Rap Snacks CEO honors Black food pioneers with Crum chips
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George Crum (left) and James Lindsay (right). Photo: Courtesy of Rap Snacks
James Lindsay, Philadelphia native and Rap Snacks CEO, is celebrating Black innovation by launching Crum chips, a nod to the Black chef credited with creating the potato chip.
Why it matters: Black innovators have shaped industries, but many — like George Crum — were erased from history while others capitalized on their creations.
The big picture: Lindsay's Black History Month tribute also marks Rap Snacks' 30th anniversary.
- Crum chips will be available later this year in two flavors: original and cheese, onion and chives.
Catch up quick: In the mid-19th century, Crum — a chef at Moon's Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York — changed food history out of sheer frustration.
- After a customer repeatedly complained about thick, soggy fried potatoes, Crum sliced them extremely thin, fried them until crispy, and seasoned them with salt — thus creating the potato chip.
- "If Crum hadn't gotten frustrated that evening in Saratoga and sliced those potatoes paper-thin, we may not have chips," Lindsay told Axios.
Between the lines: As popular as chips have become, Lindsay says few people know Crum's story or name.
- By launching Crum chips, Lindsay says he's ensuring that the Black culinary innovator gets the credit he deserves not just in history, but on store shelves — similar to how Uncle Nearest honored Nearest Green, the first known African American master distiller.
- "I wanted to do the same for Crum," Lindsay said, referencing how the distillery's CEO Fawn Weaver acknowledged the former slave who taught Jack Daniel the art of making Tennessee whiskey.
Crum and Green aren't alone. John Young, a Black chef in Buffalo, created "Mumbo wings" before the Buffalo wing became famous.
Zoom in: Founded in 1994, Rap Snacks is known for merging hip-hop culture and food.
- The brand partners with artists like Lil Baby, Master P, Migos and Rick Ross, turning snack packaging into cultural storytelling.
- Rap Snacks has since expanded into noodles, candy, and honey buns, reaching into the U.K., Canada, and Spain.
But Rap Snacks isn't just a snack brand — it's about ownership, culture and representation. Lindsay has long fought against the idea that Black-owned brands can't be mainstream or high-end.
- "We're trying to show artists — and really, Black people in general — that it's OK to represent our own brands. Why can't we buy snacks with Black faces on them?"