Argument 1 - Jay-Z Essay PDF

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Millican 1 Garrett Millican English 132 Parkhurst 19 June 2019 The Rose That Grew From Concrete Shawn Carter once wrote, “I’m not a businessman, I'm a business, man.”(West) Wealth is not always given but rather earned. Shawn Carter, more popularly known as Jay-Z, went from an inner-city kid from Brooklyn, New York to one of the richest rap artists in the world. Yes, some fortunate souls are blessed with being born into money, but Mr. Carter was not so lucky. Carter was not only a prominent rapper, but a venture capitalist. He frequently rapped about common lusts like drugs, sex, and money. One innovation to the industry he brought was his passion for investment and helping others do so. Carter was an innovator and went against the grain, making investment strategy more mainstream, throwing out the idea that investing was only done by rich suits. Shawn Carter grew up from humble beginnings. He was born on December 4, 1969, in a Brooklyn project invested with gang violence, and drugs. From a very young age he witnessed the harsh realities of life. Carter attended multiple high schools including George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School. One of the surprising aspects of his career is that he made so much money, and never stepped foot on a college campus. It has become normalized in today's society that to be a business tycoon, and to reach this level of success one must obtain a degree. Jay-Z changed the game entirely. Today, Jay-Z has an estimated net worth of one billion dollars. Yes, a lot of his money has come from his passion for music, but the rest came from investments. One of Jay’s biggest, and

Millican 2 most prized possessions is his art collection. Artwork is like fine wine. The older it gets the better the reward. Before the millions Carter was an avid art enthusiast. It wasn't until he realized the potential that he started looking at it as an investment strategy. He owns pieces from the famous artist Monet. On the song “The Story of O.J.” Jay-Z rapped, “I bought some artwork for one million. Two years later, that shit worth two million, a few years later that shit worth eight million. I can’t wait to give this shit to my children.” (Jay-Z) Mr. Carter did not specify what exact piece of art he was referencing but it just goes to show. A one million dollar painting gained eight million dollars in value just sitting there. Jay has many pieces of art that he has acquired over the years. While not all pieces are guaranteed profit Jay-Z has shown that this is a very smart, and safe business investment strategy. His collection has been valued today at close to 500 million dollars. Roc Nation, founded in 2008, has climbed its way up to being one of the most prominent music labels in the game. It’s owner, Jay-Z, has taken his skill as a businessman further than just his own music once again. He assisted in sparking the careers of Kanye West, J. Cole, and many more. He was something of a mentor to them. He sought out their talent and turned them into the successful artists they are today. Jay not only gave them the resources they needed, but how to acquire the most money they could from their work. With any music label, Roc Nation took a percentage of the profits from its artists further supplementing Jay’s income. Signing artists is always a risk, but with any investment some element of risk is involved. Obviously some of his artist have fallen off, but the ones who had made it like J. Cole and Kanye West made it big time. Yes, other hip hop artists have started their own labels but none with success close to Shawns. Jay-Z has always had his eye on the stock market. The market is the top place for venture capitalists to invest their money. Uber, the transportation service once paid Jay-Z to perform.

Millican 3 Instead of asking to be paid in money, he asked the cash value in uber stock. He didn't need the money but he did know that uber stock was not yet publicly traded. This was back when uber was not the iconic service it is today. It was a gamble. He did not know that it would have the success it would today. Turns out once Uber went public he nearly tripled his profits. Once again Jay proved that the risk is worth the reward. Real estate is known to be one of the smartest investments. Depending on the climate, and area, buying to resell can make millions for investors. Jay has purchased multiple estates over the years including a ninety million dollar home in Bel-Air, and a twenty-six million dollar home in the Hamptons. Carter also owns real estate in New Orleans, and Tribeca. His strategy is having assets. As the market increases so does the value of his homes. He still owns the estates, but the longer he holds onto them the more profit he can turn. This investment strategy is more practical to the everyday American. While Jay has millions of dollars to invest in massive mansions, the everyday citizen can start small. Buying a house is a very smart investment. Owning the property gives the owner the right to set the sale price. Obviously the price must match the market, but negotiations can occur. Jay has advised many people on investment strategy, and this is by far the safest. What a lot of people don't know is that Jay-Z used to have ownership in the Brooklyn Nets basketball organization. As he was from Brooklyn this was kind of dream for him. The Nets were unfortunately not a very good, and he had hopes of making change. This was one of the few investments that did not pay off in the long run. He later ended up selling his share of ownership. While Jay was a very passionate NBA fan he didn't necessarily know how to run a team of basketball players. This was a hard lesson learned for him. It also shaped him. Jay went on to teach others that while some things may appear dreamy, and desirable it is not always the best

Millican 4 idea for profitability. Jay-Z has definitely made his name known in the business world. Breaking a billion dollars was a statement. From lyrics in his songs, interviews, and speeches, Jay-Z has made it known he wants to distribute his knowledge. You don't need a college degree, and a thousand dollar suit to experience the business world.

Works Cited Abadi, Mark, “Jay-Z has a Net Worth of 1 Billion.” Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com/jay-z-net-worth-2018-9 Jay-Z, “The Story of O.J.” 4:44, Roc Nation, June 30, 2017 West, Kanye Ft. Jay-Z, “Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix).” Late Registration, Roc-AFella, May 31, 2005

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Millican 6 Garrett Millican Parkhurst ENG 132 July 1 2019 Argument 1 Revisions In my intro paragraph there were a few minor mistakes that if caught could have seriously improved my work of writing. When describing someone in a sentence it flows better if I had used commas. “Shawn Carter, more popularly known as Jay-Z, went from…” The sentence flows much better now that commas have been inserted. There was an issue where I started talking in past tense as if he was dead. That issue has been resolved. I was having problems in the intro switching back and forth from the subjects stage name and real name. I made some minor changes to my stated thesis. In my first body paragraph I brought up the idea that college degrees are not necessary but did not explain why. I went ahead and erased one sentence for flow and added a few sentences explaining my idea more thoroughly. In body paragraph two I said “1 billion” when it should be “one billion.” I gave some examples of his art collection for detail and added commas where appropriate. In the next paragraph there were a few grammatical errors that were touched up. I gave specifics when talking about who the prominent rappers on the label were that had made it to the big time. I changed the numbers under 100. I defined who could make millions. For my works cited page I added page break and switched the order to alphabetical. I also made a few minor changes that you may see throughout the essay.

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