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Serial enterpriser and former transcription artistVictor D. Lombard , also known as DIVINE , declare this week the launch of a new fellowship , in partnership withRAKIM , one of hip - hop ’s most influential emcees .
The company iscalled Notes , a fintech specifically for main urban musician and creator . It render the knowledge and tools to help artist manage their careers — such as providing resources to help them apply for loan or access credit score . It provides financial literacy and euphony business education by bid multimedia system courses , step - by - step guides on fiscal management and how to monetize music . It also has a feature that allow artists write lyrics and connect with their peer on the app .
promissory note has a “ digital recommendation ” feature that get users get over quotation account , memory access loans , and budget pecker . The company partner with loaner and creditor and take in a commission on referral fee when users give for loans through the program .
The app , currently in beta , has AI tool , including an AI voice assistant in RAKIM ’s vox . It is hop to launch full at the conclusion of February .
Chatting with TechCrunch , DIVINE said he was inspired to found this caller alongside RAKIM because of his firsthand experience make do with the indie urban euphony scene and the severeness that comes when trying to fund a career . It ’s well - document , through movies , profiles , and medicine itself , that break into the medicine industryis hard and expensive . For every big - named creative person that hits the charts , there are M only struggling to get by .
“ The medicine diligence , as it stand , is structured to take advantage of artist through exploitative contracts and modified financial resourcefulness , pressure them into predatory deals just to subsist , ” he said . Having spend the past10 years buildingfintech companies , he also sound out he ’s add up to view technology as a great equalizer , a fashion to redistribute dominance back to artists and Almighty . DIVINE antecedently founded fintech BLAK , which focused on serve underbanked communities , and built Solvent , a neobank also for underserved communities .
So he thought of Notes , to allow instrumentalist to cultivate themselves , fund their own labor , and build careers on their own terms . He said now is a good time for this product because indie creative person and creators are becoming more powerful and influential , yet still lack a lot of financial financial support .
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DIVINE then pitched the company to RAKIM ’s squad as a way to partner , and “ it became an even more sinewy force for change , ” DIVINE said .
RAKIM was part of the rosehip - hop group Eric B. & RAKIM , which made waves during the halcyon old age of pelvic girdle - record hop during the LXXX . Their record album “ Paid in Full ” was listed as one of theGreatest album of All Timeby Rolling Stone in 2020 as it was one of the first record album to use funk sampling and influenced the flow and lyricism of rappers to fare .
DIVINE say he ’s screw RAKIM for 20 years and always admired him for “ ride out true to his creative person and principles . ”
“ When I begin ideating Notes , I knew it had to be more than just a fintech program , it had to be a movement rooted in the values of empowerment and cultural genuineness , ” DIVINE go along . “ That ’s why it made perfect sense to bring RAKIM on table . ”
The partnership sees RAKIM come on as a co - founder and as an consultive board member . RAKIM ’s boy , Tahmell Griffin , also holds an executive position at the fellowship .
powerful now , the company is ego - funded , but DIVINE said the party is seeking a pre - seed round . bill offers freemium and premium subscription memberships . It seeks to make money from its subscription mannequin and referral fee . He says this company is the completion of his medicine and technological journey .
“ I need Notes to shift the narrative from artists being exploited by record labels to artist owning their financial time to come and career achiever , ” DIVINE read . “ If an artist can employ Notes to get funding for their next record album , acquire how to run their medicine career as a business , and leverage community collaboration for growth , then we ’ve succeeded . ”
