How James Lindsay Is Building A Snacking Empire

James Lindsay, founder of Rap Snacks, is a mastermind bringing together business, food, distribution, and philanthropy to create a new level of success.  He’s been represented in a number of high-profile media outlets from People magazine to appearances on Jimmy Kimme based on his achievements and innovation. Lindsay built a multimillion-dollar brand which features some of today’s biggest hip hop names on the packaging—from Snoop Dogg to Nicki Minaj. He has built the company from the ground up, partnering first with smaller mom-and-pop corner stores in New York City and beyond, to now also working with massive retailers like Walmart and Target who can barely keep the products in stock due to high consumer demand. It all serves as a testament to following one’s passions.

Indeed, Lindsay grew up buying snacks from morning to night listening to nothing but hip hop. “To say the least, I have eaten, a lot of snack foods in my life!” says Lindsay, smiling. “One day, I was trying to figure out to not only get into the game of selling snacks but to also change the game.”

The Start of “rap” snacks

Photo by Jai Manselle

When the brand first launched, the company had a mascot called MC Potato. Later Lindsay developed an idea to unseat the potato and replace it with real-life rap artists instead. “This was at a time when hip hop was really starting to blow up,” explains Lindsay. “There were so many promotional posters for their albums everywhere on the street. So I decided to approach Universal Records and told them that they could put the artists on our bags of snacks and promote them that way and it would amplify their efforts.” The idea that the artists’ fans could have a point of purchase that was tangible and could connect with everyday of the week sold the label on the idea, and the concept took off.  The label even paid Lindsay’s company to put the artists on the bags.

“I’ve found that with any type of idea you have to speak to the right person. I found that right person at the record label,” says Lindsay.  The concept hit the core of where the label was trying to sell records: inner city, the streets, mom-and-pops—and it was successful. “Any time I am asked to give young entrepreneurs advice, I tell them to find something organically that you love to do that you can monetize and scale,” explains Lindsay, speaking from experience. “This is where success lies.”

 And Lindsay should know. He had to work hard to bring together a number of elements to get his vision off the ground—everything from seasoning and packaging companies and more. “I went from company to company explaining what I wanted to do and making sure I got to the right person in order to sell the idea,” says Lindsay. Since the genre of music was starting to explode, Lindsay peaked the interest of several strategic partners.  He then leveraged the knowledge he acquired from working at the legendary Johnson Products company to apply to his own consumer packaged goods-based startup.

The success of rap snacks

Buzz started to build. Consumers started to ask larger stores if they carried Rap Snacks, but the stores did not. “It’s crazy, “ explains Lindsay.  “I decided to go to this open call at Walmart a while back. My team had our name tags with our company name on it.  A buyer passed by, who we weren’t even scheduled to meet with who said, ‘Oh! I’ve been looking for you guys. I want to put you guys in all of the stores.’” That encounter, of course, took the company to the next level.

Retailers love the products because it increases both store traffic and sales; the artists love the product because it keeps their fans thinking about them in between touring and record releases; so the business model consists of an endorsement deal where everybody wins.

But Rap Snacks isn’t just about a few crunchy chip offerings. There are a ton of products that also include the massively popular honey buns. “We also have another product called Do The Right Thing that will hit Costco at the top of ’26,” says Lindsay.  

 Giving back

Photo by Kedna Amey

With the company’s rising success, the founder is using this momentum to give back. He started the Rap Snacks Foundation to help kids start to consider entrepreneurship at as early an age as possible. Economic empowerment is incredibly important to Lindsay. He has created programming with various Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and will add to them over the next several months.

Additionally, Lindsay is examining the application of A.I. to his company. “I think change is great,” explains Lindsay. “It’s important to leverage A.I. to market faster. I believe it will help us move more efficiently.” In the consumer product business, Lindsay explains, data is everything, so he is excited to leverage A.I. to help him reach consumers even more effectively.

In a world where first-movers and creative CEOs win, it seems like Lindsay will be a successful inspiration for years to come.