uh who's always on the the sort of intersection

[00:31:38] of hip-hop technology and and finance and uh those are three areas I love I love the combinations

[00:31:44] you know what I talk about here I'm a hip-hop cuz save America many faces you sick for this one

[00:31:53] once again thanks for listening to another episode of hip-hop can save America aka the world's

[00:31:59] most important hip-hop podcast my name is manifaces you can find out more about the show at hip-hop

[00:32:05] can save America dot com you can watch the show now as a live stream on youtube hip-hop could save

[00:32:09] America dot com slash watch check back for all the replays as well the interviews from the live

[00:32:14] stream will be brought here onto the audio feed so you always get the best of the live stream you can

[00:32:19] also check out our sub-stack news letter it's free at manifaces.substack.com filled with stories of

[00:32:25] hip-hop innovation inspiration and in general hip-hop news that isn't about dumb shit eternal

[00:32:32] shout to our consulting producer summer mcoy be sure to check out her dope initiatives hip-hop hacks

[00:32:37] and the mixtape museum we'll be back soon with another dope episode but check us out on the live

[00:32:41] stream as well monday is 9 p.m eastern hip-hop could save America dot com slash watch the next time

[00:32:47] it's manifaces wishing peace and love to you and yours