MEET THE CEO: JAMES LINDSAY

James Lindsay is a highly successful Miami-based entrepreneur and the Founder & CEO of Rap Snacks. By partnering with some of the rap game’s most recognizable names such as Cardi B, Migos, Lil Boosie, Rick Ross, Master P and Romeo, the brand has become one of the most visible hip-hop geared snack products over the last few decades. Rap Snacks celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2022.

A Philadelphia native, James Lindsay graduated from Cheyney University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing.

He honed his marketing skills while serving as a manager in the consumer products industry for Johnson Products, an ethnic hair care company, and Warner-Lambert. James leveraged his background in the hair products business, tweaked and improved upon it and applied it to the packaged food industry. These experiences, and his desire to own a business, empowered him to start Rap Snacks, Inc. in 1994, a snack foods company that featured hip-hop artists on the brand—the first of its kind in the US. The success of Rap Snacks allowed Lindsay to solidify a co-marketing agreement with Universal Records to advertise Universal’s Artists on all Rap Snacks bags. Eventually the company grew into a $5 million dollar business selling mostly twenty-five cent bags of chips.

In 2001, Mr. Lindsay expanded his product line by purchasing a snack foods brand called “Mr. G” snack foods. Mr. G was a locally owned Philly brand that was best known for its hot and barbeque cheddar flavored chips. In 2007, Mr. Lindsay launched Soulful Foods, Inc. The first product launched under Soulful Foods, Inc. was a venture between Mr. Lindsay and Sylvia Woods, the “Queen of Soul Food”. In 2010, Mr. Lindsay continued to be a big influence in the music marketing industry; guiding platinum selling recording artist, Meek Mill, by connecting his brand with corporate America and securing brand deals with companies such as, PUMA, Monster Energy Drink, and Ciroc, along with partnering with Monster Headphones to help create the Monster’s 24k Headphones. Mr. Lindsay also assisted Meek Mill in growing PUMA’s business an additional $200 million over a five-year period.
In 2017, Lindsay began collaborating with Percy “Master P” Miller to expand the product line into foods such as noodles, breakfast cereals, and rice with the creation of P&J Foods, a partnership between the two. Miller is a limited partner in Rap Snacks.

Most recently Lindsay has branched into beverages, having launched a 5-flavored lemonade line with Lil’ Baby, Oowee Lemonade. Rap Snacks are sold in major retail stores across America, including Walmart, Kroger, Sam’s Clubs, Best Buy and Target stores, among other outlets.

Over the past 12 years Lindsay has been featured on “CBS Morning Show”, ABC’s “The Jimmy Kimmel Show”, BET, Fox News, People Magazine, The “Tavis Smiley” Show, Black Enterprise, Forbes, and Entrepreneur Magazine. He was also recognized by Business Philadelphia Magazine as “Top 100 People to Watch,” among others.
Mr. Lindsay’s keen business savvy coupled with his collaboration with A-list talent has made the Rap Snacks brand a favorite among consumers. Rap Snacks: The Snack for the Culture.