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Ra’Shad Rivers is taking business ownership to a new level. Ra’Shad is the youngest black owned venue spot in Atlanta, Ga with his lounge 6LoungeAtl which is located in the heart of the city on Martin Luther King Blvd. Mr. Rivers also has a recording career and studio Mad3Muzikgroup along with his mentoring program Mad3MenFoundation. I had the opportunity to sit down and talk to the young black entrepreneur.
What made you wanna open your own spot in an already saturated market like Atlanta?
Atlanta to me is like living in New York. There is so much opportunity out here that anyone can win if you put your mind and heart to it.  It’s all about location when dealing with Atlanta. If you can locate the perfect location then it makes it all the easier for you. For us 6ix is located in the heart of Atlanta by Morehouse, Spelman, Clark, and now reinstated Morris Brown colleges and minutes from Mercedes Benz Stadium. You can actually see the stadium from our rooftop area.
Being a young black entrepreneur with the largest hookah spot in Atlanta, what advice would you give to others wanting to jump into the entrepreneurial lane?
Well we are technically a restaurant and lounge that sells hookah lol. My father and I have gone into business together and although things can be stressful sometimes it works out for the better. For anyone wanting to become an entrepreneur, do your research. That’s #1 because you will spend and can lose so much money without having the proper knowledge. Also, putting together the right team is essential. You must surround yourself with people you can trust. Business structure and target audience are also very imperative.
Atlanta is considered Black Hollywood how have you’ve been able to grab a piece of the entertainment pie?
Atlanta is definitely a Black Hollywood. I know some older celebrities and have come across a lot of others. Mainly some influencers you run across all the time. To know someone that knows someone means you have some type of access based on your relationship with the initial person.
Your Non-Profit Mad3 Men Foundation how has that impacted the community in Atlanta?
My non profit has given back to elementary schools, can food & coat drives, and also assisted with rehab placement. I want to do a major city cookout where it is family friendly for everyone this summer. I think that will promote positivity because Atlanta needs it right now.
How did you become the youngest black owned lounge in Atlanta?
It’s funny because people don’t believe I am 30; 9/28/91 (yes im a Libra). We actually opened up last year when I was 29. God has blessed me in ways I never imagined and this restaurant lounge is one of them. It took hard work and faith and some strong willed man, my father, who also had a great friend Johnny Mims who believed in us.
You wear many hats including record label owner. What made you wanna get into the music game?
Music has always been a secret passion of mine. I used to rap with my friends back in my hometown of Detroit around the trash can outside at the park. Ive always been great in so many things the music always took second but then i met 2 artists: Haiti Hustle and 442 East who mad3 me dive back into again.. I am even featured on a few of their songs which are out everywhere. It’s perfect for me because I own a lounge where I can have their music spin every night and when I host certain artist showcase nights, it all works.
Who are some ideal clients you would wanna work with in the music industry?
For producers I would love to work with Zaytoven and Big Rube. Also I would love to work with Boosie, Skooly, Euro Gotit, and a few more. These few artists and producers I believe can connect to and speak the truth and are very authentic about their life. I’m too into the old rappers and not really a big fan of these new ones who really dont live what they talk about or at least won’t even live about it.
6ixLoungeAtl is located in the heart of Downtown Atlanta near Morehouse, Clark Atlanta, Morris Brown & Spelman how has that impacted your business being surrounded by those historic HBCUs?
Being located in the heart gives me a slight advantage. We get a lot of traffic from the schools and that promotes our business well. I am also a HBCU graduate and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. so this ties me to them closely. Right now I am trying to work closely with the colleges to establish maybe a student meal card system they can use to purchase at the restaurant. All of the big universities have that ability, why not our own?