Empire State of Mind

Summary

"I'm not a businessman-I'm a
business, man."

--Jay-Z



Some people think Jay-Z is just another rapper. Others see him as just
another celebrity/mega-star. The reality is, no matter what you think Jay-Z
is, he first and foremost a business. And as much as Martha Stewart or Oprah,
he has turned himself into a lifestyle.



You can wake up to the local radio station playing Jay-Z's latest hit,
spritz yourself with his 9IX cologne, slip on a pair of his Rocawear jeans,
lace up your Reebok S. Carter sneakers, catch a Nets basketball game in the
afternoon, and grab dinner at The Spotted Pig before heading to an evening
performance of the Jay-Z-backed Broadway musical Fela! and a nightcap at his
40/40 Club. He'll profit at every turn of your day.



But despite Jay-Z's success, there are still many Americans whose
impressions of him are foggy, outdated, or downright incorrect. Surprisingly
to many, he honed his business philosophy not at a fancy B school, but on the
streets of Brooklyn, New York and beyond as a drug dealer in the 1980s.



Empire State of Mind tells the story behind Jay-Z's rise to the top as told
by the people who lived it with him- from classmates at Brooklyn's George
Westinghouse High School; to the childhood friend who got him into the drug
trade; to the DJ who convinced him to stop dealing and focus on music. This
audio book explains just how Jay-Z propelled himself from the bleak streets
of Brooklyn to the heights of the business world.



Zack O'Malley Greenburg draws on his one-on-one interviews with hip-hop
luminaries such as DJ Clark Kent, Questlove of The Roots, Damon Dash, Fred
"Fab 5 Freddy" Brathwaite, MC Serch; NBA stars Jamal Crawford and
Sebastian Telfair; and recording industry executives including Craig Kallman,
CEO of Atlantic Records.

He also includes new information on Jay-Z's various business dealings, such
as:

* The feature movie about Jay-Z and his first basketball team that
was filmed by Fab 5 Freddy in 2003 but never released.

* The Jay-Z branded Jeep that was scrapped just before going into
production.

* The real story behind his association with Armand de Brignac champagne.


* The financial ramifications of his marriage to Beyonce.



Jay-Z's tale is compelling not just because of his celebrity, but because it
embodies the rags-to-riches American dream and is a model for any
entrepreneur looking to build a commercial empire.