Jay-Z has been the personification of an entrepreneur from his childhood years at Brooklyn’s street corners to his soaring in the industry as he spearheads the hip-hop world. His uniqueness lies in the fact that he cannot be restricted to the world of music alone but a business empire that he is shaping. His successful endeavours include Rocawear, the 40/40 Club, Roc Nation, and TIDAL. The epoch of his career was achieved in 2019 when he earned the accolade of the first hip-hop artist to become a billionaire. The ascendancy of Jay-Z can be traced to America’s eminent black political figures with his influence on all facets, including music, business, and race.
Count on Yourself
He is earned the title of a cultural touchstone because he was able to transcend from a narrative of black hardship and poverty to a cultural figure combating all odds. He has transmogrified into the essence, aroma, verve, and determination to succeed and be identified as spearheading hip-hop. Jay-Z, along with his business partners Damon Dash and Kareem Burke, established their own label, Roc-A-Fella Records, in 1996. In 1997 sold to Def Jam half of their company for $1.5 million. Seven years later, the other half was purchased by Def Jam for $10 million. In 2005, he was made the CEO of Roc-A-Fella and served for three years.
He is Ready to Face it All
He has no apprehension of being a failure in the market. He is ready to embrace it if he has to. It is, however, his hard work and the sheer genius that he is has succoured him in this journey of being a billionaire. In 2003 we saw him enter into a four-year partnership with Reebok instead of actualising a sneaker deal with the giants in the industry – Nike. This is what you call the Jay-Z effect. The company reportedly sold 10,000 pairs of his sneakers within the first hour of their release. In his last thirty years, we witness the eclipse from rags to riches despite the impediments that are a reality for African Americans’ burgeoning.
Be a Harbinger for Social Justice
His desire for magnifying and combating for social justice has been a result of the struggles he has transcended as an African American. He has decided to produce documentaries on the tragic death of Kalief Browder and the criminal justice reform in the case of Trayvon Martin. The mobility and transcendence as a society can only stem from empathy and the ability to identify that the human race is not perfect. We all have our flaws, but rising above it while providing a helping hand is the panacea. Jay-Z is also furnishing donations for organisations like Colour of Change and Southerners, being the advocate of change for jailed fathers. They are not convicted of any crime but remains to be there since they cannot afford bail. He has also made a significant contribution of $1.5 million to Black Lives Matter, and since 2013 has been funding the Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund for the economically underprivileged.