Real estate, $50 million. Art collection, $70 million. Music, $75 million. Roc Nation, $75 million. Tidal, $100 million. D’usse, $100 million. Cash & investments, $200 million. Armand De Brignac, $310 million.
Becoming the first ever rap billionaire? Priceless. As of today, Shawn Carter has officially become the fifth black billionaire. Not only is this nothing short of iconic, this is something that could and should be celebrated as well as studied.
The journey to a billion truly began after a lunch meeting with Warren Buffett back in 2010.
“Jay is teaching in a lot bigger classroom than I’ll ever teach in. For a young person growing up, he’s the guy to learn from.”
A direct quote about from buffet in regards to Jay Z.
Coming from Brooklyn’s Marcy Projects to achieving billionaire status wasn’t an overnight thing. In fact, it started when Hov began in the rap game back in 1986 when he was heard on some old Jaz-O records. He’s come a long way since his 1996 debut Reasonable Doubt. Carter truly has built an empire that we mostly see in movies. Real estate in the Hamptons, Tribeca and Los Angeles as well as money in Uber, art and liquor there’s a formula that he’s followed: The most successful people have several streams of income. And in the midst of encompassing this bountiful wealth, he’s released 14 number 1 albums, over 20 Grammy awards and a clothing like Rocawear that he sold for a small $204 million back in 2007. Tidal was a company purchased from a Scandinavian streaming service for just under $60 million but has now almost doubled in value since his takeover in 2015.
So what are the keys to this success? In 2016, Hov told us (via DJ Khaled song I Got The Keys), “ ‘Til you own your own you can’t be free, ‘til you own your own you can’t be me.” There is tremendous value in standing behind, owning and working the hell out of your brand. At age 49, Jay-Z accomplished this level of success. A man that is from the culture, came up in the struggle and can relate on many levels to that of his fans…imagine where he will be in the next decade.
