Celebrate Jay Z’s Top 10 Power Moves On His 46th Birthday

On December 4th, 1969 Shawn Carter was born. We generally prefer to call him Jay Z. In honor of Hov’s 46th birthday, we’re presenting his top 10 power moves.

These are in no particular order:

Rap moguls have attempted to merge the worlds of sports and entertainment before Jay Z did it with his creation of Roc Nation Sports in 2013, but nobody achieved it with the level of success and immediate impact that Jay has.

Bringing in established superstars like Kevin Durant, Robinson Canoe, Dez Bryant, Victor Cruz and CC Sabaitha, plus capitalizing on rising stars like WNBA’s Skylar Diggins and  NFL rookie Todd Gurley, Jigga has laid the blue print for crossover success.

The acquisition of streaming service, Tidal. Personally, I’m much more partial to Apple Music. But only Jay could convince a bunch of music superstars to band together and take a stand for “the artist.” Thus far, Tidal hasn’t exactly been a hit. But the idea of acquiring it was innovative and I’m sure either it’s development, or learning lessons will lead to more cash flow for Mr. Carter

This is a two for one. Jay as an ex-drug dealer managed marry America’s favorite pop star, Beyoncé. He then flipped the family business into a tour. The “On The Run” tour with the co-headling spouses earned $109 million in 2014.

Instead of releasing a typical memoir, Jay Z released “Decoded” in 2010. A book that deciphered his lyrics while telling his story through his songs, plus expanding on various moments and movements in hip-hop. It also earned Jay the title of “New York Times Best Selling Author.”

2012 saw the birth of the Budweiser sponsored Made In America festival. A massive event started in Philadelphia that features live acts from the worlds of hip hop, rock, pop, r&b, edm and more. Produced by Live Nation – the concert promotion company Jay signed with in 07. Jay’s $150 million 360 deal set the stage for the new look music industry – we’re just going to act like him being president of Def Jam didn’t happen.

Scratch that, Jay probably learned a great deal from that failure. It’s probably propelled him in ways we can’t even imagine.

Jay and Dame Dash were the first rappers with their own vodka back in the day -remember Armadale all in the videos circa 2002.

In May of 2006, Jay pulled his support of Cristal champagne after hearing the owners weren’t thrilled with the popularity they gained in the hip-hop community from rappers like Jay name checking them. Later that year, Ace of Spades was introduced in the “Change Clothes” video.

Since them Jay has launched Dussé cognac and purchased Armand de Brignac – the company responsible for Ace. If you wonder why you now see a bunch of gold champagne bottles at championship celebrations in the locker room each season, thank J.

Jay changed album launches forever when he teamed up with Samsung for the release of “Magna Carter HollyGrail.” The campaign was a digital assault that started with a commercial during the 2013 NBA finals. This pairing caused Jay to go platinum before he even dropped the album. That caused the RIAA to make changes on how units are calculated.

Opening a bar or restaurant is generally noted as one of the worst investments people can make. Grand opening and Grand closing tend to stick close on the calendar for most.

Jay Z’s 40/40 club opened in 2003. Although a Vegas version didn’t pan out, the original is still going strong plus, the location in Barclay’s arena is the place to be during concerts and Nets games.

And lastly, Jay Z flipped a $1 million investment into the then New Jersey Nets in 2004, into a multi-leveled branding and business opportunity. Jay got in deep when Russian billionaire and politician Mikhail Prokhorov purchased the Nets and decided to move the team to Jay’s hometown of Brooklyn. Jigga was involved in the team’s rebranding, arena design, in-arena look and music selections, etc. Jay’s involvement in Roc Nation Sports changed his relationship with the team, but the stamp he laid on them opened the door for relationships like the one Drake has with the Toronto Raptors.