Megan Thee Stallion, AKA Megan Thee Mogul, Closes Forbes Summit, Highlights Importance of Building Generational Wealth
When Megan Thee Stallion isn't performing at the Grammys or releasing No. 1 hits like "Savage" and "WAP," she's busy launching a mental health resource website or running Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen franchises.
The rapper, whose legal name is Megan Pete, spoke to more than 2,500 young professionals and entrepreneurs at the Forbes Under 30 Summit's closing keynote on Tuesday, and may now be known as Megan Thee Mogul.
The multihyphenate is seeing continued success across multiple business ventures. “Creating your own legacy and creating your own wealth is super important to me as a Black woman because… originally we didn’t have a lot of opportunities,” she explains. “For me to be in this position today and be able to create generational wealth… I want to go extra hard for [my future family].”
In every venture she takes part in, the artist is incredibly hands-on. Pete, a Houston native, asked herself how she could get in the food space with the goal of making it better for people like her young self.
“Popeyes is around the corner from anybody who lives in a low-income area. I’ve been eating this all my life,” she said. “These areas are food deserts, like we don’t really have a lot of options of vegetables or food besides these fast-food restaurants.”
Megan Thee Stallion received her Bachelor’s degree in Health Administration from Texas Southern in December 2021. Though she was already a world famous rapper before graduation, she knew she wanted to finish school at some point.
"I didn’t treat rap like it was a plan B and I didn’t treat school like it was a plan B," she said at the summit, held in downtown Detroit. "I got two plan A’s. I knew I could do both. I can get my degree and I can be Megan Thee Stallion too."
She knows she won’t be a rapper forever and really values learning. She hopes to someday pass on the knowledge she has accrued to someone else. “When you just let people give you things, you don’t get to learn,” she explained. “Me actually being in every field that i’m in, not just rap—when I take on a new project I’m very hands on. I feel like now I’m learning and I have knowledge.”
The entrepreneur is also in business partnerships with Nike, Revlon, Flamin' Hot Cheetos and CashApp. In December 2021 she signed a production deal with Netflix and added to her already stacked resume which includes acting (Good Girls) and celebrity judge (HBO's Legendary)