Jay-Z Becomes First Hip-Hop’s Billionaire

Music Mogul and veteran rapper, Jay–Z has become the first rapper to amass a fortune in the ten-figure range, according to Forbes magazine.

The Brooklyn-born music star, who is now more of a businessman than a musician, has a business portfolio worth $1 billion. Forbes said this made him “one of only a handful of entertainers to become a billionaire and the first hip-hop artist to do so.”

Jay Z, who with his wife, Beyoncé, estimated to have a net worth of $355 million, became a billion-dollar couple in 2017. But Jay Z has now joined the likes of “Star Wars” creator, George Lucas; filmmaker, Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey along with basketball legend, Michael Jordan on the list of billionaires in the entertainment industry.

On 49-year-old mogul, who became a household name in 1996 when he released his debut album, “Reasonable Doubt’ on his independent label, Roc-A-Fella Records, Zack O’Malley Greenburg, Forbes editor and author of ”Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went from Street Corner to Corner Office” told Vibe: “Jay-Z’s journey is the modern-day embodiment of the American dream.”

“His ascent offers an invaluable blueprint and inspiration to the next generation of entrepreneurs,” he added.