Jay Z Net Worth
Jay Z’s net worth is at $1 billion. His full name is Shawn Cory Carter, born in NYC on December 4, 1969. He grew up in environment that was constantly drug-infused. Under his Roc-a-Fella label, he sold millions of records and eventually created his own live of clothing and founded an entertainment company. He also famously is married to Beyoncé.
His mother recalls his birth being the only painless one, and it was the last child she had out of 4. His father left the family when he was eleven. Growing up, Jay Z dealt drugs and was involved in gun violence. He went to a number of high schools, like George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School in downtown Brooklyn. His friend who would soon be killed went with him to school, Notorious BIG. An older rap singer by the name of Jaz-O became Jay Z’s mentor. Together, they releases the song “The Originators.” When they were called onto an episode of Yo! MTV Rapsbecause of their song, he adopted the name Jay Z. It was special to him, since it heralded back to his beloved mentor’s name as well as to J/Z subway near his home in Brooklyn.
His name started gaining attention only when he and his friends Damon Dash and Kareem Burke founded their record label Roc-a-Fella Records in 1996. Reasonable Doubtfollowed later that year in June. Although after initial release it was only No. 23 on the Billboard200, it is now a classic hip-hop album. With his release of the 1998 album Vol. 2 … Hard Knock Lifecame his song “Hard Knock Life” which is his most popular song to date, and made him the biggest name in hip-hop.
He has worked with many famous stars such as Justin Timberlake when they won the Grammy nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration with “Holy Grail,” Otis Redding in the song “Otis,” Kanye West in Watch the Throne,and his own wife Beyoncé. He eventually became the president of Def Jam Recordings, which was a switch from performing music to being the organizer of it. He signed artists like Rihanna and Ne Yo, and with his new position helped Kanye transition from producer to artist. He resigned from his position as president however, feeling that he was powerless to correct ineffectual business modes of letting people sit in their office for too long when they were not doing anything anymore to further the company’s success.
2008 heralded yet another chapter in his life, when he signed a $150 million contract with Live Nation, a concert promotion company. He also joined with Roc Nation, which essentially handles all aspects of singing artists’ careers. Artists like Rihanna, Shakira, and T.I. have signed with Roc Nation. Jay-Z has even taken on other business ventures completely apart from the music world, creating his own clothing line called Rocawear and even a film company called Roc-a-Fella Films. He owns the famous 40/40 Club, which is an upscale sports bar in NYC that eventually opened branches in Atlantic City, Las Vegas (but that one closed), and Atlanta. He also co-owns the baseball team New Jersey Nets, launched a sports management company called Roc Nation in 2013, and released a music streaming service called Tidal with his friends Madonna, Nicki Minaj, and Jack White in 2015.
Forbeshas announced Jay-Z as the first billionaire rap artist. The NFL has even announced a partnership with his company Roc Nation which would fuel entertainment choices for the Super Bowl itself. He is the first rapper to be included in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. His fame seems to have still left him wit humility, since he has reflected about his regret with infidelity and his battle to kill his ego, each topics addressed in Lemonadeand “Kill Jay-Z.” He has been involved with many charitable works and non-profit organizations as well.