What exactly did Blue Ivy say back when people were speculating about the way she was rocking her natural hair? Nothing because she could not talk, she was a baby. And while it is disturbing that so many people had and continue to have something to say about how little black girls wear their hair the way it naturally grows, it is the harsh reality that they face. These little girls turn into young women who deal with that obstacle during different walks of life, from relationships to the workforce.
The thing about Blue is the first sentence I ever heard her speak was, "Never seen a ceiling in my whole life." And right then and there, I knew Ms. Carter was gonna be a force to be reckoned with. She is being taught that she holds the power to change harsh realities.
https://t.co/MSZxGSkZJn pic.twitter.com/wQ8gWl30Oy
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) November 9, 2020
One of her newest endeavors is taking up the opportunity to narrate the audiobook Hair Love by Oscar-winning director Matthew A. Cherry. Hair Love originally debuted as a short film that told the story of a father learning to do his daughter's hair in its natural state, and acted as an ode to black fathers and daughters and the love of natural hair. After its success, Cherry adapted it into a physical children's book, then enlisted the help of Vashti Harrison with illustrations.
Whether Blue realized it or not, she helped her own mother to embrace natural hair again, giving birth to the 'edges kinky' version of Beyonce that we've come to know and love.
Beyonce/Instagram
At only eight years old, the carefree, intelligent, socially conscious young lady already has many accomplishments under her belt, including being the youngest recipient of a BET Award and throwing Black women the bag. What is so endearing to see is that her mogul parents are teaching her how to use her voice at an early age to impact others without necessarily telling her what to say. Though she lives a very luxurious life, the most valuable thing that her parents are giving her is absolutely free, yet one of the hardest things for parents to do: the freedom to be herself.
Blue, you're doing amazing sweetie!
For more celeb kids who are proving to be moguls in the making by making names for themselves in their own right, keep scrolling.
Willow And Jaden Smith Walk To The Beats Of Their Own Drums
Tinseltown / Shutterstock.comIn addition to being kids of black Hollywood power couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow and Jaden have paved impressive careers for themselves by marching to the beat of their own drum. While Willow was primed to become a popstar phenom as a child with the success of her hit "Whip My Hair", she took a step back and decided to make music that moves her. Now the solo artist divides her time between making music, co-hosting the Emmy-nominated talk show Red Table Talk, and modeling when the cameras turn on.
Her older brother Jaden had a similar path. After his breakout role starring as his father's son in Pursuit of Happyness, Jaden briefly delved into acting before deciding to focus on music. Jaden struck gold with his 2017 debut album Syre, which spun hits like "Icon". In addition to his music, Jaden also gives back through his company, Just Water, which has a mission to create a cheap water filtration system that will allow for accessibility in poorer nations and areas of the world.
Ming Lee And Aoki Lee Simmons Make Navigating Through Life Look Damn Good
Ming Lee SimmonsOvidiu Hrubaru / Shutterstock.comMing Lee and Aoki Lee Simmons have long since grown from the two tots that used to walk the runways with their mom, mogul Kimora Lee Simmons, during fashion shows. These days, the sisters still move as a unit, working as integral parts of the relaunch of the Baby Phat brand, including their work with Baby Phat Beauty.
Aside from that, Ming Lee is taking Baby Phat from the 99' to the 2020s with her natural modeling abilities in front of the camera. While Aoki Lee juggles working behind the scenes with taking her baby phat to Harvard's Class of 2023.
The Combs Kids Shut Down The Industry In Their Own Way
With a father like P. Diddy, there's no doubt all the Combs kids could do is win. The young men of the next generation have all followed their millionaire father's footsteps by putting the work in through music. While his eldest son Justin lived his best football dreams, his sons Quincy and Christian have both made waves in the music industry. Quincy has also added some acting roles underneath his belt, including a starring role in the hit show Star.
Twins Jessie and D'Lila are using their natural modeling skills gifted from the late and beautiful Kim Porter to collaborate with brands like Missguided along with their sister Chance. All of the Combs kids have stock in taking their fashion influence to the next level. How could they not? Look at their pops.
Marsai Martin Makes Show Business Work For Her
Perhaps one of the most impressive young moguls in the making, the ever-talented Marsai Martin is in a league all her own. Her road to success involves paving a legacy in Hollywood on her own. As the youngest Black executive producer in history with her hit film Little, the Black-ish star continues to act, model, host, all while pushing the black hair movement.
Featured image by Beyonce/Instagram @beyonce
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Skylar sees things differently. At the time, she was shooting content on her iPhone. Temi came into the picture with a new perspective, an understanding of tech, and, eventually, a camera. “He doesn't give himself enough credit,” Skylar says. “He wasn't just my tripod. He wasn't just standing behind the camera and going ‘click.’ He was giving advice. He was giving me insight to how I could look at things from a different perspective. And I was like, 'Oh, he’s an artist.' I think it was maybe a heartbeat of that kind of energy of like, ‘Baby, can you take this picture?’ And it turned so quickly into, we're partners. We can work together in a way where we're advancing each other's creative thinking.”
The pair often says they’re two sides of the same coin. Skylar is an Aquarius. She attended art school, paints, and loves poetry. She’s more than happy to let the couple’s management firm and agency, Kensington Grey, handle their admin work. And, she loves to sleep in. Temi, on the other hand, wakes up early. He’s a Virgo. He loves a to-do list and regularly checks in on the couple’s brand partnerships spreadsheet to make sure everything is on track.
Because his storytelling was steeped in his love of technology, he didn’t always think of himself as a creative person. “Where I [am] the dreamer who wants to pluck things out of the sky and spend all day with my head in the clouds, Temi [is] so good at grounding me and helping me figure out how to make things make sense on paper. We just work together in such a complimentary way,” Skylar says.
It’s been more than six years since Brooklyn-based couple Temi and Skylar started dating, and nearly four since they cemented their working relationship. On TikTok and Instagram, the couple’s travel, fashion, and home content regularly rack up hundreds of thousands of views. They’ve worked with brands such as Coach, Aesop, Away, and Liquid IV, bringing their vibrant perspectives to every campaign they execute. Still, nearly two years since both Temi and Skylar committed to full-time content creation and creative directing, the couple says their romantic connection remains their priority.
“We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting,” Skylar says.
Working from home can make it hard to separate work from personal life for any entrepreneur. It can be even more challenging when your business partner is also your lover. Temi and Skylar had already used couples therapy as a tool to help them effectively communicate with one another. When they ran into challenges while working together, their therapist helped them set physical boundaries to help combat the issues.
"We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting."
“It actually took us doing very specific physical things to create boundaries between work and play in our relationship,” Skylar says. “So, for instance, we will only have conversations about work when we're out of bed or we're at the table or in the office. Initially, when we started, we had to light a candle to say that, 'Okay, this is a space where we're connecting, we’re not talking about work.' We needed really hard boundaries at the top. And then it became a little bit more organic.”
The boundaries have been crucial to implement, especially because the couple began working together so naturally. When the pair first met, Skylar was NY-based a social strategist for BuzzFeed and was using content creation to drive business to her lingerie company. She was shooting her own content. Temi was working for Microsoft in D.C. He’d recently traded in his DJing equipment for a camera. “I've always loved taking pictures,” he says. “Even when I was a kid, my African mother would wake me up at 3:00 a.m. [during a] party, and be like, 'Come take the family picture.'”
Growing up, Temi says he watched his parents support each other and be the true definition of partners. He knew he wanted the same for his own relationship. But, the couple also wanted to make sure they were being financially responsible. The pair didn’t quit their traditional jobs until they’d saved up two years' worth of their cost of living. And, Temi received his Master of Business Administration from New York University with the knowledge that it could either help him advance in his corporate career or be applicable to his business with Skylar.
Temi and SkylarCj Hart @hartbreakToday, they say their working relationship is more of a “quiet dance.” They still implement some of the boundaries they learned in therapy, but they also lean into their natural strengths and deep love for one another. When we speak, Temi has planned a date for the couple to see Princess Mononoke in 4K IMAX and added it to their Notion so they can factor it into their busy schedules. “I fully plan to date for the rest of my life,” he says.
Skylar says the couple doesn’t just wait for date nights to check in with one another, though. This often happens in the mornings, after Temi has made her peppermint tea and poured himself a cup of coffee. When they ask each other how they slept, she says, it’s not just a “nicety.” It’s a genuine question meant to foster connection.
“A lot of it happens during the day in the midst of work. We'll stop and we'll hug. Or we’ll slow dance in the kitchen,” she says. “Sometimes it's hard to set a whole date night when you have 7,000 things going on. So, we must grasp these moments and check in when we can. And I think it's become so organic to us that I actually didn't even realize how often we do it. But all day long, we're like, 'Are you good? I felt like your energy shifted,' because we're best friends, we just know. We just feel it happen.”
What’s better than being in love? Building wealth while doing it. Watch Making Cents here for real stories of couples who make money moves together.
Featured image by Cj Hart @hartbreak