Jay-Z: The One Who Made You Want More 💰

Jay-Z like most of the black men forced to rise from the hopeless living circumstances of the America’s ghettos has a compelling story. Not only did he escape a life of crime and poverty he literally became a billionaire, philanthropist, A-list socialite, record mogul, corporate executive, and king maker in the process. I’ve been inspired by Jay-Z the entire time he’s been in the mainstream. Ever since I bought his first album “Reasonable Doubt“ back in the summer of 1996 from “Damon’s records” on Plymouth rd Damon’s records was a legendary black-owned record store located on Detroit’s westside.

Jay- has been rapping since the 80s and he was well-known and liked by top hustlers in his city “Brooklyn, New York” he was also known by a few mainstream rappers from the start of his rise. The legendary “Big Daddy Kane” let Jay-Z rock at his show when he was coming into his own as an artist but had not quite mastered his style. He stayed in the streets hustling before he got any major recognition for his rapping ability. But Jay-Z never got lazy. He continued to grind, stack his money, and dream about living a life where he could really enjoy his life, take care of himself, take care of his people, and doing it without taking any penitentiary chances. He was too talented to limit himself to the boundaries of the ordinary reality of an average person. As Jay-Z grew he got better and became a top rap talent in New York. He then met two other hustlers Damon Dash and Kareem Biggs they were also making names for themselves in the streets. They would end up being at the top of the local underground hip-hop scene of NYC (New York City). When their friendships matured the trio turned into business partners and formed Roc-A-Fella Records with $300,000 each partner invested $100,000 into the business venture.

As talented as Jay-Z is record label after record label that he sent his demo to didn’t think he was good enough to be a professional artist. That’s the truth of why Jay-Z and his partners started Roc-A-Fella records. They didn’t have legions of fans in the beginning but that would change as he grinded harder and smarter than any of his critics thought he could. The singles Dead Presidents, Ain’t No *igga featuring Foxy Brown, and Brooklyn’s finest featuring The Notorious B.I.G. all three of the singles demonstrated that Jay-Z was now a master of his craft and that he was a serious factor in the hip-hop scene. Reasonable Doubt went Gold and that meant millions for Jay-Z and his partners. Jay-Z was constantly rising and “Nas” was his only real competition after the untimely deaths of all-time greats and inductees of the the rock and roll hall of fame and the hip-hop hall of fame as well. Those individuals are none other than “The Notorious B.I.G.” and “Tupac Shakur.” Though Jay-Z went gold with his first album he wasn’t quite the top dog of hip-hop yet.

Jay-Z didn’t get complacent after going gold it only put a fire inside of him that made him work even harder. He wouldn’t allow himself to get lazy while he was still hot and become a “where is he now artist.” Through diligence, perseverance, and stubborn zeal he became everything he set out to be and more and that inspired the first Jay-Z fans like myself and others across America to know our self-worth. Regardless of what the media and statistics said when they suggested that most young black men will be dead by the age of 21 he proved we can defy the odds. Jay-Z’s rise for the ashes like the Egyptian myth of the Phoenix shined a light on the black ghettos of America that many politicians and dignitaries did not want the world to see. Jay-Z’s catalog and platform would only continue to expand. This album sold five million copies in less than five months making him the king of hip-hop.

After Jay-Z’s second album debuted at #3 on billboard and selling over 130,000 copies in the first week he proved his versatility and his ability to get better but he was not satisfied with the album he said that the album wasn’t the vibe he was looking for he said it didn’t feel like a Jay-Z record. He said it was too commercial but the album helped him gain more fans nevertheless. When you talk about Jay-Z and the album that put him on the path to be the greatest you must talk about “Hard Knock Life Volume Two” you can’t really know the significance of his journey if you don’t. The true from the bottom to the top cliche manifested itself in Jay-Z and the Co-Founders of Roc-A-Fella records there’s no question about it. You see the power of vision, focus, and determination throughout his life’s story. Jay-Z has branched out into all spectrums of corporate America to present date. In my opinion most valuable brand he acquired is “Tidal” his streaming service that almost everybody uses.

Tidal turned out to be a great investment for Jay-Z but at first there were no golden streets for the organization. They had a problem getting subscribers in the midst of alot of his personal business getting aired out. Jay-Z was going to sell the company at first however he soldiered on and regained faith in Tidal and it worked out very well. Another factor in the early problems Tidal had getting subscribers was because the competition Apple Music and Spotify had the market cornered at the time but as we all know as times roll on things change. The organization has unlimited potential if it can compete with Apple Music and Spotify has it does now. Recently he was in talks of selling Tidal to the Co-founder of “Twitter” but no conformation was made concerning that issue to the public as of yet and I personally hopes he doesn’t sell it. Jay-Z has also started a luxury cannabis brand called “Monogram.”

The quantities the Cannabis flower are sold in are two and four gram glass containers. The percentages of THC in Monogram’s cannabis flowers average 34% that means the company sells some high-powered products to be enjoyed responsibly for the protection of one’s self and others around him or her. The high price of the product will attract a clientele that will spend big on the regular and brand loyalty is the foundation of any long lasting successful business. To see a black man to own a cannabis brand in a nearly all white dominated industry is definitely inspiration to me and millions of other young black men across the country.

Jay-Z inspires me in many ways by getting to see him grow into a husband and a family man. Though he hasn’t always been the most warm person as most of us aren’t that had a traumatic life growing up we aren’t taught much emotional intelligence. It just doesn’t work that way for an unknown reason. Watching him be happy as a father and husband makes settling down seem like it isn’t boring or disingenuous when you marry the right person. Jay-Z is one of the reasons I still have a passion to write after some many road blocks. Jay-Z did it his way and any real person can respect that.