Award-winning hip-hop icon and entrepreneur Earl “E-40” Stevens has launched a new ice cream line as part of his Goon With The Spoon food brand.
Stevens took to Instagram on Apr. 1 to announce his exciting new business venture.
“Expanding the brand with @GoonWithTheSpoon & getting into the ice cream game!” he wrote beneath a photo of him donning an apron and chef hat. In front of him were all six ice cream flavors that come in vibrant packaging.
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He added that his food brand is “100 percent, Black-owned!”
On Apr. 2, he gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at how Goon With The Spoon ice cream has been made.
“Launching my @GoonWithTheSpoon ice cream has been four years in the making, but the vision is now a reality!” he said in the caption. “[It] will be available in select stores, and we have a bunch of flavors for you to try. #Entrepreneurship”
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The following day he gave an up-close view of the brand’s ice cream flavors, including mint chocolate chip, vanilla bean, and cookie dough.
“Got @goonwiththespoon ice cream coming to a store near you!” Stevens wrote.
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The rest of its six flavors include bourbon vanilla, strawberry, and salted caramel.
Goon With The Spoon was officially launched in 2021 and according to the website, its name derived from the 54-year-old’s music catalog.
“The inspiration for the Goon With The Spoon brand name came from E-40’s music catalog. As a musician, he rapped about being a “goon with the spoon” in songs like “Back in Business” (2010) and “I Get Down (feat B-Legit)” (2010) as an innovative metaphor to describe his entrepreneurial hustle and ambition.”
The brand initially started out with a line of gourmet meats, as Stevens collaborated with Justin Kinder of Calif.’s Kinders Meats, Deli and BBQ to release chicken and meat sausages.
“Fulfilled a lifelong dream today with the formal launch of my @GoonWithTheSpoon brand and inaugural sausage line! We’re in production and about to take over the food industry,” the Bay Area native wrote in another Instagram post on Oct. 25, 2021.
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That year, he sat down with KTVU to discuss his cool new business endeavor. During the interview, he told news reporter Sal Castaneda that his idea for producing sausages came from tailgating.
“You know, we see a lot of tailgating and stuff like that. Also, when you’re a chef, you can make so many things with sausages…You can do whatever you want, pastas, kabobs. You can just do so many things with sausages… I’ve got so many flavors coming.”
Stevens added that he desired to do something other than rap and his successful alcohol line, the Function Red Blend, which was named after his hit song, “The Function” (2012). He launched it in 2013, and nine years later, he felt the next step should be food.
“Food goes with entertainment. Drinks go with entertainment, and entertainment goes with both,” he told Castaneda.
He also debuted a Mexican-style beer line under his E Cuarents Cerveza–meaning E-40 in Spanish–brand, which came out in 2018, in 2021 as well.
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Under the Goon With The Spoon umbrella, the West Coast rap legend is set to release numerous other food items, including burritos, skewers, and pre-packaged meals. He has been planning to create cookbooks, cooking shows, and open restaurants. The 54-year-old rapper-turned-entrepreneur is worth $8 million.