How a Hustler From Brooklyn Became a Billionaire

 

Jay-Z has long been known as one of the greatest rappers of all time, but now he’s known even more for his business acumen and massive wealth. Forbes recently named him Hip-Hop’s first billionaire, and with his diverse portfolio of investments, business ventures, and personal assets, it’s not hard to believe.

Despite the fact that it may seem like Jay-Z earned all of his wealth overnight, it was actually a long process that was decades in the making. Many people know the man, but few know the story.

Top 5 Most Jay-Z’s Controversial Moments

 

There have been multiple instances in Jay-Z’s career where he has made headlines for the wrong reasons, either with fans, other rappers, in-laws, or even his wife.

Below, we’ve listed out the top five most controversial moments Hov has endured, ranking them from least significant to most.

What Roc Nation And The NFL Is Doing For Hadiya Pendleton

It's a good thing how Jay-Z is getting involved in our African American culture. It's time we slow down gun violence in our black communities. He is really using his voice to stand out behind his music while having the NFL to back him up.

Jay-Z's Team Roc and the NFL debuted a public service announcement that honors the life of Hadiya Pendleton, a young girl who was fatally shot in Chicago in 2013.

Hadiya Pendleton's family has continued to keep her legacy alive. The Chicago teen is the subject of Team Roc's latest PSA about putting an end to gun violence.

Pendleton is one of many stories of kids being killed by gun violence from all over the world. Pendleton was gunned down as she was spending time with friends at the city's Harsh Park.

The video titled "Hadiya's Promise" is narrated by her mother Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton, who shared her daughter's hopes and dreams as well as her own efforts at social justice in her young years.

Man sent to prison for faking ties to Wu-Tang Clan and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation

A Florida man is facing hard-knock time for pretending to be associated with famous hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation company.

Aaron Barnes-Burpo, 29, of Crestview, Fla., was sentenced to seven years in federal prison Monday after his guilty plea for committing wire fraud, according to David H. Estes, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

Barnes-Burpo and co-conspirator Walker Washington, 52, who is awaiting sentencing, ran their scam for several weeks, Estes said.

3 Investing Lessons From Jay-Z

In 2019, Shawn Corey Carter became hip-hop's first billionaire. Better known as Jay-Z, Mr. Carter didn't just make his money by rapping, although he's one of the industry's best-selling artists. Instead, he built a sprawling empire, including a music label, a sports management company, a streaming service, and a high-end sports bar.

With the Brooklyn-born rapper continuing to grow his net worth, there are certainly many investing lessons to learn, both from his business ventures as well as from his lyrics. Here are three of them.

How Jay-Z created a hip-hop path to luxury

 

This past Monday, rapper Jay-Z unveiled a deal with LVMH to expand his Armand de Brignac champagne globally. The next day, Oatly, the Swedish vegan-milk group in which he has invested, took its first step towards a $10bn initial public offering.

Jay-Z has further tasks to occupy him, apart from his own music. He still heads Roc Nation, a music and sports talent agency that includes Rihanna among its clients. He is also “chief visionary officer” of a special-purpose company backed by Roc Nation that acquired two Californian cannabis groups in November. And so on.

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This year is the 25th anniversary of Jay-Z’s first album Reasonable Doubt, released on his own Roc-A-Fella Records label. Some have lasted and some not, but Jay-Z was ahead of his time in business in a way that is only now clear. “Put me anywhere on God’s green Earth, I triple my worth,” he once rapped. The deal with LVMH, under which the world’s leading luxury group has taken 50 per cent of Armand de Brignac — the “Ace of Spades” champagne praised in his lyrics — is proof of that.

Square Purchases Stake in Jay's Tidal

 

Square, the mobile payments company led by Mr. Dorsey, announced on Thursday its plan to acquire a “significant majority” of Tidal, the streaming music service owned by Jay-Z and other artists — including Beyoncé, Jay-Z’s wife, and Rihanna, who is a client of Jay-Z’s entertainment management company, Roc Nation.

Square will pay $297 million in stock and cash for the stake in Tidal. Jay-Z will join Square’s board.

Lawsuit Dismissed Against Jay-Z & Meek Mill

 

Jay-Z and Meek Mill have reportedly settled a lawsuit with a Philadelphia police officer who sued both of them along with Roc Nation after a depiction of her in the 2019 Amazon original doc ‘Free Meek.’

The documentary spoke on Meek’s incarceration, and how the rapper shifted his focus on calling out the injustices of the U.S. prison system and criminal justice system in Philadelphia. Crooked police officers in Philly were highlighted as well, but it was revealed that one of the officers—Saqueta Williams, was reportedly proven to be innocent of any wrongdoing as a cop. Williams ultimately sued Roc Nation, Jay-Z, and Meek for invasion of privacy and defamation as a result after she was labeled as a crooked police officer.

Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez Pardoned By Trump

As one of his final acts as president of the United States, Donald Trump issued more than 140 pardons and commutations on Tuesday night (Jan. 19). Among those granted clemency were Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez, early Death Row Records backer Michael "Harry-O" Harris and rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, according to the White House.

Perez was granted a full pardon for being involved in a conspiracy to distribute narcotics, the White House said, a conviction that is more than 25 years old. "Since her conviction, Ms. Perez has taken full accountability for her actions and has turned her life around," the White House said in a statement. "She has been gainfully employed and has been an advocate for criminal justice reform in her community."

"I'm grateful to have received a pardon and to have formally closed that chapter of my life in the eyes of the law," Perez said in a statement provided to Billboard. "I have taken full accountability for my mistakes from 25 years ago, but I also take tremendous pride in my personal growth, perseverance and accomplishments since then. This pardon reinforces my lifelong commitment to advocate for criminal justice reform and social justice initiatives."

Gansta Marcus Talks Yo Gotti, Roc Nation, And Mississippi Prisons

In case you haven't heard, Jay-Z and Yo Gotti is out to sue Mississippi prison systems for all the wrong doing the system has encountered throughout the years.

Yo Gotti and Jay-Z's Team Roc, Roc Nation's social justice department, announced they joined forces in order to hire legal representation for 29 inmates in Mississippi. Those inmates criticized the prison conditions they and others have to endure and have called for change.

Ohio rapper Gansta Marcus instantly praised this notion and for good reason. Read the questions and how he answered each one with a home run answer.

South Africa’s Sharks Team Up With Roc Nation

 

The Sharks’ ground-breaking deal with American consortium MVM Holdings has been consolidated by a partnership announcement with Roc Nation, one of the world’s leading marketing companies that promotes the likes of massive singing sensations in Rihanna and Shakira.

The company was founded in 2008 by rapper legend Jay-Z and has offices in New York City, London, Nashville and Los Angeles, and it clearly has the expertise and marketing muscle to grow the Sharks into a global brand.

In the deal formalized a fortnight ago between MVM and the Sharks, New York lawyer Marco Masotti showed he has the financial clout to take the Sharks to a new level and in Roc Nation he has the tool to exhibit the Sharks on the international stage.

Jay-Z And Yo Gotti Team Up With A&E

 

A&E Networks announced that they had greenlit an upcoming four-part docu-series titled Exposing Parchman. The series will follow JAY-Z and Yo Gotti and Roc Nation’s philanthropic branch Team Roc after they spearheaded a civil rights lawsuit alongside the 29 inmates of Mississippi’s notorious Parchman Prison. 

Jay-Z or 50 Cent?

 

Another round of Celebrity Match Up's is back. This time they hit these scene with New York rappers Jay-Z of Roc Nation and 50 Cent of G-Unit.

Both rappers has made there mark in the industry. 50 Cent recently released his book, Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter, in which the rapper speaks on the alleged rift between JAY-Z and Kanye West and why he believes Hov has become "disappointed" with his friend Ye. 50 Cent says his relationship with Jay-Z is purely ''business'' and insists the pair will never be friends.

50 and Jay-Z were involved in a rap ‘beef’ with each other in early 2009, but while neither has said anything publicly to settle their differences, they met backstage when Jay-Z played a huge concert with 50’s mentor, Eminem, at Detroit’s Comerica Park last year, although 50 refuses to say what happened between them.

Two Plead Guilty To Scam In Roc Nation, Wu-Tang Clan Case

Two men have pleaded guilty to a scheme in which they pretended to be affiliated with the legendary hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan and Jay-Z’s entertainment company Roc Nation in order to scam hotels and luxury limousine companies out of thousands of dollars worth of goods and services, the Department of Justice said this week.

According to the DoJ, Aaron Barnes-Burpo and Walker Washington both pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud, a charge that could land both up to two decades in prison.

According to an Associated Press report from when the trial first began in February, Barnes-Burpo and Washington took advantage of hotels to the tune of more than $100,000, including some of the most luxurious hotels in the southern U.S.

Jay-Z’s $1.3 Billion Fortune Has Nothing to Do with Music

Jay-Z started his music career as Shawn Corey Carter in the ’80s. He rapped to escape the poverty around him. Carter met his mentor Jaz-O and joined the older man in recording “The Originators.” The duo’s song earned them an appearance in Yo! MTV Raps.

This was the moment when Carter took up the name Jay-Z, paying homage to his mentor. The moniker punned on his childhood hood name, Jazzy. It also referred to the subway station near his home known as J/Z. Little did Jay-Z know it would become a household name.

What Would A Battle Between DMX And Jay-Z Be Like?

Before DMX and Jay Z became international rap titans, they competed in a classic hip-hop war. Even with all that feuding in the past, Hov and X have collaborated on a bunch of songs, including "It's Murda" and "Blackout." They even almost formed a group with Ja Rule.

In 1999, Jay Z and DMX embarked (and majorly cashed in) on the Hard Knock Life Tour. Although Jay Z’s album gave the tour its name, the lineup was a joint headliner of the Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder and DMX.

Captured in the documentary film Backstage, Jay Z and DMX had vastly different demeanors on wax, on stage, and as celebrities. While both were pillars of Rap-made-right and suddenly sex symbols, they only overlapped in skill and love of the art.

Jay-Z Chose The Weeknd For 2021 Super Bowl Halftime

 

Jay-Z has dropped news about next year’s Super Bowl halftime performance letting fans know that Roc Nation has teamed up with Pepsi and the NFL to bring Canadian singer The Weeknd to center stage of the most electrifying sporting experience in the country.

Set for Sunday, February 7, 2021, at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fl, the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show, the Weeknd will sing and perform his top songs — and possibly bring on other big-name artists that will most likely be announced over the next few months.

“We all grow up watching the world’s biggest acts playing the Super Bowl and one can only dream of being in that position. I’m humbled, honored and ecstatic to be the center of that infamous stage this year,” The Weeknd said.

What Would You Do If You Met Jay-Z?

How do you think it would feel or how would you act if you met one of the biggest and richest hip-hop stars in our generation Jay-Z?

We all know him as Jay-Z or Hova, but his real name is Shawn Corey Carter. Did you know? Jay-Z is the third best-selling rap artist of all time, after Eminem and Tupac with over 28m sales worldwide. Jay Z is one of the most well-known and highly-regarded rappers in the industry.

He’s also an extremely successful investor and businessman who’s a co-owner of the New York 40/40 Club, the clothing line Rocawear and is the former president of Def Jam Recordings, co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records and founder of Roc Nation. On top of all this, he’s also a certified NBA and MLB sports agent.

What Jay-Z And Roc Nation Is Doing For George Floyd's Memory

The hip-hop mogul and his entertainment company Roc Nation took out full-page ads in newspapers across America in memory of Floyd, a man from Minneapolis who died while in police custody after a police officer kneeled on Floyd's neck for eight minutes, moments that were captured on cellphone video.

In the footage, Floyd, 46, shouts “I cannot breathe” and “don’t kill me” before losing consciousness. He was later pronounced dead. Since-fired officer Derek Chauvin was later charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death.

Fat Joe Signs With Roc Nation

The Terror Squad MC Fat Joe has joined JAY Z and Roc Nation. Fat Joe is the latest artist to sign with Roc Nation management, announced in a press release by Joe’s publicist on Wednesday (Jan. 18).

The Bronx veteran joins a loaded lineup over at Roc Nation who recently added Yo Gotti and The LOX to their label/management company that also has Rihanna, J. Cole, Big Sean, The-Dream, Nick Jonas, Vic Mensa, Meek Mill and Fabolous.

Other Jay Z News:

Jay Z Splits From Longtime Business Partner

Sprint To Buy Parts Of Tidal

Jay-Z Not Buying Tupac Shakur’s Unreleased Music