Lil Yachty is serving up frozen pizzas at Walmart.
On Sept. 6, the rapper officially launched Yachty’s Pizzeria, a new line of frozen pizzas, in Walmart stores. Lil Yachty, whose net worth is $8 million, has partnered with Deep Cuts Universal Music Group for Brands to create the frozen pizza line and with Richelieu Foods for manufacturing of the line.
Deep Cuts is an artists-led brand that serves as an extension of a musician’s artistry and business portfolio.
For the Love of Pizza
“I’ve been pushing to make it a part of my brand since the beginning of my career. I recently got some new management that was able to really push and make it happen. It couldn’t have happened at a better time,” the Grammy-nominated artist told People. “The thing behind my love for pizza was, quite frankly, my mom worked two jobs. She was a very busy woman. She’d be pretty tired when she came home, and she just always brought home a pizza. We went and picked up a pizza or baked a pizza. It became pretty standard in our life, and I loved it.”
Yachty, whose real name is Miles Parks McCollum, went with launching a frozen pizza brand versus opening a pizza restaurant because he says he loves frozen pizza.
It’s a really interesting taste, and it has this cheddar cheese crust that is really unique,” he said. “If you’re a pizza lover, I think you should always want to try a new pizza. And that’s who it’s for — the real pizza lovers like myself, or the moms who maybe want to just throw something in the oven for the kids. That was my life growing up. Frozen pizza, f—in’ pizza rolls, you know? S—.”
A Slice of the Pie
The frozen pizza business is on the rise. According to Statista, U.S. sales of frozen pizza amounted to approximately $6.06 billion in 2021, up from $5.47 billion the previous year.
“Yachty’s Pizzeria is an exciting example of a strategic brand extension that both represents the artist’s interest, passion and personality as well as a way to help him expand his business portfolio,” said Richard Yaffa, EVP, Global Brands, UMG, in a press statement. “It’s a thrill to be able to continue to find new ways for our artists to connect with their fans around the world and support these campaigns with best-in-class marketing and creative support.”
A Variety of Servings
Yachty’s Pizzeria offers four flavors: buffalo-style chicken, hot honey cheese, pepperoni and bacon and veggie supreme. Each has a cheddar cheese-seasoned crust and is priced under $7.
Yachty’s Pizzeria didn’t just materialize out of the blue. Yachty, 25, has been working on the concept for some time. In 2017, he hosted a string of pop-up pizza shops.
“The fact is bro, I really love pizza,” Yachty said. “It’s really my favorite food, especially frozen pizza. So, it’s been something I’ve been saying for years. It became more serious within the last year-and-a-half.”
Building his Brand
“I mean, [brand partnership is] extremely important if that’s what you care about,” Yachty said. “For some people, that may not be what they’re here for. If you care to become this public figure and be on a cereal box, or a f*cking lotion bottle, or you want a cologne company, whatever it is, then yes, expanding your brand is so important.”
This is not Lil Yachty’s only major partnership outside of music.
In 2021, the rapper and Bhad Bhabie formed secured venture capital to develop a Jewish dating app called Lox Club, XXL Mag reported.
