_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rap
Snacks
Empowering people
Having grown from a small start-up with two flavors into a successful business working with major music artists, Rap Snacks is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025.“ Over the 30 years we’ ve been in business, I’ ve worked with some of the best hip-hop artists like Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj, Lil’ Baby, and Meek Mill,” James reflects.“ I stay connected with the industry to keep up to date with the most relevant flavors, styles, and trends.
“ We think outside the box when it comes to product development, and we strive to be the originators, not followers, of new products. We’ re celebrating our 30th year in business with a very special collaboration to honor George Crum, the original inventor of potato chips. Without chips we wouldn’ t be here, so it’ s only right we celebrate the man who created the snack food market.”
Considering this milestone, we ask James to share his thoughts on leadership and business, as well as his advice for budding entrepreneurs.“ You have to love what you do,” he states.“ I truly believe that if you love what you do, it’ s never difficult to get up in the morning and navigate the peaks and troughs of work.
“ I never realized the importance of mentorship until much later in my career, but the advice and lessons I learned from my manager at Johnson Products were so valuable, providing me with the skills and confidence to start my own business. I started the Boss Up initiative to provide mentorship and empower youth from under-resourced communities. Growing up in inner city North Philadelphia in a single family, I know first-hand that many young people don’ t have opportunities to engage in conversations about business, but Boss Up exposes young people to new interests, ideas, and industries.”
With a humble approach to leadership, creative thinking, and innovative products, James is sure to lead Rap Snacks through another successful year.“ We’ re looking to get into some great accounts this year, and our distribution is set to double,” he says.“ Alongside honey buns, we’ re hoping to add some more products to the baked goods market and we’ re always looking to add more ambassadors and artists to our collections.
“ Our long-term plan is to acquire other companies that have parallels with the Rap Snacks brand, and we’ re currently engaged in some ongoing conversations about acquisitions,” he concludes.“ We’ re currently well established in the US and we’ re in all major European cities with manufacturing in Spain and distribution in Turkey, but I hope to see us become even more of a worldwide brand as we continue to grow.” ■
www. rapsnacks. net
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