Introduction and the Runner Community
Taryell Simmons: Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, my fellow runners, my Pan-Africans across the diaspora to another engaging episode of the Rise Urban Nation podcast, where we unite, uplift, and ignite each other. In today's digital age, where the dreams of Black and Pan-African communities are frequently sidelined, we emerge in these conversations to uplift stories as a guiding light of hope and empowerment. I am your host, Terrell Simmons, and in this episode, we will embark on an exploration into finance, African music, and cultural myths. Back in the studio with me is my brother, Ighosime. What is up, my brother?
Ighosime Oyofo: Thank you very much for having me back; I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. So, people who listen to this are called runners now?
Taryell Simmons: I call them the runners because we run the world, and Rise Urban Nation is RUN. In the Black expression, runners used to run the books and the money in our own communities, so it is a double entendre.
Ighosime Oyofo: I love that. I like things with meaning and double entendres. This is a significant platform based around bringing our people together and discussing the issues that affect us, so I am pleased to contribute as a runner.
Taryell Simmons: My brother is hood famous right now, although his daughters will not give him street cred and would rather watch Peppa Pig.
Ighosime Oyofo: Little girls are savage. They saw me on YouTube for thirty seconds, said cool story, and went back to Peppa Pig.
Afrobeats and Cultural Debates
Taryell Simmons: We had to do a part two because we had unfinished conversations. Afrobeats and Nigerian music are taking over the world, from Burna Boy to Wizkid. Usher and Chris Brown have done collaborations with African artists, sparking debates about whether Chris Brown is Yoruba or Igbo, and the same with Usher. Where would you place them?
Ighosime Oyofo: I lean toward Chris Brown being Igbo based on his behavior and flashiness. As for Usher, many say he looks Igbo, but I put him as Yoruba because of what we call sweet mouth in Nigerian pidgin—a sweet talker. Usher has been putting out hit songs since he was fifteen, with legendary albums like Confessions, 8701, and My Way.
Taryell Simmons: Usher has that residency in Vegas where the shows are two hours long with non-stop entertainment.
Ighosime Oyofo: Back in the day, an album with a forty percent hit rate was considered good, but Usher's hit rate was ninety percent. People associate those tracks with distinct chapters in their lives.
Cultural Stereotypes and the Term Akata
Taryell Simmons: That brings us to Black and Pan-Africans working together. You recently saw a discussion on Instagram regarding the term Akata. Can you explain what it means and why the online commentary was flawed?
Ighosime Oyofo: Akata is a Yoruba term used to refer to Black Americans. The derisory subtext suggests a disconnection from the homeland, similar to how older immigrant generations might look down on newcomers. However, someone on a podcast claimed that Akata is equivalent to the N-word for Africans. That is taking it way too far. Akata is about cultural disconnection, not racial subjugation.
Taryell Simmons: Africans do not typically view social dynamics through the lens of race in the way American culture does, though tribalism exists.
Ighosime Oyofo: Exactly. Sometimes African immigrants dismiss the realities of systemic racism in America, assuming success is purely about hard work, which can gaslight Black Americans. There are systemic hurdles in hiring, education, and finance that cannot be ignored, including resume biases against ethnic names.
Taryell Simmons: When Africans arrive with colonial mindsets about Black Americans, it causes friction. It overlooks how slavery and American institutions stripped Black Americans of their native traditions and languages.
Ighosime Oyofo: I understood it academically until I dug deeper into history. Watching Ava DuVernay's documentary 13th made the reality of the prison industrial complex, disparate drug sentencing, and three-strikes laws crystal clear. When you learn about Black Wall Street in Greenwood, you realize Black communities have repeatedly built wealth, only to be violently undermined.
Economic Potential and Media Representation
Taryell Simmons: Dismantling these myths requires honest conversations and education outside standard textbooks. No external institution will save Black America or Africa. How do we invest in each other and retain wealth?
Ighosime Oyofo: Disney recently partnered with a Nigerian studio to produce Iwaju, set in a futuristic Lagos. While streaming availability in parts of Africa was initially frustrating, it represents progress. Similarly, Marvel's Black Panther incorporated diverse African cultures under Ryan Coogler's direction. We must control our narratives instead of settling for tired stereotypes.
Taryell Simmons: A viral TED Talk by a young English student highlighted that sub-Saharan Africa's GDP per capita could rise by eight hundred percent between 2020 and 2050, mirroring historical U.S. growth. How do narratives like this shift perceptions of Africa's economic power?
Ighosime Oyofo: Africa's combined GDP is around two trillion dollars today, while the U.S. is over twenty trillion. However, most African nations only gained independence within the last sixty years. The rapid adoption of mobile telecommunications has allowed Africa to leapfrog legacy infrastructure, giving people access to global digital markets and wealth creation.
African Credit Ratings and Business Engagement
Taryell Simmons: Let us discuss credit ratings. How do you assess the relevance of African credit ratings, and what opportunities or challenges do they present?
Ighosime Oyofo: As someone in credit, I know ratings are essential for assessing debt repayment risk. Standardized metrics help international investors evaluate Eurobonds and sovereign debt. While historical factors have impacted ratings, leaders like President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana emphasize moving beyond aid toward sustainable business partnerships.
Taryell Simmons: How can individuals and entrepreneurs in the diaspora begin doing business with Africa on a practical scale?
Ighosime Oyofo: The main barrier is information asymmetry. Before investing money, invest time. Connect with people from the diaspora, ask detailed questions, and visit the country in person. Understanding the cultural and local landscape builds the confidence needed to navigate different markets successfully.
Building Cross-Diaspora Collaboration
Taryell Simmons: What are your final thoughts on how Pan-Africans can connect and build long-term economic power?
Ighosime Oyofo: Look at Bayo Ogunlesi selling Global Infrastructure Partners to BlackRock. We need long-term ventures in infrastructure, agriculture, and manufacturing that unite diaspora capital with African talent and resources. Creatively, we should feature African musicians like Tems, Burna Boy, and Tyla across mainstream film, television, and advertising.
Taryell Simmons: Thank you, Ighosime, for joining us again on Rise Urban Nation to share your invaluable insights on African finance, culture, and unity. To all our listeners, keep rising with us.
