(AllHipHop News) Lil Yachty’s mom Venita McCollum wants to help parents navigate the complexities of the music industry with her new book “Raising A Rapper.”
Yachty had just finished high school when he informed his mother he wanted to pursue a career as a rapper.
Within a year of his graduation and some encouragement from “Mama Boat,” Lil Yachty landed a joint venture deal with Quality Control, which is arguably hip-hop’s hottest label, with artists like Cardi B, Migos and Lil Baby signed to the roster.
“There is this belief that all rappers come from poverty, and this simply is not the case,” said McCollum. “There are so many things that instill a sense of fear in parents whose kids want to enter into creative industries. I’ve learned so much along this journey and hope I can calm these parents’ fears based on my real-life experiences through my son’s rise to stardom.”
Venita McCollum hopes her new book “Raising A Rapper” will dispel myths surrounding rappers and the music industry while giving parents the tools they need to help their children thrive if they are pursuing a career in the music industry.
“I don’t want parents to feel like they have to pass their child off to someone else to manage, they can learn the industry” explained McCollum. “I want to empower all parents of creatives and to inspire young people to dream big.”
To this day, Mama Boat serves as the CFO of his companies Lil Boat Sailing Team, Yachty Touring and Boat Boy Publishing.
According to Lil Yachty, his mother has been indispensable since the beginning of his career.
“I always knew this would be my story, even when I was working at McDonald’s by-day and networking with artists by-night. You can’t convince anyone else that it’ll work for you until you convince yourself,” said Yachty. “When I walked across the stage to graduate, I had a plan, and my mom had another plan. But there’s no way I could have really gotten started without her on board—I wasn’t even old enough to sign deals by myself at the time.”
“Raising A Rapper” can be purchased on Amazon, as well as on Venita “Mama Boat” McCollum’s website, RaisingARapper.com.
