The famous group The Black Eyed Peas’ artist William Adams or popularly known as will.i.am is ranked among the top artists in the music industry. However, aside from his success in music, it is a less known fact that will.i.am is a rather successful investor and entrepreneur. One of his biggest projects is Beats Electronics, a company, which Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is currently trying to acquire, which will increase will.i.am’s net worth, and will probably make him the first billionaire in the hip-hop industry.
His entrepreneurial skills can be established from the fact of his early investment in fledgling companies like Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR). He is one of founding stakeholders of Beats Electronics that has of late caught attention after Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s increasing interest. Apple has already placed an offer to Beats, the value of the deal amounting to $3.2 billion. When asked about his thoughts about being an investor in Beats during an interview on CNBC, will.i.am said:
“I am so proud of being a part of that company. Beats is an amazing phenomenon, and hopefully it is not an anomaly so that’s the reason why I take the money that I make and reinvest it in consumer electronics. So, I have a device that will come to market this year. “
With the success in business, both music and stock, will.i.am also has a presence in the world of philanthropy. He launched his i.am Scholarship program provides financial support to future innovators, leaders and visionaries to pursue post-secondary education. Beyond education scholarship, will.i.am also supports “First,” an annual robotics competition that fosters creativity among youths through competition. His own children compete in First programs.
Winding up his CNBC interview, will.i.am said his charity works are far from being “sympathetic charity” but instead intends to help youths become the best they can be in the community. His encouragement is that American families should strive to put their children through college to acquire skill-based education.
The full video is available below:
