Not bad for someone who just owned a small piece of the Nets right?
While people are still making their jokes, Jay and Beyonce have become and billion couple and here is what the TIME had to say about The Originator courtesy of Next Impulse Sports.
Jay Z embodies so much of what makes New York New York. A kid from a tough neighborhood who grows up in public housing, overcomes lots of bad influences on the street, never lets go of his dream, makes it to the top — and then keeps going, pursuing new outlets for his creativity and ambition. When no one would sign him to a record contract, he created his own label and built a music empire — before going on to design clothing lines, open sports bars and, most recently, represent professional athletes. He’s an artist-entrepreneur who stands at the center of culture and commerce in 21st century America, and his influence stretches across races, religions and regions. He’s never forgotten his roots — “Empire State of Mind” was a love song to our city — and as a co-owner of the NBA Nets, he helped bring a major league sports team back to Brooklyn, not far from his old neighborhood. In nearly everything he’s tried, he’s found success. (He even put a ring on Beyoncé.) And in doing so, he’s proved that the American Dream is alive and well.
If you ever wanted to take one rap verse and apply it to all life situations, I suggest you use these lines from Jay’s “Moment of Clarity”.
The music business hate me /’cause the industry ain’t make me
Hustlers and boosters embrace me / And the music I be making
I dumb down for my audience And double my dollars
They criticize me for it Yet they all yell “Holla”
If skills sold / Truth be told
I’d probably be / Lyrically Talib Kweli
Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense
(But I did five Mil)
I ain’t been rhyming like Common since
When your sense got that much in common
And you been hustlin since/ Your inception F*ck perception
Go with what makes sense
Since I know what I’m up against
We as rappers must decide what’s most important
And I can’t help the poor if I’m one of them
So I got rich and gave back / To me that’s the win, win
The next time you see the homie and his rims spin
Just know my mind is working just like them
(The rims that is)