Jay- Z poses with the 2nd richest man (Bill Gates is #1) in America – Warren Buffett (net worth $48 Billion) on the cover of the Forbes 400 issue. Jay sits down with Warren Buffett and Steve Forbes and recounts how he almost lost his Blueprint 3 album after the jump.
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Yessir!
Wow, yet another time I’m saying this, but this HUGE for Jay-Z.
I’m sick of Jay-Z!
Me too, stop rubbing it in everone’s faces that you are successfull, deal with it gracefully.
no really its bging to seem like less of an inspiration and more of ” look at me, i got something you don’t have.”
“FUCK Jay-Z.” -Nasty Nas.
Hate is for SUCKERS
he’s all about money. that’s why his rhymes are sucky now.
your so right…you can totolly sense it…money is all that matters to Jay…all these fools defending him don’t realize he could care less about them unless you can make him money
Reason #1 why you don’t wear sweat pants on the plane! Hope he learned his lesson….oh yeah, wonderful job Jay!
to many people revere folks for their money an fame…to much of Jay-z’s pride seems to come from his wealth…people should be judged for their actions an their character…money is not real , it is an invention one of many mankind invented to improve how we live in society…we really need to change our priorities in life, FYI when we die we can’t take our money an stuff with us.
you’re an idiot…
i could careless what you think about me or about what you think in general… the wealth look down on folks like you an me , get it straight.
Wow I can tell no one even understands what is happening. Really a fatherless black child from the projects has defied all odds to become a successfull charitable member of society with contributions of time, money, and countless albums to this “culture” of ours, and yet what you take away is he thinks he is the shit because of his money. You don’t approach Forbes and say do a story on me and sit me next to one of the richest men in the world so I can flaunt my money….that doesnt even make sense…Jay’s might as well be lower middle class in comparison to Buffet. Instead of hating and picking the negative aspects or opinions you have of him. The fact is he is pushing hip hop culture and the concept of inner city kids able to be smart and learn legit business other then entertainment to Coporate America. Stop having the crab in the barrel mentality.
Well said!
@rapfan… a forthright and beautiful comment!
”Really a fatherless black child from the projects has defied all odds to become a successful charitable member of society …’”
well said..very well said!!
and where does selling crack cocaine to his own community fit into your beautiful equation?
success is not the amount of money you can get away with stealing, killing and robbing from others to get just to be praised for giving out turkeys to the homeless on thanksgiving day.
yes, congrats to Jay for making it, by any means necessary in an environment that celebrates the destruction of ones community and then the rapping about it as glory
jay has made millions, good for him. kudos nicca, but stop frontin’ like you’re not one chicken away from being a crime boss… he’s cool with me, because I know he laughs at all this bullshit at the end of the day.. how he fucked over society, and everybody bought his story, to the tune of millions of dollars… then he managed to get it together investment-wise… giving the appearance of great respect for business… but it’s really all a game, one big mind fuck.
if I start my career robbing banks, killing a few folks perhaps in the process, get away with it, and then end up some philanthropic investment banker in my later years because I invested my take in a good stock, am I a good person? should your kids strive to be like me?
yea… @rapfan is indeed a typical rapfan… oblivious. keep telling yourself J is a typical kid from the projects who made it out. so was Big Meech.
…and what is hindering YOU from Glory?
@bella, who said I was hindered?
@ Roosevelt … You /your words?
More specifically the phrase: “…one big mind fuck.”? Should I assume your mind is INDEED fu-cked?
never said I was hindered… and I see all that just went right over your lil’ head. but it’s kewl, keep it moving on to something you can actually relate to.
@ Roosevelt… even YOU failed to recognize your words.
It’s called speaking out of ones’ Ass – your response belied your own words. We learn each day the words WE speak; how it affects the way we effect others, don’t we?
i cant understand the point of hating success. good points made by rapfan
success defined through a eroucentric perspective is way different than success defined through afrocentric perspective…
please people from difficult back grounds overcome hardships all the time…what your really saying is we should not expect anything from folks who fit the sterotypes of poverty an broken homes?
the point am making is we need to stop celebrating the elite…everyone matters not just those with lot’s of $…besides their are countless single mom’s who deserve more praise than Jay-z, they hold it down take care of their kid’s , go back to school an over come also.
yeah but forbes doesn’t do stories on them. If you want the everyday person to get stories, start your own Trade Publication and do articles all day about them….then see how far you get.
take the good from this article, leave the bad and then make something happen for yourself.
No one is tired of seeing Steve Jobs….or any of the other countless other people making headway via Corporate America. Perhaps it’s because there are not many other black faces at the helm of multi-million dollar businesses is the reason that some of “us” are “tired” of seeing his face. To which case I say, AGAIN, start your own…steal his model if you have to….but do something OTHER than be mad at this dude for doing him.
Last i heard, he didn’t have any kids so why shouldn’t his focus be on his wife and his work!
Crabs in a bucket!!!
it’s called critical thinking…i could care less about steve jobs… the common man an woman are way more important in my mind than these wealthy clowns…they really only care about making more money…life is about more important things than wealth … an the fact that you are impressed by forbes magazine makes me wonder …be imporessed by those who are trying to uplift the countless millions in poverty or seeking to end nuclear proliferation .
and those people trying to help others are rich wealthy people moron… you cant help the poor if you one of them…
their are a host of folks without money who helped the poor…mother thersa,martin luther king,mahatma gandhi…the list goes on… why do you think throwing money at people gets at the heart of their problems???…your clearly not thinking…changing the distribution of wealth would begin to address the problem to an extent bu there are many contributing factors.
Jay -z could care less about you in case u didn’t know already.
I gotta say, I’m loving jayz accomplishments! He is given us all hope and really pushing the limits of what can be achieved.
He by far has proven that life is what u make it!
Live the American dream! It’s all about wealth in our society, and most know that which is why they tells us it’s not! Got doe you can change things, got no doe! U don’t exist! If you don’t think so, compare yourself to jayz! He’s got voice! You only can comment on this topic which is a short lived space.
Waiting on the White people to post their comments hating on Warren Buffet’s success….. (Crickets chirping)
Exactly. Blacks can’t stand their own kind succeed. It’s ridiculous.
Waiting on the White people to post their comments hating on Warren Buffet’s success….. (Crickets chirping)
There are far more successful and richer BLACK men than Jay-z! But the media will continue to advertise him because his product sells to the poor kids who have nothing. Shout out to Jay-z’s PR team they are on their job because we all know that Jay is not that rich his profits are split 10 ways and he gets the left overs but they display him as the mastermind business genius….LOL!
co-sign
I thought you said you didnt care about money….. please, you’re a clown..
how the fuck would know how his money is split… your on a blog talking shit…
SMH
am sure Jay-z will be calling you any minute now to hang out…
@Roosevelt no one is squeaky clean in life, Be glad you are not famous and have to live up to everyone’s opinions and expectations of you. You can sit just like me behind a computer with a weird avatar and take shots at me and Jay-Z, but I was always told its not how you start the game but how you finish, and what would you have him do? Continue to sell crack and destroy or not sell crack and destroy? It seems to me in your sceanario….no one is a winner! You either have to never have done those things at all, or stay forever doing them. And if you think the S. Carter foundation or Water for Life in Africa is the same as giving out turkey in Marcy is the same, then this debate is already null and void. I understand but am confused by your strong opinions of someone you don’t know personally but to minimize what he has done to that is a little silly to me. And the biggest difference between Jay and Meech….Jay chose to change, Meech had the system change him.
@Garvin yes I agree with you, but as far as famous celebrities in our culture, you do not see enough Black Males, and if you do, they cannot or will not relate to the demographic I just mentioned. It would be great if Miss Jenkins from SE, DC was on Forbes next to Warren Buffet, but that is not the case, so once again, who would be on the cover? What is your solution, if not Jay, then who? I already know you did not watch the video or read the article because majority of it was not how they attained their wealth but the influences, the people around them, and how they give back and why they give back.
yea, this is definitely no argument for a blog… but a couple points: So you would agree that it’s not so much how you get money, but what you do with it??? insane. I will just have to respectfully disagree on that.
And secondly, Meech WAS in the process of transition actually… so why not give him the benefit??? Not only that, Meech gave hundreds of thousands to charities around Atlanta, so does that make him a hood hero like Jay is to you??? basically you’re saying that Meech being prosecuted separates him from J, not what they did to find “success”.
lastly, you don’t know me like that, you have no idea who I am or who I know… not that you should… but you just never know who knows what. Think I’m making shit up? that’s cool, keep it moving, no harm, no foul.
I just don’t respect the “changed” Nazi SS or the EX-Klansman. if for one second you don’t believe his mantra is STILL “by any and all means” you sir are a fool. he’s only as heroic and charitable as his money is long. because he’s so far removed, doesn’t remove his past, nor his potential.
but hey, nobody’s perfect right? I know I’m not. Just not to fond of thugs be cast to front of the line to represent Black success. sends the wrong message. Don’t get me wrong, I feel what’s “real”, but I also know it’s nothing to really be proud of, nor to idolize… Get money. bubble, live, ball, floss, whateva you do, but don’t pretend to be a social saint and upstanding representative of the Black community OR let the media do that for you. Just a bigger hole of coonery we gotta dig ourselves out of when the only reason we SEE a forbes cover is when we sell drugs to our own and get rich rapping about it. fuck that.
Can someone explain to me how he went from 150 millions last year to be worth 450 millions this year? accordind to the same magazine (forbes)
I don’t care about him, cos I know he definitely don’t care about me!
Man they talking bout Hov like he is God fareal. I feel what you saying rapfan about him coming up from the hood but in what way has he really inspired people from the hood that they can make it. If anybody knows anything about the rap game its a devilish way to try and get fame and money it is crazy, the dope game is more softer than the rap game believe me. When was the last time Jay spoke to youth besides the line “Hov did that so you wouldnt have to go through that.” What community centers has he built for the inner cities, what type of scholarships has he sponsored, where is his gift back to others? Only thing Hov shows is that you too can be black and be a greedy, backstabbing snake, just like his white counterparts. Be fareal quit living in fantasy. Dude is successful but at what making money that is it. He i just like every other rich person now looks down on the people with money. When has he made a song for the hood that said he relates to the people that is not wealthy. Said it himself if you want the old him buy his old albums. He is not apart of the down trodden anymore he’s rich and he could give two shits about any of us. So uplift another person. I bet the same that uplift him think Obama is bad for us too. He has a position that we can look up to, he was an average mixed dude that came up off hard work. I rather look up for that.
@blugrass Boi I don’t know him personally just like none of us do, so I am going off either what he states or what other industries detail what he has done. He has his S. Carter foundation which he said he and his mother are heavily involved in that helps kids get scholarships to goto college. Also the school is geared towards the Arts, it is sort of like performing arts school. He said in the interview that this foundation is starting to see its first graduating class, and how this is really special to him because he saw those kids when they first started till now. We all help in different ways. Dr. Martin Luther King contributed in his way, it was different from Malcolm X, which is different from Barack Obama. Just because the contribution does not look and feel like past contributions, does that diminish the contribution. Most importantly the main thing he has shown in “our culture” is that you can start one way but change to something else. There are inner city kids around the globe that already had his work ethic, which by the way is shared by all successful people on any scale. Hard work, plus determination and consistency pays off. We are very inconsistent at times in our delivery. We feel entitled to certain things we have not earned. Speaking of song, he did a song called History for Baracks inaguration, that he performed. He did a song to raise money for Haiti(forgot the name) and when Katrina hit, he donated money and did a song on kingdom come directly addressing “our” frustrations towards how the feds handled the aftermath, even called out Bush in a line.
oh boy, now he’s comparing Jay to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Obama!!! boy @rapfan, you really got a hold of that Jay-Juice didn’t you?!?!?
I’m bout to put you on Blast, tired of this madness… ATTENTION EVERYONE!!! @rapfan is really…….. MEMPHIS BLEEK!!!
fuckin witchu
it’s all fun till somebody get shot right??? 
I actually see both sides of this. Yes, Jay-Z should be looked at as a successful model for what one can accomplish through business, but the flip side is also true:
Jay-Z is not “moving hip-hop forward”, Jay-Z is fattening Jay-Z’s pockets, which is fine, but people please STOP with the “people are hating Jay-Z’s success”.
People are not hating his success. Some people just aren”t falling for the PR spin of Jay’s image. Jay’s not the first — most mainstream maybe, but certainly not the first — drug dealer-come-successful businessman, so NO I’m not going to praise him for that.
I would challenge ANYONE to name a time Jay has done something substantive (not Water for Life) — oh like give away $100 million to Newark, NJ schools — that truly impacts the “hip-hop culture”…besides set trends that has mentally corrupted many (see most comments above).
@rapfan
Also, challenging our “leaders” is not a crab-in-a-barrel mentality. No one wants to see Jay-Z fail. What we do want is for Jay is to do something — anything — beyond strictly caring about the “profit motive”. Only because Jay’s in a position to.
You do realize that last year made DOUBLE what the #2 person (Diddy) on hip-hop’s “Cash Kings” list. With this type of success comes responsibility (see: Bill Gates & Warren Buffet, Oprah or any other uber-successful entrepreneur).
Rapfan > Roosevelt & others
@Apologize4Rapfan… good point, glad you cleared that up.
@Roosevelt I didn’t compare Jay to Dr. King or Malcolm X, I actually compared Dr. King, Malcolm X and Barack Obama, to show they all tried to push a certain empowerment idea forward but they all had different means of doing it. This is Jay’s way, through financial gain. We have artists who speak out on it and by the way better then Jay….Mos Def, Common, Talib, Wyclef and soooo many other countless mainstream and underground artists…Lauryn Hill, and that is cool, but just because Jay is not doing it that why, we tend to think he does nothing, and im not bleek, Im Ta-Ta!!! lol
@dgtheenigma how is he not pushing the culture forward? musically Blueprint 3 was content wise different from any Jay album so was Kingdom Come. Oh by the way Google Chuck D on BP3….he also commented on how BP3 was a very good way Jay is pushing hip-hop to evolve and not be stagnate. Shit just the fact that he is 40 and still rapping and allowing his audience to grow as well, is soooo different in hip-hop…. This thing we call hiphop has never seen what happens to its artist after a certain period…The genre is only 30 yrs old. There is no guideline…we all just live in the now…..Business wise he is really pushing hip-hop forward by showing how to be a great artist but also but a great business man and make more off your talent, then the record label. This was never taught to artists really across the board, not just in rap. So I am not saying I am giving him praise for being an ex-hustler, what I am giving kudos to, is the fact he had the resolve to change because quite frankly his “model” would have destroyed anyone else’s career. This is how you have 30+ year old rappers still acting and dressing like they are 22, and it looks corny and cheesy. Oh and your assertion that it would be substansive if he donated 100 million to NJ schools, how would that really help, given the same mis-management of funds that has already happened? Just throwing money at problems, just make expensive problems. In addition, just because the media or “we” don’t hear about it, doesn’t mean he doesnt do that, just means its not in the media. Lastly, its funny you mentioned Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, because this whole thread started because Forbes created an oppurtunity where he had “facetime” with Warren Buffet himself, soooo this maybe the start of a new “giving” faze for him.
Man I’m done. Love Hov, Love Hov’s paper, Love Hov’s music just don’t don’t send your kids down his “road to success”.
and I am a Jay MUSIC supporter by the way… just got that new Jay-Cold Play remix joint, CRAZY!!!
carry on.
Ok these comments are a little overboard. But the.life AND Forbes were being misleading. Life, you guys should check the mag before you post something. Jay-Z is not even actually among the Top 400 richest people in America. They talked about how if he “simply DOUBLES his net worth” (lol), he will make it in the top 400. Actually there is only ONE black person on the top 400 in America — I’ll give you 2 guesses on who it is. So really, the biggest concern to me is that they put him on the cover just to sell the mag it seems. They know Jay-Z’s face will appeal to people, even though he’s really not even on the list. /rant
Let me just add that my comment does not put down his success at all. He’s worth $450 million — all self-made which is amazing. Whether or not he’s on the Forbes list, his power and success is eminent. TYFYT.
@Roosevelt my last point is this….I don’t know one black leader that has not had some type of checkered past, besides Obama….Do you remember before X he was Malcolm Little, and all he did was hustle drugs, rob, and pimp white woman(i read his autobiography) They linked Dr. King to many sexual escapades. I could go on and on. So no I am not saying we should celebrate someone’s checkered past, but does that negate what they do in the future? I hope not because if that is true, we have no leaders period, cause we all have done things we are not proud of in our youth. So once again less focus on his 1996 reasonable doubt hustlin, bling money days, and more focus on where he is now, and just the fact that a “rapper” can be asked to be on the cover of Forbes and not the source is a move forward for our culture.
Good look for Jigga
People Jayz has achieved a lot for music entertainment..In music entertainment is impossible to make a billion but how somehow Jayz is close..While for Warren..its not that difficult to make billions.
So they are both in two different demographics but both have reached a fascinating success.. Yes they are other black folks richer than Jay but they are unnoticed because they are not the best in their own demographic..they compete with other billionaires..
So Jayz is not the richest black folk but he has achieved more than anyone ever did in the music industry…
As for donating..People the man donates..but he can’t donate like bill gates and warren..because they own large corporations and hired tonnes of people to do the job for them and because of they can donate everything they have and still continue to making more money even when they are sleeping..While as for him..his in a business demographic where he has to work his ass off in order to get paid..
So black people stop bitching and let the man be…His not God..the little his donating or doing is better than no donation..
You guys are just like the africans in south african is either you guys blame a white person for your lack of working hard or you hate your own when they succeed..
yah make us hate being africans/black sometimes..so stop with all this negativity and start pursuing your own dreams and try to live a life you guys always imagined…
To all the Jay-Z haters, crackers have been turning corruption into wholesomeness since, forever. In fact, you’re living in a country that was built on corruption. So, when the Jay-Z’s of our community do a few bad things to accomplish a lot of good, I’m going with that.:)