The Forbes for People From the Hood · Rags to Riches · Built From Nothing
Seventh Ward, New Orleans
Tyler Perry poured his entire $12,000 life savings into a stage play in 1992 — only 30 people showed up. He lived out of his car for years. He is now a billionaire who built his studio on a former Confederate Army base.
Logan Fontenelle Projects, Omaha, Nebraska
Cathy Hughes was a teenage mother who grew up in the Omaha projects. She was rejected by 32 banks, moved into a radio station with her son, and became the first Black woman to chair a publicly traded company.
Crenshaw/Slauson, Los Angeles
Nipsey Hussle grew up deep in Crenshaw gang territory. He walked away from a major label deal, sold mixtapes for $100 out of his store, opened a coding center for hood kids, and began buying back his own neighborhood block by block.
East Side, Lansing, Michigan
Magic Johnson's father worked two jobs — GM assembly line by day, garbage truck by night. Magic became an NBA legend. Then he built a $1.2 billion business empire by bringing Starbucks, movie theaters and 24 Hour Fitness to Black neighborhoods that Wall Street ignored.
Five Points, Denver, Colorado
Robert F. Smith grew up in Denver's Five Points — the Harlem of the West. His parents were both educators who told him he had to be twice as good. He took that seriously. He is now the wealthiest Black American in history.
"You don't have to come from the suburbs to build an empire." — Private Life World Wide
