Black people have always controlled the cool in culture.
Black communities are usually at the creative vanguard, from Renaissance art movements to fashion and even colloquialisms. That has not changed, as evidenced by the digital spaces Black users drive. Because of this, for years, mainstream social media platforms have profited from Black culture while simultaneously failing to protect Black users. From algorithmic bias that suppresses Black creators to the unchecked harassment that drives them offline, the need for digital hubs designed with Black users in mind has never been more urgent. In response, a wave of Black entrepreneurs has stepped up, creating social media platforms that center Black voices, experiences, and communities.
One entrepreneur in particular, Isaac Hayes III (son of famed singer Isaac Hayes), has garnered attention for the relentless push of his app Fanbase. Think Instagram, Patreon and TikTok wrapped into one. He says it is aimed at empowering creators to share their voices while getting paid what they deserve.
The app store describes it as an ad-free platform that will never shadowban or suppress content while allowing users to post both free and paid exclusive content for a subscription price they set. It’s been supported by some public figures like Big Tigger and B. Simone, and according to Hayes, it had the biggest growth spurt in terms of downloads in the last two months of its lifetime.
Hayes is part of a small faction of Black social media app founders with semblances of success in the space—it’s been proven to be incredibly difficult to gauge and sustain the interest of the masses on a new digital platform when compared to Instagram, X, Snapchat, and TikTok.
Fanbase’s peers, including the pioneering platform BlackPlanet or Spill—built by ex-Twitter employee Alphonzo Terrell—face an uphill battle between securing funding, competing with tech giants, and navigating the unique challenges of content moderation in a culturally nuanced space. So, what does it take to create and sustain a digital home for Black users?
“We have to have a finite focus on some of the things that really help with {the challenges Black social media apps face},” Hayes tells ESSENCE. Despite raising $20 million via crowdfunding, Hayes points out that that’s a drop compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars more prominent platforms have netted. “It’s a learning process.”
Aside from funding challenges and marketing gaps, Hayes is also learning to navigate the line between detachment and parasocial connection as an avid social media user himself. The sometimes mercurial founder is admittedly passionate about the platform he’s created and has taken to the internet to call out what he deems a lack of support from the community he’s trying to serve.
A recent example of this is evidenced by a row Hayes had with content creator Franchesca Ramsey, who shared that Hayes had repeatedly harassed her online because she refused to join his platform. As a result, Hayes shared a photo of her ex-husband, a white man, and called her Blackness into question because of the interracial pairing.
In an Instagram video, Ramsey explained: “What I care about is the fact that you use your platform to shit on Black women— to uplift abusers and groomers and racists, and then in the same breath say that I’m not Black enough and I don’t support Black businesses because I don’t want to give you $399 for the multi-level marketing scheme that you’ve raised millions of dollars for, and yet nobody is using it.”
The video drew more than 11,000 likes and scores of comments, including one from content creator and author Luvvie Ajayi: “Many of us have been quiet about why we were not keen to be active on Fanbase on the strength of ‘we not gon blast our own’ but since their founder came at Franchesca, then all is fair,” she said. Ajayi added: “But that platform is not well built, the user experience is trash, and it does not know what it wants to be. It’s like YouTube, IG, and TikTok had a confused baby.”
Hayes has since posted an apology online for his remarks and shared he is taking full accountability for his misstep.
“I apologized for responding to what she said in the manner in which I did,” he tells ESSENCE. “I said what I said in my apology and it stands. I think the rest will just have to be what it is. There’s a factual account of what happened, but that doesn’t matter. Again, once I say it, once a narrative is out there, it doesn’t matter.”
Hayes also addressed the accusation that he’s voiced his support of polarizing figures including DJ Akademiks, a popular streamer who was recently banned from Twitch for inappropriate behavior towards a minor and Adin Ross, a streamer and podcaster who has interviewed President Donald Trump, white supremacists and accused-rapist Andrew Tate.
“If someone’s critique of your platform is not just about its functionality, but the perception that you’re propping up abusers and people that are perceived to be pedophiles, and that’s not true, then that {accusation} is just grossly irresponsible,” Hayes tells ESSENCE. “I have no problem with people saying Fanbase is a piece of crap app, and they’re not going to use it. But I do have a problem with someone saying that Fanbase is a piece of crap app because Isaac Hayes III is platforming people like Adin Ross, Kai Cenat, DJ Akademiks, and people that are fans of Drake. That’s grossly irresponsible because that’s just the furthest thing from the truth. Those individuals are wildly successful and wildly popular with the youth. As a tech founder and the CEO of this company, it’s my job to be tapped in. I’m 49, but I always have to think like a 20-year-old kid. Do you know what I’m saying?”
Aside from the criticism, Hayes says he’s focused on creating the “greatest product ever” for users and driving his core mission of empowering the Black community.
“We know our power, but we don’t use our power,” he says. “We know how influential we are but rarely see it put into action. Fanbase is just a microcosm of what we could do in every industry. It’s been shown that we can build a community that we own and succeed because even at Fanbase, it’s a platform with over a million users and a valuation of $160 million. That’s a success. It might not be the success that other platforms like Instagram and Snapchat have had. But even to this point, this is the furthest and most successful any Black person has gotten about scaling a social media platform. And that’s all because of the app’s users and creators who share their energy, time, and talent. That’s what makes us successful: Community.”
This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.