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Jay Z's Reasonable Doubt

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The world changed for Jay Z on June 25, 1996. That's the day his debut album "Reasonable Doubt" was released, dropping the needle on the start of what has been one of the most epic careers in the music industry.

But he didn't stop there. In the past 20 years the man who was born Shawn Corey Carter and who grew up in Brooklyn's Marcy Projects at a time when they were plagued by crime and drugs has gone from slinging drugs to taking over corporations. In May, Forbes estimated his net worth at $610 million, placing him at number three behind Sean"Diddy" Combs ($750 million) and Andre "Dr. Dre" Young ($710 million) on the list of Hip Hop's Wealthiest Artists 2016. And now there are reports that Apple is in talks to buy his streaming service Tidal. …show more content…
Though if you think it's tough out here on the charts, it's nothing compared to what Jay saw on the streets.
"At some point, you have to have an exit strategy, because your window is very small," he said about drug dealing. "You're going to get locked up or you're going to die."

Rapper
Start a debate about the best rap artists in history and three names will always appear on the list: Tupac Shakur, the Notorious B.I.G. and Jay Z. (Sorry, Nas.) Jay has sold millions upon millions of records and was one of the pioneers who helped to define urban music in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

He's won multiple awards including 21 Grammys and a Sports Emmy for outstanding music composition/direction/lyrics in recognition of his Super Bowl XLIV opener of his song "Run This Town" featuring singer Rihanna. In 2013 he broke a Spotify record whern his "Magna Carta Holy Grail" album was streamed 14 million times. This from a man who once famously "retired" from rap.

Music Executive
Every successful dealer knows the key is controlling your product. In 1996 Jay Z formed Roc-A-Fella Records with friends Damon "Dame" Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke specifically to market the rapper's music. Over the years their artist roster grew to include such names as Kanye West, Memphis Bleek and Beanie

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