One of the “Earn Your Leisure” hosts says Atlanta’s mayor is unnecessarily “escalating the situation” beyond what it should be for repeatedly responding to their remarks about the city.
Rashad Bilal spoke to Atlanta Black Star on Monday about what Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said on the podcast, “Speak on It,” with former reality TV star, singer and actress Kandi Burruss.
It was in response to Bilal and his business partner, Troy Millings, recent appearance on “The Breakfast Club.” During their interview, Bilal called out the city of Atlanta for not supporting their annual financial education event, the Invest Fest conference.
When asked about whether the city supports the podcast, Dickens argued that he supports all creatives and entrepreneurs.
“No matter what substantive conversation they want to have, you ain’t got to go to New York radio to talk about ATL, like that sounds backward,” he told Burruss. “And then if you think you trying to start a bidding war, everything in New York costs three times as much.”
The Breakfast Club is a nationally syndicated radio show and plays on more than 130 stations around the country.
“And Invest Fest is 25,000 people. 20,000 of them live in Atlanta or metro Atlanta, so they don’t use a hotel room,” the mayor said. “They don’t rent a car and all that kind of stuff. So you want to think that your target audience, which is Black folks, of success and of note. It’s Atlanta.”
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“So, let’s lock in on what a future looks like. Let’s come up with a community benefits package. You charge a lot for Invest Fest. So, if you want to get city support in that, let’s talk about what actually supports the city. And I have great conversations with everybody.”
Bilal and Millings started the Black-owned financial literacy podcast business, “Earn Your Leisure,” which has become one of the most well-known business brands. From live events to interviews with entrepreneurs, the podcast business focuses on wealth building.
The pair hosts Invest Fest every year to help promote and support young entrepreneurs and educate them on financial literacy. It’s been held in Atlanta six years in a row this week.
This is the second time in a week Dickens has called out the podcast. He also hinted at the brewing feud at the city’s Ciara Day celebration.
Without mentioning “Earn Your Leisure” by name, Dickens referenced comments made “on the radio in New York” before defending Atlanta’s commitment to Black leadership and businesses.
“Somebody said something on the radio in New York about Atlanta,” Dickens said at the time. “Somebody was talking about support.”
He made the comment while announcing that his office was going to invest $50,000 in organizations that mentor and support young people pursuing careers in music, film, fashion, technology, sports, dance, education and leadership.
Atlanta Black Star reached out to the mayor’s office for a statement but has not heard back.
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“It was a little confusing,” Bilal said, referring to the mayor’s recent comments. “A few talking points he keeps reiterating are that we went on New York radio to bash Atlanta. ‘Breakfast Club’ is nationally syndicated; it’s the biggest show in our culture.”
Bilal reiterated that he and Millings had no idea what specific questions they would be asked during the interview. He said they had just planned to promote Invest Fest.
According to the podcaster, he and Millings spoke with Dickens’ office immediately after the ‘Breakfast Club’ interview. They allegedly agreed not to post anything on social media about the matter.
“It’s a little confusing that he’s saying we haven’t spoken to him. We literally had a press conference three years ago,” Bilal said.
He added that when the mayor’s office called, they spoke about how the city could support the event.
“Maybe he forgot,” Bilal said. “He spoke at Invest Fest before and had a press conference.”
The podcaster also called the mayor out for criticizing how much they charge for the event.
“Compared to pricing at a two hour concert (Chris Brown, Usher, etc.) we’re cheaper than everything,” he said.
According to their website, a general admission ticket for Invest Fest is $300. Standard pricing typically starts around $250. The pass includes three-day access to general programming and the vendor marketplace. Some of the speakers include tennis great Serena Williams, comedian Steve Harvey, comedian Nick Cannon, and R&B singer Jhené Aiko.
The Breakfast Club also reacted to the mayor’s response.
“These brothers put on something that’s great for the community,” DJ Envy said. “All they asked for was just a little help like all of these other corporations.”
“It felt performative,” Charlamagne tha God said. “And I wish they’d all just have a conversation.”
Bilal said he is now preparing for Invest Fest this weekend.
