Thug Life Army

A rap CD about homeownership? Yes! Detroit-based, African-American real estate developer/investor Robert Shumake has produced Take The Land: Elements of Real Estate featuring many well-known spoken word and Def Poetry artists such as Harlem’s’ Umar Bin Hassan of The Last Poets, hip-hop rap artist Big Proof of D12 and lyrical rap artist M-1 of Dead Prez.

Shumake, who went from being homeless as a child to owning one of the top real estate concerns in Michigan, is passionate about creating homeownership in the African-American community. And being of the hip-hop generation himself, Shumake, 37, thought what better way to spread the word than through rhyme.

In all, there are 13 cuts each exploring different elements of real estate. The lineup of acts includes Jessica Care Moore and Abyss. All of the proceeds from the self-distributed CD on Iron Fist Records will go directly to the Robert S. Shumake Foundation. The foundation sponsors a U.S. sanctioned Track and Field Meet annually in Detroit where student athletes from the Midwest compete for trophies and college scholarships. This year the Robert S. Shumake Scholarship Relays will be held at MLK High School on April 29, 2006 The scholarships that his foundation provides are administered through the Detroit branch of UNCF (United Negro College Fund).

A true Horatio Alger saga. That's what some might say about the life of Detroit businessman Robert Shumake. But that's just scratching the surface. Fact is, as a child Robert Shumake and his family were homeless, ultimately becoming squatters in a rundown home with no heat. But today Shumake owns one of Michigan’s top real estate development and investment firms, Inheritance Investment Group. And Shumake has yet to see his 40th birthday—he’s just 37.

But despite all this success in a relatively short time, Shumake, who company has grown into a multimillion business, wasn''t satisfied.

He wasn''t satisfied because he saw too few African Americans owning homes. Then though his work on the Board of Directors for the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, the second largest bank in America with $700 billion in assets, Shumake presided over the Affordable Housing Committees in Michigan and Indiana and helped boost homeownership by African Americans to record numbers.

Now, Shumake is turning his attention to encouraging more African-American athletes to get a college education. He has launched the Robert S. Shumake Foundation. His foundation sponsors a U.S.-sanctioned Track and Field Meet annually in Detroit where student athletes from the Midwest compete for trophies and college scholarships. This year the Robert S. Shumake Scholarship Relays will be held at MLK High School on April 29, 2006. The scholarships that his foundation provides are administered through the Detroit branch of UNCF.

Please visit: www.shumakerelays.com or www.drshumake.com for more information about Robert Shumake and his foundation.