“If he’s a billionaire now, imagine what he’s about to be,” Swizz Beatz says. “Because he’s only just starting.”
Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean, the superproducer behind some of Jay-Z’s biggest hits (“On To The Next One,” Beyoncé’s “Upgrade U”), looks at Jay-Z as something others can model: “It’s bigger than hip-hop … it’s the blueprint for our culture. A guy that looks like us, sounds like us, loves us, made it to something that we always felt that was above us.”
What’s Jay-Z Worth?
To calculate his net worth, we looked at the artist’s stakes
in companies like Armand de Brignac champagne, applying our customary discount
to private firms. (He owns 100% of Armand de Brignac and has partial ownership
of the other companies.) Then added up his income, subtracting a healthy amount
to account for a superstar lifestyle. We checked our numbers with a roster of
outside experts to ensure these estimates were fair and conservative. Turns
out, Jay-Z really is a business, man.J
Armand de Brignac | $310 Million
Jay-Z has used his music to shill the $300 gold bottles of
the “Ace of Spades” champagne since launching the brand with the 2006
video “Show Me What You Got.” More recently, his verse on Meek Mill’s
“What’s Free” put a half-billion-dollar value on the wine, which seems
like a bit too bubbly a number.
Cash & investments | $220 Million
A vast investing portfolio includes a stake in Uber worth an
estimated $70 million. He reportedly purchased his piece for $2 million back in
2013—and then wired founder Travis Kalanick another $5 million in an attempt to
increase his holdings, but was rebuffed.
D’Ussé | $100 Million
Jay-Z’s cognac, a joint venture with beverage giant Bacardi,
moves almost 200,000 cases and has grown nearly 80% annually. “Jay-Z resonates
with consumers who are attracted to the ultra-premium lifestyle,” says
Eric Schmidt, Beverage Marketing Corp.’s Director of Alcohol Research.
Tidal | $100 Million
In 2015, Jay-Z submitted a bid to purchase the Scandinavian
streaming service’s parent company for just shy of $60 million. He relaunched
Tidal later that year with a roster of celebrity investors including his wife,
Beyoncé, and other music luminaries, from Kanye West to Calvin Harris.
Roc Nation | $75 Million
This wide-ranging entertainment company started over a
decade ago as part of a joint venture with concert giant Live Nation. Roc
Nation represents some of the top stars in the entertainment through its sports
agency (Kevin Durant, Todd Gurley) as well as its record label and
artist-management arms (Rihanna, J. Cole).
Music catalogue | $75 Million
Before the beginning of his stint as Def Jam’s chief in
2004, Jay-Z negotiated the eventual return of his master recordings from the
aforementioned label that helped launch his career; in a separate deal with
EMI, he clawed back his publishing rights. Wise move: his hits now clock close
to 1 billion streams annually.
Art collection | $70 Million
In the song “Picasso Baby,” Jay-Z boasted about a
“Basquiat in my kitchen corner.” He probably wasn’t kidding. For over a
decade, he’s been scooping up masterpieces like Basquiat’s “Mecca,” purchased
in 2013 for a reported $4.5 million. “He’s rapped about it all in
detail,” says Fab 5 Freddy, a contemporary and friend of the late painter.
“Jay-Z helped educate millions of hip-hop fans mentioning Jean-Michel.”
Real estate | $50 Million
This is the incredible $88 million mansion Jay Z and Beyonce
purchased in August 2017, the home has 8 bed, 11 bath and is 30,000 square feet
After welcoming twins in 2017, Jay-Z and Beyoncé bought a pair of homes to match: a $26 million East Hampton mansion and a $88 million Bel Air estate. Jay-Z also owns a Tribeca penthouse, snagged for $6.85 million in 2004.
Source : Forbes