Jay-Z named world's first billionaire rapper by Forbes magazine — theguardian.com

Jay-Z has been named the world’s first billionaire rapper in a new Forbes cover story. The magazine has claimed the 49-year-old’s empire “conservatively” totals $1bn after valuing his various ventures as well as any real estate and his art collection. Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, is one of just a handful of billionaire entertainers and the first hip-hop artist to claim such a fortune. “It’s bigger than hip-hop,” said his longtime collaborator Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean. “It’s the blueprint for our culture. A guy that looks like us, sounds like us, loves us, made it to something that we always felt that was above us.”

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