Pusha T is easily one of the sharpest lyricists in Hip-Hop today and knows a thing or two about being an entrepreneur. In a recent interview, King Push shared his thoughts on Black Business Month, the upcoming Pepsi Dig In Day in Washington, D.C., and more.
Pusha T recently sat down to speak with Blavity about Black Business Month, the inaugural Dig In Day in the heart of Southeast Washington, D.C., and even shared one of his favorite spots to dine in the DMV. The Virginia Beach, Va. native spoke with the outlet about Pepsi Dig In Day, which the brand launched in 2020 to support underrepresented communities and support Black-owned businesses. The event, which takes place this weekend, was at the top of the mind of Pusha T as he shared his thoughts on Dig In Day.
“I’m expecting for it to be a time for music, community and networking just to clash all at once,” Pusha T said. “The actual event space of Anacostia is one of my favorite event spaces. It’s where a lot of events are held where the creative and the business minds of the DMV come together. It can be kind of artsy, kind of techie; it can be whatever the mix calls for that evening. I’m looking for the event to be community building, networking and a good time.”
The Sandlot rests near the Anacostia River in the historic Anacostia community, which continues to see rapid development. The free event will surely bring a good crowd that the businesses nestled along nearby Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue will hopefully benefit from.
Pepsi is working in partnership with The James Beard Foundation, Fig. 8, Okra, Black and Mobile, and a number of other companies and brands. Pepsi has awarded over $2 million in grants to 200 Black-owned businesses and 500 restaurants since the start of the Dig In Day campaign.
“I think prioritizing Black-owned businesses is important because it gives specifically the Black community a sense of hope,” Pusha continued. “It gives us the ‘I can do it’ mentality from the ground up, and I always think that’s good to see. A lot of people where we’re from and some of the areas we’re from and a lot of the positions that we’ve been put in, we may think it’s a heavy lift to start your own. One might think it’s too heavy of a lift, but when they see how many people took that leap of faith and how many people were involved and actually succeeded from sheer blood, sweat and tears, I think it’s good for the community to see and it lets everyone know that we can do it.”
As noted in the interview, Push is familiar with the DMV region and says that African-Asian fusion restaurant Bronze is his top choice with Jerk At Nite, one of the businesses that will serve Dig In Day revelers, being another.
Pusha T will headline the Pepsi Dig In Day Block Party happening this Saturday (August 19) at Sandlot Anacostia in Washington, D.C. Joining Push will be Alex Vaughn, Black Alley, with sound support from DJ Money and DJ Five9.
Learn more about Dig In Day here.
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Photo: Scott Dudelson / Getty
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