Taylor Borden contributed to an earlier version of this article.
Jay-Z grew up poor in the Marcy housing project in Brooklyn.
Jay-Z told NPR in 2010, “The burden of poverty isn’t just not always having the things you need. Lift that burden.”
The rapper has detailed his years as a drug dealer in numerous songs and interviews, but he finally went legit when he created Roc-A-Fella Records with Damon Dash and Kareem Burke in 1995.
A year later his debut album “Reasonable Doubt” turned the rapper into a rising star.
After “Reasonable Doubt,” Jay-Z enjoyed a run of success rarely seen by rappers at that point.
In 1999, he won the Best Rap Album Grammy for “Volume 2… Hard Knock Life”. He followed with countless chart-topping hits over the decades, including “Big Pimpin’,” “99 Problems,” “Crazy in Love.” He shrewdly struck a deal in 2004 to buy the masters and publishing rights to his music catalog, netting him a significant chunk of change: $75 million, Forbes estimates.
The clothing line became an instant hit with fans and a leading brand within the burgeoning hip-hop fashion community of the late 1990s.
In 2007, Jay-Z sold the company to Iconix Brands Group for $204 million in cash. According to The New York Times, by that time Rocaware’s annual sales were over $700 million.
In 2012 was instrumental in getting the net from New Jersey to Brooklyn.
But in 2013, the mogul sold his stake and started sports agency Roc Nation Sports.
“Our new endeavor is committed to building the brand of professional athletes that we have done for some of today’s top music artists,” Jay-Z wrote on his website, Life & Times, in 2013 about why he made the move. “In order for Roc Nation Sports to operate to its full potential, NBA rules state that I relinquish my ownership of the Brooklyn Nets.”
Jay-Z entered the streaming music business in 2015 when he spent $56 million to acquire the company Aspiro. He then used that technology to launch Tidal, a music service that would compete with the likes of Apple and Spotify.
In 2021, Jay-Z sold Tidal to payments platform company Square for $297 million, according to Forbes. The outlet reported that the mogul walked away from the deal with $149 million in cash and stock.
In 2014 he bought the champagne brand Armand de Brignac. Under his watch, a golden bottle with an ace of spades in it rose to essential bubbly.
In 2021, he sold his 50% stake to LVMH’s Moët Hennessy, although he still has ownership in the D’ussé Cognac brand. Barcardi bought a majority stake in 2023 for about $750 million, according to Variety.
“Live Nation and I entered uncharted territory in 2008,” Jay Z said in a statement about the deal at the time, Variety reported. “For over nine years, we’ve traveled the world producing historic musical experiences.” The renewed partnership will “continue to redefine the live event landscape.”
His entertainment label Roc Nation falls under his work with Live Nation, and in 2019 it partnered with the NFL on entertainment initiatives with the league, including its Super Bowl halftime shows.
That partnership led to The Weeknd, Dr. Dre, and more recently, has led acclaimed halftime performances from Rihanna.
He was also an early investor in JetSmarter, a startup that allows people to rent private jets like Uber or Lyft. The company was bought by Vista Global in 2019 and merged into the new brand XOJET Aviation.
Jay-Z launched a luxury cannabis brand called Monogram in 2019. According to GQ, Rihanna, Meek Mill and DJ Khaled are all investors.
In 2019, after years of a stalemate with Diddy over who was the highest-paid in hip-hop, Jay-Z finally topped the other moguls, according to Forbes.
The outlet noted that it was a mix of his music library, valued at $75 million at the time, his liquor deals, and Tidal.
In less than four years, Forbes estimates the mogul’s net worth for his wine business, music catalog and fine art collection has reached $2.5 billion.
Jay-Z has been collecting works of art for years.
In 2013 he bought the Jean-Michel Basquiat painting “Mecca” for $4.47 million, according to Sotheby’s.
His collection is worth about 70 million dollars.
The power couple owns some serious real estate, including several homes in the Hamptons, a 30,000-square-foot compound in Bel-Air, and a penthouse in Tribeca.
He bought Beyoncé an island in the Florida Keys in 2010 for her 29th birthday. But that’s not their only island getaway.
Three years later he bought another island. It is spread over 360 acres in the Bahamas.
Along with yacht parties and jet setting around the world with family, Jay-Z and Beyoncé often shower extravagant gifts on their children Blue Ivy, Rumi and Sir. The couple spent thousands on the dress Blue Ivy wore to the 2016 VMAs and bought a $3,500 Lucite crib when Blue Ivy was born.
