Jay-Z Becomes First Billionaire Rapper

Jay-Z Hits Billionaire Status

According to Forbes, Jay-Z has become the first hip-hop artist to make it to the billion-dollar salary range, and it is all thanks to his investments in real estate, art, liquor and businesses like Uber.

Jay-Z is one man that truly started from the bottom before making his way up. Real name Shawn Carter, Jay-Z was a drug dealer in his hometown of Brooklyn before creating his own label in 1996, Roc-A-Fella Records, and it was there he released his debut album “Reasonable Doubt.”

The rapper went on to earn 14 No. 1 albums, 22 Grammy awards and over $500 million in pre-tax earnings, as reported by Forbes.

(Photo by Earl Gibson III/Getty Images for NAACP)

But aside from music, Jay-Z’s income comes from many other investments. He launched Armand de Brignac, a champagne company that is estimated to be worth $310 million. He also did a joint venture with Bacardi for the cognac D’Ussé, which is worth $100 million. The rapper also has $220 million in cash and investments. For example, he originally purchased a stake in Uber for $2 million, but it is now worth an estimated $70 million.

Jay-Z even launched his own streaming service called Tidal in 2015, with his wife Beyoncé as an investor, and it is estimated to be worth $100 million.

By: Maytinee Kramer