Jay-Z has made history time and time again. This time around, he’s making headlines as the first billionaire rapper ever.
Real name Shawn Carter, the hip hop mogul, record executive, and entrepreneur wrote the blueprint on how to become successful in the music industry. It has taken years of hard work and dedication, but his drive has now paid off a billion times.
Jay-Z has built an entire empire around his brand, with ventures including Roc Nation, Rocawear, Tidal, D’Ussé and more. According to Forbes, his current estate “conservatively totals $1 billion” — even when his superstar lifestyle and expenses are taken into account. 
Fellow rappers Diddy and Dr. Dre come in as the second and third wealthiest at $820 and $770 million respectively, but nobody in the rap game is touching Jay-Z.
Here’s the breakdown:
Armand de Brignac champagne – $310 million
Cash & investments – $220 million
D’Ussé cognac – $100 million
Tidal streaming service – $100 million
Roc Nation – $75 million
Music catalog – $75 million
Art collection – $70 million
Real estate – $50 million
H/T: Consequence of Sound | Source: Forbes | Photo by Prince Williams/Getty Images
