Jay-Z was recently chastised for linking the term capitalist to the N-word during a Twitter Spaces discussion on Wednesday, August 31, 2022. The rapper drew the parallel while expanding on the lyrics of his newest duet with DJ Khaled, God Did. Netizens chastised the parallel, with many pointing out that Jay-Z was a millionaire and so a product of capitalism. CelebrityNetWorth estimates the 52-year-old rapper’s net worth to be about $1.3 billion as of February 2024.
On August 31, during a Twitter Space discussion with writer Rob Markman, DJ Khaled, and others, Jay-Z was asked about a passage in God Did in which he references boosting black superstars such as Kanye West and Rihanna. He responded by saying:
“All these things that America has fed us our whole lives, and then when we start believing them, they attempt to shut us out.” They begin coining terms such as “capitalist.” We’ve been called “n***er,” “monkeys,” and “s**t.” I don’t care what terms you think of. “Y’all need to come up with tougher terms.”
Jay-z thinks the word “capitalist” is a slur 💀 https://t.co/U3QBlNFuxB
— QueenGrits (@quarantinebee) September 1, 2022
Jay-Z said in an interview regarding his road to becoming a well-known name in the music business that no one should be embarrassed about their achievement in a system that excluded everyone:
“You constructed a system that, you know, excludes us.” We said okay. We took it a different way. This music was composed by us. We did our thing, you know, we hustled and f***ed ourselves to get here. And, you know, it’s like, you know, ‘Eat the wealthy,’ and, man, we’re not stopping.”
Everything we know about Jay-Z’s billion-dollar wealth
Jay Z is now one of the most prominent hip-hop musicians in the business, having sold over 140 million albums and winning 24 Grammy Awards. His considerable earnings as a singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, rapper, actor, film producer, and television producer have contributed to his $1.3 billion net worth. Jay-Z is a co-founder of the apparel label Rocawear, which he started alongside Damon Dash in 1999. By the following year, the firm was generating $50 million in yearly sales. It generated $700 million in yearly sales at the height of its popularity. The company’s rights were sold to Iconix Brand Group for $204 million in 2007.
Jay-Z purchased a controlling stake in the champagne maker Armand de Brignac in 2014. Following a $56 million transaction in 2015, he became the main owner of Tidal, a streaming service. Aside from that, the rapper has also engaged in a real estate project in New York City that involves the construction of hotels and condos. He was first contracted to Live Nation for $150 million, followed by a $200 million agreement in 2017.
Jay-Z and Beyonce purchased an eight-bedroom house in 2008 for $8 million. In 2010, he sold it for $9.3 million. In 2017, the couple paid $26 million for a house in the Hamptons. The following year, they paid $88 million for a 30,000-square-foot house in California. They are also the proprietors of a $4 million private island in the Bahamas. Aside from these joint homes, Beyonce has a $2.6 million house in New Orleans. Jay-Z purchased a $10 million Manhattan condo in 2004. Reasonable Doubt, the rapper’s first album, was released in 1996 and catapulted him to popularity. Since then, he has released many albums, including The Blueprint, The Black Album, American Gangster, and 4:44.
Aside from the enormous cash he makes from his music releases, the majority of his profits come from his concerts, which all bring in millions of dollars. The rapper became a billionaire in 2019, according to CelebrityNetWorth. As a result, his inflammatory statements during the Twitter Spaces conversation on August 31 garnered widespread condemnation from netizens, who highlighted countless examples of his capitalistic impulses.
