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Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner to Corner Office
Some people think Jay-Z is just another rapper. Others see him as just another celebrity/mega-star. The reality is, no matter what you think Jay-Z is, he first and foremost a business. And as much as Martha Stewart or Oprah, he has turned himself into a lifestyle. You can wake up to the local radio station playing Jay-Z's latest hit, spritz yourself with his 9IX cologne, slip on a pair of his Rocawear jeans, lace up your Reebok S. Carter sneakers, catch a Nets basketball game in the afternoon, and grab dinner at The Spotted Pig before heading to an evening performance of the Jay-Z-backed Broadway musical Fela! and a nightcap at his 40/40 Club. He'll profit at every turn of your day. But despite Jay-Z's success, there are still many Americans whose impressions of him are foggy, outdated, or downright incorrect. Surprisingly to many, he honed his business philosophy not at a fancy B school, but on the streets of Brooklyn, New York and beyond as a drug dealer in the 1980s. Empire State of Mind tells the story behind Jay-Z's rise to the top as told by the people who lived it with him- from classmates at Brooklyn's George Westinghouse High School; to the childhood friend who got him into the drug trade; to the DJ who convinced him to stop dealing and focus on music. This book explains just how Jay-Z propelled himself from the bleak streets of Brooklyn to the heights of the business world. Zack O'Malley Greenburg draws on his one-on-one interviews with hip-hop luminaries such as DJ Clark Kent, Questlove of The Roots, Damon Dash, Fred "Fab 5 Freddy" Brathwaite, MC Serch; NBA stars Jamal Crawford and Sebastian Telfair; and recording industry executives including Craig Kallman, CEO of Atlantic Records. He also includes new information on Jay-Z's various business dealings, such as: * The feature movie about Jay-Z and his first basketball team that was filmed by Fab 5 Freddy in 2003 but never released. * The Jay-Z branded Jeep that was scrapped just before going into production. * The real story behind his association with Armand de Brignac champagne. * The financial ramifications of his marriage to Beyonce. Jay-Z's tale is compelling not just because of his celebrity, but because it embodies the rags-to-riches American dream and is a model for any entrepreneur looking to build a commercial empire.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2011
About the author
Zack O'Malley Greenburg
5 books73 followersAfter a decade as a Forbes senior editor, Zack O’Malley Greenburg now writes exclusively at Substack, where he’s serializing his fifth book, We Are All Musicians Now (sign up here). His other books include
A-List Angels: How a Band of Actors, Artists, and Athletes Hacked Silicon Valley
and the Jay-Z biography
Empire State of Mind.
He has also written for the
New York Times,
Washington Post,
Vibe,
McSweeney's
and Sports Illustrated, tackling topics from public pension fund scandals to Kanye West's quest to overtake Air Jordan. Zack has lectured at Yale, Harvard and Princeton, and appeared as an expert source for 60 Minutes, BBC, MTV and others. Full bio here.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
October 6, 2011
I found this book quite fascinating. Greenburg writes a monthly column on rappers and their finances for forbes.com. (I love that Forbes has someone covering the "rap/finance" beat.) Among other things, he puts together a yearly list of the wealthiest rappers in the game, by overall net worth. This year, Puffy came in at #1 ($475 mil). But close behind was Jay-Z, who came in #2 with $470 mil. To repeat: $470 mil!!! Empire State of Mind is the story of how that came to be.
The most remarkable thing to me is that Jay-Z's self-established mythology as proclaimed in his rhymes is mostly true. Jay-Z didn't consent to be interviewed for the book, so in lieu of direct quotes, Greenburg uses quotes from Jay-Z's songs, which he fact checks and finds to be largely accurate. Jay-Z was in fact a drug dealer, slinging a kilo of coke each week. (The verse in 99 problems where he tells the cop,"well my glove compartment is locked, so is the trunk in the back / and I know my rights, so you gonna need a warrant for that" is based on an actual incident where Jay-Z got pulled over on the Jersey freeway w/ drugs.) Hard to imagine he would end up president of Def Jam, and that this would be a mere prelude to owning a chunk of the Brooklyn Nets and building a complete brand identity that encompasses clothing (Roc-A-Wear) shoes, nightclubs, and champagne.
The champagne thing merits an entire chapter in Empire; Greenburg does some sleuthing and tracks down Jay-Z's secret investment in Armand champagne, which the rapper switched to hyping after declaring Cristal racist. See: Is Jay-Z Secretly Profiting Off Crappy Champagne?
Greenburg's whole analysis of Jay-Z's business genius/strategic vision/negotiating acumen really captivated me. Jigga's dedication to doubling his worth is impressive and all encompassing (even his marriage to Beyonce can be seen as a brand-strengthening alliance), yet his wealth didn't come at the expense of his artistic integrity. How many hot singles has dude put out over the years? Ok there was some crap in there, but if you look at his overall oeuvre, including collabs w/ Kanye-- it's amazingly strong.
I guess it makes sense that Forbes would have a hard on for modern day capitalist rappers-- in the case of Jay-Z, we're talking about someone who named his company "Roc-a-fella," as in John D. Rockefeller. But I really came away from this book feeling sincere admiration at Jay-Z's ascent, which, unlike Rockefeller's, didn't really involve any despicable union head busting or abuses of power. They say behind every fortune lies a great crime, but Jay-Z's crimes (selling coke, stabbing Lance Un Rivera, dropping old friends/mentors when he outgrows them) seem pretty minor to me. And dude can spit.
P Diddy on the other hand...
The most remarkable thing to me is that Jay-Z's self-established mythology as proclaimed in his rhymes is mostly true. Jay-Z didn't consent to be interviewed for the book, so in lieu of direct quotes, Greenburg uses quotes from Jay-Z's songs, which he fact checks and finds to be largely accurate. Jay-Z was in fact a drug dealer, slinging a kilo of coke each week. (The verse in 99 problems where he tells the cop,"well my glove compartment is locked, so is the trunk in the back / and I know my rights, so you gonna need a warrant for that" is based on an actual incident where Jay-Z got pulled over on the Jersey freeway w/ drugs.) Hard to imagine he would end up president of Def Jam, and that this would be a mere prelude to owning a chunk of the Brooklyn Nets and building a complete brand identity that encompasses clothing (Roc-A-Wear) shoes, nightclubs, and champagne.
The champagne thing merits an entire chapter in Empire; Greenburg does some sleuthing and tracks down Jay-Z's secret investment in Armand champagne, which the rapper switched to hyping after declaring Cristal racist. See: Is Jay-Z Secretly Profiting Off Crappy Champagne?
Greenburg's whole analysis of Jay-Z's business genius/strategic vision/negotiating acumen really captivated me. Jigga's dedication to doubling his worth is impressive and all encompassing (even his marriage to Beyonce can be seen as a brand-strengthening alliance), yet his wealth didn't come at the expense of his artistic integrity. How many hot singles has dude put out over the years? Ok there was some crap in there, but if you look at his overall oeuvre, including collabs w/ Kanye-- it's amazingly strong.
I guess it makes sense that Forbes would have a hard on for modern day capitalist rappers-- in the case of Jay-Z, we're talking about someone who named his company "Roc-a-fella," as in John D. Rockefeller. But I really came away from this book feeling sincere admiration at Jay-Z's ascent, which, unlike Rockefeller's, didn't really involve any despicable union head busting or abuses of power. They say behind every fortune lies a great crime, but Jay-Z's crimes (selling coke, stabbing Lance Un Rivera, dropping old friends/mentors when he outgrows them) seem pretty minor to me. And dude can spit.
P Diddy on the other hand...
April 29, 2019
The second the author said Jay-Z didn't endorse this book, I stopped reading. I mean come on.... how you gone tell someone else story and they don't approve? I mean the actual person is still living and they like “Naw, you can’t get no comment”. So then I have to question who is your source for the autobiography? The answer is heresay and third parties. The credentials of being a Forbes writer is impressive but not enough for me. You will never know the true story. Closing the book on this one. No thanks.
June 9, 2013
Empire State of Mind is a ‘business biography’ of Jay-Z. It explores how Jay-Z’s mind works, so I was disappointed to read that Jay-Z refused to be interviewed for the book. But the reason for that is actually really obvious: there was nothing in it for him. The book describes many of Jay-Z’s business ventures (the ones that were successful and the ones that failed), and makes it quite clear that Jay-Z doesn't bother with anything that he can’t profit from.
The author’s primary source of information are interviews with people who know (or used to know) Jay-Z. It’s interesting that some of them seemed to be scared of telling too much (who knows how he might react).
For the most part this book is a fast read, but there were some chapters that dragged on. There’s way too much information on champagne and basketball, but I guess those chapters would be more interesting to me if I actually cared about champagne and basketball. I preferred to read about his beginnings in music and his friendships and fights with other rappers. There was a chapter on his relationship with Beyonce, but (like everything else) it read more like a business relationship than a romantic one.
The conclusion seems to be that Jay-Z’s priority in life is business and everything else comes second. I’d really like to know exactly how important music is to him. Is that just business too or does he actually love making music? The book is a fascinating read. I’d recommend it to any fan of Jay-Z or simply to people who want to know more about the business side of music industry.
The author’s primary source of information are interviews with people who know (or used to know) Jay-Z. It’s interesting that some of them seemed to be scared of telling too much (who knows how he might react).
For the most part this book is a fast read, but there were some chapters that dragged on. There’s way too much information on champagne and basketball, but I guess those chapters would be more interesting to me if I actually cared about champagne and basketball. I preferred to read about his beginnings in music and his friendships and fights with other rappers. There was a chapter on his relationship with Beyonce, but (like everything else) it read more like a business relationship than a romantic one.
The conclusion seems to be that Jay-Z’s priority in life is business and everything else comes second. I’d really like to know exactly how important music is to him. Is that just business too or does he actually love making music? The book is a fascinating read. I’d recommend it to any fan of Jay-Z or simply to people who want to know more about the business side of music industry.
February 28, 2014
I'd say this is almost as good as Jay-Z's own Decoded, and if anything that just goes to show what a wasted opportunity that book was.
The author couldn't get the rapper to participate in the making of the book, because what was in it for him (literally, that was Jay-Z's response), and one of the best parts of Empire State of Mind is the author barely concealed contempt. We need more books about rappers by people who aren't there to perpetuate the myth. The last thing we need is the literary equivalent of VH1's The Tanning of America. #shotsfired
The problem with the book is that it just doesn't go very deep. Essentially, it's just some brief biographical info that could probably be found in the wiki and then a list of his various business deals, including Rocawear, that time he was fake president of Def Jam and his .00015% ownership of the Brooklyn Nets. The terms and the significance of the deals are discussed, but you don't get any real info. None of the people involved in his most important deals have much to say on the record, and vice versa -- there's a lot of insight here from people who almost had a deal with Jay-Z, and hence have an axe to grind.
I found the latter -- the aggrieved would-be partners, including Branson, Fab 5 Freddy and MC Serch -- to be easily the most interesting part of the book. You might remember the chapter with in which Branson describes the taste of Ace of Spades champagne as piss-like from when it was excerpted on (I think) The Atlantic and then mysteriously disappeared from the Internets. When the Illuminati has to start making phone calls, that's when you know you're on to something.
The author couldn't get the rapper to participate in the making of the book, because what was in it for him (literally, that was Jay-Z's response), and one of the best parts of Empire State of Mind is the author barely concealed contempt. We need more books about rappers by people who aren't there to perpetuate the myth. The last thing we need is the literary equivalent of VH1's The Tanning of America. #shotsfired
The problem with the book is that it just doesn't go very deep. Essentially, it's just some brief biographical info that could probably be found in the wiki and then a list of his various business deals, including Rocawear, that time he was fake president of Def Jam and his .00015% ownership of the Brooklyn Nets. The terms and the significance of the deals are discussed, but you don't get any real info. None of the people involved in his most important deals have much to say on the record, and vice versa -- there's a lot of insight here from people who almost had a deal with Jay-Z, and hence have an axe to grind.
I found the latter -- the aggrieved would-be partners, including Branson, Fab 5 Freddy and MC Serch -- to be easily the most interesting part of the book. You might remember the chapter with in which Branson describes the taste of Ace of Spades champagne as piss-like from when it was excerpted on (I think) The Atlantic and then mysteriously disappeared from the Internets. When the Illuminati has to start making phone calls, that's when you know you're on to something.
January 30, 2022
Kinda biased -- I wrote it :)
Due out March 17, 2011 for Penguin.
http://jayzbook.com
http://jayznetworth.com
Due out March 17, 2011 for Penguin.
http://jayzbook.com
http://jayznetworth.com
September 16, 2011
Great companion to Jay-Z's book, Decoded. People have sometimes unfairly pointed out that the book doesn't delve into a criticism of the musical career of his subject, but it is a breakthrough because it provides a business perspective to hip hop culture, which hasn't been documented before.
Entertainment journalism previously focused on being a straight feature, but O'Malley Greenburg crosses over elements of business journalism with the appeal of feature writing for an interesting study of a compelling American business model through hip hop.
Entertainment journalism previously focused on being a straight feature, but O'Malley Greenburg crosses over elements of business journalism with the appeal of feature writing for an interesting study of a compelling American business model through hip hop.
October 15, 2016
Surprisingly informative considering that the author didn't have one interview with the man himself. Jay Z's life is truly inspiring. He was born with a gifted mind and enormous talent which he leveraged into an 'Empire.' Zack dives into the stars biggest deals, including my personal favorite, his marriage to Beyoncé. There are a few failures but many more successes and a great deal of trailblazing. Long live hip hop's first future billionaire!
January 29, 2020
Very intriguing look into Jay Z’s business aspects. It is beyond seeing him as a rapper or entertainer but that he is always moving forward. He takes risks, and he is successful on a different level than just getting out the projects. He uses his gifts and talents to the utmost and never settles. Definitely a must read for people curious to see how a man started selling drugs to becoming worth 1B dollars.
September 29, 2023
It is one thing to have the talent, it is another thing to know how to make money from your talent. Jay Z knows the business of music and making money with no sentiments attached.
Perfection is a tall order but he has found a way to turn his passion into a profitable venture perfectly.
Insightful!!! Jay Z's business genius is worth admiring.
Perfection is a tall order but he has found a way to turn his passion into a profitable venture perfectly.
Insightful!!! Jay Z's business genius is worth admiring.
October 1, 2021
I've had this one on my list for a long time, but when it came up on an audible sale I listened to it finally. I knew next to nothing about Jay-Z going into this and I couldn't name any of his songs still other than the ones mentioned in the book. That said, this is a really interesting take on his business life. The author covers how he has built himself into a brand and expanded well beyond his own talent in music. I'm not sure you would enjoy this much as a Jay-Z fan, but its a great, short business biography of how someone used talent in one area to expand into multiple arenas and quickly add to his talent stack and finances.
February 5, 2012
I enjoyed this book even though Jay-Z didn't actually contribute to it. I've read some reviews and think a lot of what you get out of this book is based on what you come in expecting. If you are looking for a Jay-Z biography... this will disappoint you. If you are looking for a telling of some of the more key events in his life from a business perspective and a bit of insight into how he deals with people and ventures, you'll find it interesting.
I think the author talks to some people who provide good details on their past dealing with Jay though they may have some negative feelings toward him as most of them didn't part ways with him on friendly terms. Given that, I still thought the book wasn't too negatively biased. As he says... he's "a business man" and that's mainly how he's painted in this book.
There were a few areas that I thought the author dwells too long on; one was his ventures in alcohol which seemed to be a small detail in the grand scheme of things to spend that amount of time.
Overall, a good read or listen with an external view of Jay-Z from some people he has worked with in the past.
I think the author talks to some people who provide good details on their past dealing with Jay though they may have some negative feelings toward him as most of them didn't part ways with him on friendly terms. Given that, I still thought the book wasn't too negatively biased. As he says... he's "a business man" and that's mainly how he's painted in this book.
There were a few areas that I thought the author dwells too long on; one was his ventures in alcohol which seemed to be a small detail in the grand scheme of things to spend that amount of time.
Overall, a good read or listen with an external view of Jay-Z from some people he has worked with in the past.
September 6, 2016
I guess the book accomplishes what it proposed to deliver: a story of Jay Z's ascent from drug dealing to sitting courtside at Nets games and being paid millions of dollars to mention particular champagne brands in his songs. But you can learn most of that from a Wikipedia entry or a few magazine articles, so I'm not certain why writing Empire State of Mind was all that necessary.
The author went well out of his way, throughout the book, to insert himself into the story, add silly personal vignettes about his interviews, and name-drop. Surely Greenburg has read a good biography or two in his day, where he would find little/none of that. Empire State of Mind also lacks any serious analysis of Jay Z's cultural impact, besides what you'd already discern from a cursory web article.
Not recommended unless you're trying to research Jay Z or a related topic and want to accumulate relevant sources.
The author went well out of his way, throughout the book, to insert himself into the story, add silly personal vignettes about his interviews, and name-drop. Surely Greenburg has read a good biography or two in his day, where he would find little/none of that. Empire State of Mind also lacks any serious analysis of Jay Z's cultural impact, besides what you'd already discern from a cursory web article.
Not recommended unless you're trying to research Jay Z or a related topic and want to accumulate relevant sources.
February 2, 2012
This book was a quick read about how Jay-Z used his natural business acumen to become a successful entrepreneur. It was interesting to see some of the thought processes behind his business decisions, but I didn't feel as if I understand him or his art any better. The author used some named sources to document his understanding of Jay-Z, but the book suffered from not having anyone close to his business dealings or Jay confirm the author's thoughts.
February 19, 2014
I grew up next door to Zack and knew him when he got his first writing gig at Boys Life Magazine. Compensation? A Sega Dreamcast ( which proceeded to last for a decade and a half, and proved to be a defining aspect of our childhood).
I need to read through this once more before I post my full review, but jesus. Few books can stir an emotion in me and this one did so multiple times.
I need to read through this once more before I post my full review, but jesus. Few books can stir an emotion in me and this one did so multiple times.
Read
June 29, 2013It was an interesting read.
November 7, 2021
This is a great option if you want to get started reading biographies.
It was recommended by Ryan Holiday.
It gives a great and detailed look into the type of mindset you have to adopt if you want to build an empire as Jay-Z did. Especially if you are starting almost from 0 as he did.
Flow: 5/5
Actionability:3/5
Mindset: 4/5
Some of My Highlights:
"As Steve Jobs famously answered when asked if he wanted to do market research: 'No, because customers don't know what they want until we've shown them.'"
"Entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs have a strong belief in themselves."
"...passion, the knack for imagining what doesn't exist; and the iron-willed self-discipline to make that come into existence... as well as the desire to control as much of your destiny as possible; risk-taking by breaking the bounds of the conventional way of doing things; and the ability to bounce back from setbacks."
"One of the main reasons for this continued success is Jay-Z's ability to build and leverage his personal brand."
"It shows a desire for the sort of discipline that he would eventually learn to impose on himself."
"...he spent four months in 1989 working the hip-hop equivalent of an unpaid internship - rapping for room and board, which consisted of a spot on the tour bus floor and a free pass at the buffet."
"'The difference between him and a lot of other people is you really couldn't tell that he was this guy that had a whole bunch of money from being in the streets because he wasn't out there buying Benzes,' says Kent."
"The conversation was, 'Yo, I'm over here at Atlantic Records, we gotta do this.' He's like, 'Nah I'm good,' Kent remembers."
"...the use of a single sample might cost $5,000 to $15,000, plus an additional royalty cut..."
"Postproduction and promotion add to the tab, as does studio time - perhaps $2,500 per hour for a minimum of four hours during the period in which Jay-Z first started recording."
"When Jay-Z arrived to record his verse, he hadn't yet heard the beat."
"There are two key copyrights associated with any musical work: the master recording and the underlying song, or publishing."
"We shouldn't let other people make money off us, and we shouldn't give free advertising with our lifestyle." - Dash
It was recommended by Ryan Holiday.
It gives a great and detailed look into the type of mindset you have to adopt if you want to build an empire as Jay-Z did. Especially if you are starting almost from 0 as he did.
Flow: 5/5
Actionability:3/5
Mindset: 4/5
Some of My Highlights:
"As Steve Jobs famously answered when asked if he wanted to do market research: 'No, because customers don't know what they want until we've shown them.'"
"Entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs have a strong belief in themselves."
"...passion, the knack for imagining what doesn't exist; and the iron-willed self-discipline to make that come into existence... as well as the desire to control as much of your destiny as possible; risk-taking by breaking the bounds of the conventional way of doing things; and the ability to bounce back from setbacks."
"One of the main reasons for this continued success is Jay-Z's ability to build and leverage his personal brand."
"It shows a desire for the sort of discipline that he would eventually learn to impose on himself."
"...he spent four months in 1989 working the hip-hop equivalent of an unpaid internship - rapping for room and board, which consisted of a spot on the tour bus floor and a free pass at the buffet."
"'The difference between him and a lot of other people is you really couldn't tell that he was this guy that had a whole bunch of money from being in the streets because he wasn't out there buying Benzes,' says Kent."
"The conversation was, 'Yo, I'm over here at Atlantic Records, we gotta do this.' He's like, 'Nah I'm good,' Kent remembers."
"...the use of a single sample might cost $5,000 to $15,000, plus an additional royalty cut..."
"Postproduction and promotion add to the tab, as does studio time - perhaps $2,500 per hour for a minimum of four hours during the period in which Jay-Z first started recording."
"When Jay-Z arrived to record his verse, he hadn't yet heard the beat."
"There are two key copyrights associated with any musical work: the master recording and the underlying song, or publishing."
"We shouldn't let other people make money off us, and we shouldn't give free advertising with our lifestyle." - Dash
December 10, 2019
3.5 stars
This is a fairly decent biography of hip hop mogul, Jay Z. Born Shaun Carter and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Carter showed remarkable intellect and sharp entrepreneurial gifts from an early age.
Sadly (or maybe not so much), his abilities took him to the streets where he scored success selling drugs. At the same time, he developed a bit of a name in his high school as a talented freestyle rapper.
His musical talent was too conspicuous to ignore and he was soon invited to do features on the songs of several New York based rappers. It was only at 26 (late for the rap game) and after much deliberation about whether or not to quit selling drugs, that Jay recorded and released his first solo rap album. The rest is history, to borrow that awful phrase.
The rest of the book tells of how Jay Z has exploited his musical and business abilities to build an empire that is now estimated at a billion dollars, at the time I'm writing this.
It's certainly an intriguing and inspiring story but the book suffers from 2 main flaws in my opinion. Firstly, there was no input from the man himself - who, understandably, is probably difficult to tie down to doing a project like this. As a result though, it sounds like most of the information is secondary data.
Second, and not unrelated, the book doesn't really offer any insight that isn't already in the public domain. You could just as well read a long form article and get all this.
Nonetheless, this was an enjoyable read - except that one chapter about Carter's investments in champagne that sounded more like very bad investigative journalism than biographical writing - and well worth the time.
This is a fairly decent biography of hip hop mogul, Jay Z. Born Shaun Carter and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Carter showed remarkable intellect and sharp entrepreneurial gifts from an early age.
Sadly (or maybe not so much), his abilities took him to the streets where he scored success selling drugs. At the same time, he developed a bit of a name in his high school as a talented freestyle rapper.
His musical talent was too conspicuous to ignore and he was soon invited to do features on the songs of several New York based rappers. It was only at 26 (late for the rap game) and after much deliberation about whether or not to quit selling drugs, that Jay recorded and released his first solo rap album. The rest is history, to borrow that awful phrase.
The rest of the book tells of how Jay Z has exploited his musical and business abilities to build an empire that is now estimated at a billion dollars, at the time I'm writing this.
It's certainly an intriguing and inspiring story but the book suffers from 2 main flaws in my opinion. Firstly, there was no input from the man himself - who, understandably, is probably difficult to tie down to doing a project like this. As a result though, it sounds like most of the information is secondary data.
Second, and not unrelated, the book doesn't really offer any insight that isn't already in the public domain. You could just as well read a long form article and get all this.
Nonetheless, this was an enjoyable read - except that one chapter about Carter's investments in champagne that sounded more like very bad investigative journalism than biographical writing - and well worth the time.
May 3, 2021
Great book reccomended by Elon Musk. Can't wait for an updated version with accounts of all the latest challenges jigga has overcame.
What my 👂 heard ⤵️
I'll profit at every step
I praise your natural brain power
conciliary
when you're in the hood all you can think about is fast money because of the pressure
developed a strict profit making policy
I got money stacks taller than you
you know who did you know what with you know who
Do u have any idea how many white cover plates u need screwed into ur wall socket junction box?
legitimate entrepreneurialism
impetuousness
I'm unwinding relationships with former associates
I constantly want to figure out how to better my situation
prag·mat·ic
gosh
/ɡäSH/
Learn to pronounce
exclamationINFORMAL
exclamation: gosh
used to express surprise or give emphasis
it implies something of thay ilk
how can the silence seem so loud
still to this day i got the hustle in me
in degrees purple disco
m a target of their chummy wisecrackery
ive always thought that by now my life would look like.. fill in the blank then read what you just wrote and write about how it feels to read it
jz got a sweetheart celebrity deal to invest in nets
i spend my leisure time kick boxing
I'm prone to going off on tangents
I'm beginning to think I need another cup of coffee
past exploits and all
a career defining mega deal
now it's time for me to take on new challenges
you want to be Jay z since the 10th power Grant cardone to the 10th power
What my 👂 heard ⤵️
I'll profit at every step
I praise your natural brain power
conciliary
when you're in the hood all you can think about is fast money because of the pressure
developed a strict profit making policy
I got money stacks taller than you
you know who did you know what with you know who
Do u have any idea how many white cover plates u need screwed into ur wall socket junction box?
legitimate entrepreneurialism
impetuousness
I'm unwinding relationships with former associates
I constantly want to figure out how to better my situation
prag·mat·ic
gosh
/ɡäSH/
Learn to pronounce
exclamationINFORMAL
exclamation: gosh
used to express surprise or give emphasis
it implies something of thay ilk
how can the silence seem so loud
still to this day i got the hustle in me
in degrees purple disco
m a target of their chummy wisecrackery
ive always thought that by now my life would look like.. fill in the blank then read what you just wrote and write about how it feels to read it
jz got a sweetheart celebrity deal to invest in nets
i spend my leisure time kick boxing
I'm prone to going off on tangents
I'm beginning to think I need another cup of coffee
past exploits and all
a career defining mega deal
now it's time for me to take on new challenges
you want to be Jay z since the 10th power Grant cardone to the 10th power
August 15, 2021
This was an interesting story of how Jay Z went from....well, I guess it's in the subtitle of the book. Having just read What Makes Sammy Run?, I could see a lot of similarities in how Jay Z rose to fame and how Sammy did in that story. As with anything, there was a fair amount of luck involved, but that doesn't discount Jay Z's shrewd business decisions. Jay Z always seemed to have a way of taking the best from his mentors, using those relationships to the fullest, and then leaving them behind when he didn't need them anymore. He makes few decisions that don't benefit him in some way, and agreements he enters into are slanted in his favor. By continually leveraging his relationships and agreements, he's been able to quickly move past missteps while building his net worth. Unfortunately, Zack O'Malley Greenburg wasn't able to speak directly to Jaz Z himself. While there were interviews done with all of the major players from Jay Z's beginnings to now, this was a big gap that was missing for me.
May 17, 2018
3.5 stars. Very interesting subject material - readers can learn a lot from Jay-Z's strategic thinking, deal structuring, publicity and other skills - the man probably understands business value and synergies better than 95% of corporate CEOs (who are further hampered by agency problems / self-serving biases). Unfortunately, the writer tends to veer off in strange directions including a rambling description of a wild goose chase he (the writer) undertook to sleuth about Jay-Z's involvement with Armand de Brignac - details that may be interesting to an aspiring biographer / investigative journalist but not the general audience. One also gets the feeling the biography was FAR less thoroughly researched as compared to, say, Brad Stone's or Walter Isaacson's excellent efforts on Jeff Bezos and Steve Jobs respectively, and is closer to a protracted magazine piece. Nonetheless, still recommended for those with an interest in Jay-Z the businessman or business dealmaking in general.
April 12, 2023
5 stars for Jay Z, but I’m biased
I enjoyed reading this book, but that’s really because I’m a big Jay Z fan- so reading about the rise of how Roc Nation came into being, and how it all started from someone who had nothing, I found the book educational on a topic that I’m interested about in the first place.
The book is partly biography and partly business dealings. It chronicles all of his business ventures and how it coincided with his album releases and his public life. It even discussed how he came to negotiate his way out of his first contract he had when he released Reasonable Doubt; something I never knew. I also even learned some other things that i never knew about- the whole Rucker Park scenario where Jay tried his hand at putting together a basketball team before he dropped the Blueprint (or somewhere around that time anyway).
All in all, interesting book. I wanted more. I want a Jay Z biography.
I enjoyed reading this book, but that’s really because I’m a big Jay Z fan- so reading about the rise of how Roc Nation came into being, and how it all started from someone who had nothing, I found the book educational on a topic that I’m interested about in the first place.
The book is partly biography and partly business dealings. It chronicles all of his business ventures and how it coincided with his album releases and his public life. It even discussed how he came to negotiate his way out of his first contract he had when he released Reasonable Doubt; something I never knew. I also even learned some other things that i never knew about- the whole Rucker Park scenario where Jay tried his hand at putting together a basketball team before he dropped the Blueprint (or somewhere around that time anyway).
All in all, interesting book. I wanted more. I want a Jay Z biography.
December 24, 2021
A great look into the life of one of the most interesting (and successful) people alive. It's too bad Jay-Z didn't agree to be interviewed for this, but on the other hand, much like happened with "Sam Walton - The Inside Story of America's Richest Man", this was just because Jay-Z was writing his own autobiography. When this happens, I tend to choose the version that will be less biased and (likely) more thoroughly researched. And this was definitely well-researched. Finding the link between Jay-Z and Armand de Brignac was quite impressive sleuthing.
Unfortunately, however, this book leaves off around 10 years ago. So no mention of his children, of other endeavors like Tidal, tours with Beyonce, etc.
If a revised version ever comes out, I'll probably check it out.
Unfortunately, however, this book leaves off around 10 years ago. So no mention of his children, of other endeavors like Tidal, tours with Beyonce, etc.
If a revised version ever comes out, I'll probably check it out.
November 1, 2019
Dedication and attention to details unmatched
Zack is a great writer period.
Going through this book I wish someone could write like that about me.
The time and dedication given on this book keeps coming on through and through. I highly appreciate the work and the journalistic skills, professional approach that's put into it.
I wish when you finally met Jay Z he would have at least shown to be a bigger person by acknowledging your effort to capture a part of his life in this book,but instead he laughs, what a coward.
Thank you Zack for the book and what you shared was really inspiring and meaningful to apply in different spaces of ones entrepreneurial
ventures.
Zack is a great writer period.
Going through this book I wish someone could write like that about me.
The time and dedication given on this book keeps coming on through and through. I highly appreciate the work and the journalistic skills, professional approach that's put into it.
I wish when you finally met Jay Z he would have at least shown to be a bigger person by acknowledging your effort to capture a part of his life in this book,but instead he laughs, what a coward.
Thank you Zack for the book and what you shared was really inspiring and meaningful to apply in different spaces of ones entrepreneurial
ventures.
July 27, 2020
I really enjoyed this. I've been meaning to read it for years and I finally got around to it. Needless to say, I've certainly gained ideas from it for my own creative career. I've always found Jay inspirational, but to find a book that dissects his entrepreneurial essence while explaining his mindset as he grew from a drug dealer to a business mogul. Absolutely worth the read. Proves he's far more than "just a rapper". The rap game is a business game too, and so has become the creative arts. This certainly puts things into perspective, while also offering a little insight into the mam himself.
March 14, 2017
I thought overall the author did a pretty good job putting together the book. I thought he did a great job at gathering all the information from various different sources to organize the book. He used information from people who know Jay-Z or people who knew him as a young teen growing up. I gave this book three stars because I enjoyed hearing a lot of the information from a different point of view but I would've defiantly loved hearing some quotes or some of the information from Jay-Z himself. A lot of people would wonder why Jay-Z didn't have anything to do with the book or why none of the information but overall there was nothing in it for Jay-Z. He would receive nothing out of it and Jay-Z has a life to live, money to make and people to please.
A lot of other readers agree that the book is well organized but they would've loved to hear some first person point of views from Jay-Z. It is also pointed out that Jay-Z loved doing work for a purpose. For example when he was being asked by the author to be interviewed for the book he completely denied it because he wasn't making any sort of profit out of it. It's mentioned throughout the book that Jay-Z had many different plans to make money through different promotions. I personally think it was neat reading about how Jay-Z grew up in the Bronx and how he made his way from the bottom to the top. Everything referred to being a business. Especially his romance with Beyoncé.
Overall anyone who is interested in learning about More insight on Jay-Z or even just the rise of him, should read this book. Also people who think Jay-Z is this superstar rap/hip hop artist should read this because a lot of people view him as a superstar but not everyone knows that Jay-Z likes to focus on the business aspect of life rather than the glimmer.
A lot of other readers agree that the book is well organized but they would've loved to hear some first person point of views from Jay-Z. It is also pointed out that Jay-Z loved doing work for a purpose. For example when he was being asked by the author to be interviewed for the book he completely denied it because he wasn't making any sort of profit out of it. It's mentioned throughout the book that Jay-Z had many different plans to make money through different promotions. I personally think it was neat reading about how Jay-Z grew up in the Bronx and how he made his way from the bottom to the top. Everything referred to being a business. Especially his romance with Beyoncé.
Overall anyone who is interested in learning about More insight on Jay-Z or even just the rise of him, should read this book. Also people who think Jay-Z is this superstar rap/hip hop artist should read this because a lot of people view him as a superstar but not everyone knows that Jay-Z likes to focus on the business aspect of life rather than the glimmer.
August 31, 2017
Imagine if your friend who is a academic researcher wrote a book about a rap legend without being able to talk to them. THIS IS THAT BOOK!!
In fairness to the author Jay-Z refused to be interviewed and the amount of interviews and research the author has done is impressive however, the book just feels lacking without any personal stories from the subject. The book gives a great overview of Jay-Z's life and work but tends to get hung up on rumors at times that may or may not be true (i.e. if Jay-Z had an endorsement deal with a wine maker).
Overall, ok.
In fairness to the author Jay-Z refused to be interviewed and the amount of interviews and research the author has done is impressive however, the book just feels lacking without any personal stories from the subject. The book gives a great overview of Jay-Z's life and work but tends to get hung up on rumors at times that may or may not be true (i.e. if Jay-Z had an endorsement deal with a wine maker).
Overall, ok.
June 16, 2018
This was a nice light read. I wanted to understand the business dealings behind the empire that is Jay-Z. I think I got a rather shallow scope of the business deals themselves. As soon as I started reading I realized there's only so much a *white boy* (excuse the euphemism) named Zack OMalley is going to get out of the heavy hitters that came up with Jay Z in the game. Either way, it was a good introduction to how Jay-Z handles his business but by no means an exhaustive examination. I think we'll have to wait another 20-30 years for that book.
July 18, 2019
I would of given it four stars if it wasn't for the fact that Jay-Z wanted nothing to do with the book. It didn't profit him in any way and the fact that a lot of the references or stories lack the depth, emotion or even research behind Jay-Z thought process kinda dampened the quality of enjoyment. A lot of it was assumptions based on third party references and recollection, which can be bias and or hearsay. Take the book for what it is and you'll like it. It is a book about how one took many opportunities and succeeded based of off his knowledge, reputation, and resources once he had them.
July 4, 2018
Wow! Imagine the ego. The book is about Jay Z, the man is even on the cover. Yet the first pages is about how the white boy and how he was late riding the train.
The story is told from the point of view of the geeky, rather unintelligent fan and his newspaper clippings. Popular Freudianism attached to rap lyrics.
Maybe most of the gossip would have become clearer by simply interacting with the man, but that is hard when you are just a small fry.
The story is told from the point of view of the geeky, rather unintelligent fan and his newspaper clippings. Popular Freudianism attached to rap lyrics.
Maybe most of the gossip would have become clearer by simply interacting with the man, but that is hard when you are just a small fry.
July 13, 2018
Because of the style, structure and overall way in which this book was written, I kept wishing I was just watching a documentary instead. I feel topics such as entertainers, if written in an autobiographical style, are just more conducive to on-screen retellings.
To no fault of the writer himself, he did a great job, but for me, the book would no way be better than the movie (documentary) in this case.
To no fault of the writer himself, he did a great job, but for me, the book would no way be better than the movie (documentary) in this case.
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