Memphis rapper Mario “Yo Gotti” Mims has moved from the pages of rap magazines to the cover of financial journals. Gotti — the head of the highly successful CMG record label — is the subject of a digital cover story in the latest edition of Forbes Life, released Friday.
As part of the feature, Forbes estimates Gotti — who in addition to heading the CMG label owns a share of MLS franchise D.C. United and Memphis restaurant Prive — is worth around $100 million, noting that “he still has plenty of hustle left.”
“If I never wrote another rap again, I’m financially straight,” Gotti tells the magazine. “My whole career, I was setting up for that.”
The online feature — which includes a nearly 40-minute video interview with Gotti — details his rise from the ’90s Memphis rap underground to mainstream success, covering his 20-year journey from the streets to CEO status, with the success of his CMG record label, which has had a run of hits with artists like Moneybagg Yo and GloRilla.
The story also quotes his mentor and fellow hip-hop mogul, Jay-Z, who notes that Gotti’s “business acumen is evident in every move he makes breaking the mold of the old-guard definition of an executive.”
The piece is also rife with details about Gotti’s material wealth: the story takes place in his 10,000-square-foot Tuscan-style mansion in Southern California’s exclusive Malibu enclave; references his watch collection, worth some $10 million; and describes his fleet of luxury cars, including a custom-made Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
The story also confirms recent reports that Gotti has been attending business classes at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, with a focus on corporate valuation.
Gotti notes his continuing education is part of a long-term business focus. “I may want to buy a company or acquire another company,” Gotti tells Forbes. “So I’m making sure I’m supertight — and understand the language and the verbiage myself.”
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The Forbes story marks Gotti’s first significant appearance in the press and public since the slaying of his brother Anthony “Big Jook” Mims in January in Memphis. That case is still under investigation, and no suspects have yet been identified by Memphis Police Department.
Ahead of the Forbes story dropping Friday, Gotti made his first social media post in nearly two months on Instagram. Gotti posted a series of images his hands holding a golden CMG label necklace, bearing the caption: “The UnBreakable CMG.”
