REVOLT WORLD is so much more than gathering people together for entertainment, food, and drinks. While those things are very important, one of its goals is to have the attendees gain some perspective from successful people in the industry and learn how to apply those tips to your own life once you leave the event. That is what some of day two’s best moments were all about.
If you thought that day one was something, then we can’t wait for you to learn more about what was in store on Saturday (Sept. 23). Check out the recap below.
1. Executive Chat with Walmart VP and Deputy CISO Rob Duhart
This event was a great way to be intentional about networking and putting attendees in rooms with people who have broken their own glass ceilings. The session’s moderator, Black Enterprise Deputy Digital Editor Selena Hill, had a one-on-one chat with Rob Duhart, who is the vice president and deputy CISO at Walmart. Attendees were able to sit in on the candid conversation and receive a wealth of advice on the options they have in regard to their respective career journeys. Duhart was very honest throughout, sharing his opinions on how people can change their approach to making money.
Dialogue then sparked about working in tech and encouraging more Black people to step into the STEM field. We have seen AI, ChatGPT, and other systems being incorporated into our everyday lives more and more. Seeing that this is expected to be fully normalized within five to 10 years, stepping into the tech space and developing new skills that could provide better job security is something to think about. “My job is to find the geniuses, and many times, those people are right in front of our faces,” he explained. “Like this group of people of 200 plus, at least 50 of y’all could come into my business and transform it. Whether you have a background in it or not.” Duhart also provided examples showing how Black people belong in STEM, even if it is not the most popular route to choose.
2. Career Fair
The last several months have been challenging for a lot of people. With multiple layoffs and the “September Surge” being a critical time to make career pivots, REVOLT wanted to be a facilitator for Black people to find job opportunities and resources. The REVOLT WORLD career fair had representatives from Combs Global, Capital Preparatory Schools, REVOLT’s media arm, Walmart, Microsoft, and State Farm. Each entity gave access to attendees for open roles at their business, talent networks, and pertinent information about how they can get involved with brands they see on a daily basis. Whether you were interested in education, STEM, or media, this fair was able to cover various avenues and open many doors for those who need them. It is all about helping each other where we can.
3. “Guided Meditation” with Alex Kaufmann of True Voice
In the Black community, we are always on the hustle, working three times as hard in corporate America and doing the balancing act to making sure we are striving toward our goals. If we are being honest with ourselves, times can get overwhelming and feel draining, which made this activation a great addition for people to be able to relax, reset, and recharge from all the noise. The guided meditation welcomed attendees to a beautiful nature walk with mirrors on each side displaying various quotes by hip hop icons. “Feeling good today, feeling lovely, yay,” read one by Queen Latifah, while another from The Notorious B.I.G. stated, “D**n right, I like the life I live, ’cause it went from negative to positive, and it’s all good.”
Guided by Alexandra “BahaYogi” Kaufmann, attendees allowed space for themselves to let go of anything that may have been feeling a little too heavy. The meditation began with recognizing what self-love meant and felt like, and Kaufmann’s teachings stressed the importance of taking time to be soft and prioritizing what’s truly needed. The process continued by having participants let go of tension in certain areas of the body and reflect on how they’ve grown and evolved. The meditation ended with Kaufmann providing attendees with a mantra to recite, saying, “I am worthy of love and I am nurturing my growth.” You should think about using this mantra too.
4. “Mental Health and Hip Hop”
Mental health has been a hot topic in the last few years, especially in the Black community. From dismantling stigma and normalizing expressing our struggles with loved ones, more and more people are understanding the importance of mental health and how to use the best resources to get help. Moderated by artist and producer Royce da 5’9″, the session allowed attendees to engage in conversation with panelists Styles P, G Herbo, Dr. Jeff Rocker, Fivio Foreign, and Antonio Brown about the subject and how they are prioritizing it when dealing with stress.
During the conversation, Dr. Rocker brought up the cadence in hip hop music and the message behind struggles and problems within the Black community. “I ain’t gonna lie to you, I love hip hop. I grew up on hip hop. But the thing about hip hop is that it talks about a lot of struggles and issues,” Dr. Rocker expressed. “It doesn’t talk about a lot of solutions. It doesn’t talk about a lot of coping skills or overcoming these issues.” He added, “I get it. It is teaching me life and I appreciate that. But I encourage hip hop to take it to the next level and show our young people how to overcome this. Go to a professional when you need help or use coping skills like working out, journaling, self-care, and meditation. There’s a lot of things. I just wish there were more of those things because people need to hear that.”
In response, Styles P gave his point of view on the hip hop industry and the systems that have been put in place for hip hop music. “Here’s what the problem is. There’s thousands or millions of positive artists. Even when you young fellas get the bad rep for the drill [music], nobody is talking about the program directors and nobody is talking about the radios that are playing it,” the LOX emcee explained. “We keep taking the weight of everything that is going on without looking at the whole scale. There’s tons of positive music. It doesn’t get the play because there is a program set up for us to be on a certain side. We have to understand the structure that has been set up for us to not win all the time.” The conversation concluded with the men zeroing in on what women endure within hip hop. G Herbo and Dr. Rocker agreed that women should be uplifted and respected at all times.
5. “She Got Game” with Jemele Hill
With women in sports becoming more mainstream, this panel was the perfect opportunity for people to hear from different women athletes we have all grown to love and dominate in their respective positions. Moderated by Jemele Hill, “She Got Game” saw Ashley Nicole Moss, Sha’Carri Richardson, Brehanna Daniels, Brianna Pinto, and Chanelle Reynolds as the panelists. This conversation was a much-needed deep dive about women in the industry from the front office to the field.
One of the topics centered around Black women and their relationship with their hair in sports. Richardson was able to shed some light on her journey and how her unique looks are an important representation of her identity. “No matter what happens, beyond the 11 seconds I am about to run, I just know I have to be myself. The ways that I can express that is through my hair. Sometimes with color, sometimes with braids, sometimes with weave, and my natural hair,” the track star explained. “Understanding my crown has been a part of my journey as I have grown myself — as a person and as an athlete.”
Later on, the panel spoke on finding more support for women in sports, which showed how crucial and deserving it is for women to have more exposure in their respective areas. On that topic, Moss told the audience how she uses her role to better spread the word about women in sports. “We want the LeBron sit-downs and the Steph Currys. That’s great. They are incredible athletes and you should want them to tell their stories. But we have heard those stories before,” the sports commentator opined. “We don’t know about the women in the sport as much as we do the men. I think that my responsibility as a journalist is to bridge the gap of those stories that are just as interesting, if not more interesting, because of all the things that are working against them.” She concluded, “One of the things that I do specify is anytime I am interviewing a NBA player, I always work in a WNBA question… I figure Steph Curry fans are going to be watching this. Also, hearing that your favorite athlete is a fan of the WNBA and supports the game, it changes your whole perspective.”
6. OASIS Premiere
Back in December 2022, REVOLT partnered with an organization titled OASIS, which is located in the South Side of Chicago. Founded by Michael Amir and Faheem Muhammad, the origanization’s mission is to create financial success amongst their own. With this mission in mind, the duo created the program OASIS Build, where participants can focus on reclaiming, rebuilding, and redeveloping Black communities.
With the aforementioned partnership, REVOLT produced a short film documentary about said program titled OASIS: The Homeland. People were able to get a first look of the film and learn more about OASIS’ impact on the younger generation. The short film was also able to highlight the overall process, how OASIS changed participants’ lives, and how the program will continue to excel moving forward.
7. “The Blackprint” with Jeezy
Every other Monday at 5 p.m. ET, viewers have been able to tune into REVOLT for a new episode of “The Blackprint,” which is hosted by CEO Detavio Samuels. The show focuses on sit-downs with Black innovators, change-makers, and disruptors of our time. For this live broadcast, Samuels sat down with Atlanta-based rapper, real estate investor, and author Jeezy. The conversation was centered around Jeezy’s upbringing, what led him to his music career, and what ultimate success looks like to him.
During the 50-minute exchange, Jeezy opened up about his childhood in Japan, how Tupac Shakur’s music taught him lessons at a young age, and never wanting to feel like he was put into a box in order to follow his dreams. The CTE mogul also expressed that, while music is his talent, business has always been his passion. Every accomplishment made motivated his aspirations to win as an expanding entrepreneur.
Later on, the two discussed how success can look different for people. For Jeezy, it’s more about the ego and not the impact. “Success is when it’s about you. I had to learn that. So everybody that wants to be successful, good luck with that. But the significance is when it is about others,” he explained. “For me, that is what this s**t is about. It’s about others. It’s about these people that are living their dreams through my vision. If you keep chasing success, you are never going to be fulfilled.”
The show ended with a nice surprise from Jeezy himself. Every audience member was given a copy of his new book, “Adversity for Sale.” If you have not read his inspiring book yet, get yourself a copy soon!
8. “Love Zone: New Era of R&B Day Party”
For the R&B music lovers, this was a moment for all the good energy and smooth vibes. This day party was curated by Bryan Michael Cox with special performances by some amazing R&B talents to date. Attendees were able to sing and dance with Maeta, DVSN, Jozzy, and GRAMMY award-winning artist Eric Bellinger. People sang along to some of their favorite songs, got in their feels, and embraced the love from fellow attendees during the soulful set. There is no greater feeling than singing on (or off) key to a song that makes you feel all warm inside.
9. “Caresha Please Live”
As the number one-rated REVOLT show, our main girl Caresha aka Yung Miami was the true star for day two. Hundreds of attendees stood outside with anticipation to witness the City Girls’ first ever live broadcast. Trust me, it was worth the wait, as Miami sat down with Ari Fletcher for a juicy interview. The two sisters did not shy away from topics like business ownership, Moneybagg Yo, and the ups and downs of motherhood.
Later in the discussion, Miami brought up Moneybagg Yo’s past infidelity, as well as Ari’s vantage point during that period. “He went to go talk to the lady. But girl, you know how they do. They go through these big minor changes in two weeks. Got my name tatted and bought me a car,” she said. “But, no, at first, I was off him on some real s**t. I wouldn’t talk to him or nothing. I went cold turkey. Almost. But you know what it is, I was thinking — and I hate to say this, because I don’t want people to think they can go cheating and playing — but I think that, if I leave you, you only get one chance to play with me and get caught. If you get caught after that one time, yo’ a** is smoked. It’s over for you.”
Miami then got to the smoke by inviting the audience to ask Ari different questions with a mixture of her own. At the end of the episode, the two played “Resha Roulette” and shared a kiss on stage. It was a sight to see.
10. Don Toliver delivers electric performance as REVOLT WORLD’s day 2 headliner
Attendees were really looking forward to witnessing the undeniable singer, songwriter, and rapper Don Toliver on stage. As expected, both old and new fans enjoyed the Texas star’s vibrant showcase. Song selections included “Private Landing,” “Luckily I’m Having,” “What You Need,” “Swangin’ on Westheimer,” and more. With the smoke, the bright lights, and the graphics on stage moving in tandem with the lyrics, Toliver’s set was definitely the highlight of the night. At the end of the concert, the Cactus Jack star gave everyone a chance to turn up one last time with his record “After Party.” The crowd went wild!