The storied Wall Street investment bank Goldman Sachs has been called many things over the years: great American bubble machine, vampire squid, death star of capitalism. But breeding ground for hip-hop stars is surely not among them.
Two years ago, CNBC unearthed Goldman Sachs consumer retail banker Allen Mask, who has released two hip-hop albums. And now it seems he is not alone. The FT today has uncovered (paywall) credit derivatives trader Jihan Bowes-Little, a Goldman alum now working for a hedge fund in London, who has been pursuing a secret double life as an underground hip hop artist under the pseudonym Metis. You can listen to some of his tracks here.
According to the article, Bowes-Little has no plans to give up his dual identities and focus on one pursuit. He’s even drawn to the parallels between the two industries. “Both banking and hip hop are very competitive, both are incredibly exciting and at the very, very, very top, remunerative,” he says.
No doubt Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein approves. After all, he did grow up in Brooklyn’s Linden projects, also the birthplace of many rappers, including members of the Wu-Tang Klan and Cypress Hill.