For decades, rappers have worn their ambitions on their sleeves in their music. Some want to be recognized as the best in their craft, while others want to express the truths of the world, particularly when it comes to the world they grew up in.
For many others, however, it isn’t about being the best in the world, but rather the richest. Those who aren’t are either up front about this or rhyme off expensive goods they can supposedly buy on a whim.
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But as the recent news about Jay-Z confirms, those ambitions don’t necessarily stop once you’ve made it to the top.
On the song, “Picasso Baby,” Jay-Z made it very clear that he wanted a billion dollars.
According to Forbes , however, he can apparently stop wishing because even conservative estimates now put his net worth above the $1 billion mark.
To figure out how he got there, Forbes broke down his holdings and investments and subtracted what seemed to make sense for a superstar lifestyle.
They found that alcohol generates a massive part of his wealth, as the Armand de Brignac champagne brand he’s owned since 2006 is apparently worth about $310 million.
An additional $100 million comes from D’Ussé, a cognac brand he started as a joint venture with Bacardi.
Alongside these, Forbes totaled his cash and general investment portfolio up to $220 million.
This includes a $70 million stake in Uber, which he was able to acquire back when that much of the company was “only” worth $2 million.
Of course, given the business he’s in, it’s no surprise that music would generate a great deal of wealth for him.
Despite the fact that it isn’t most people’s favorite streaming service, Tidal is apparently worth $100 million all on its own.
From there, we just add up the $75 million generated by his Roc Nation entertainment company and the $75 million he’s been able to make from his music after he bought back the master recordings and publishing rights of his whole catalog back in 2004.
The rest of his wealth can be chalked up to his art collection and his real estate holdings.
Jay-Z expressed his interest in acquiring the works of Jean-Michel Basquiat in “Picasso Baby” and the painter’s “Mecca” piece alone reportedly cost him $4.5 million.
All told, his art collection is estimated at $70 million, while his properties are worth a collective $50 million.
Some may wonder how Jay-Z can be named hip hop’s first billionaire when Dr. Dre announced he was back in 2014.
As CNN reported , Dr. Dre’s net worth did climb to $1.1 billion after he sold his Beats brand to Apple, but state and local taxes dragged that number back below a billion.
h/t: Forbes
