Jay Z is 1st rapper to become a billionaire

US singer, Jay Z is first rapper to become a billionaire. The hip-hop mogul is officially a billionaire, as Forbes reveals that his fortune conservatively totals $1 billion, making him one of the few entertainers to ever reach the billionaire status. 

The breakdown of his ventures include real estate, an art collection, and businesses such as Tidal and Roc Nation.

Less than a decade later, it’s clear that Jay-Z has accumulated a fortune that conservatively totals $1 billion, making him one of only a handful of entertainers to become a billionaire—and the first hip-hop artist to do so, Forbes’ Zack O’Malley Greenburg writes.

The media company ticked through the various businesses that Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, either owns or has a stake in, including:

• a $70 million stake in Uber
• his ownership of the streaming service Tidal
• his $70 million art collection
• his ownership of the Roc Nation sports management company
• $50 million in assorted real estate holdings and his music catalog.

And being married to uber-superstar Beyonce, worth an estimated $355 million herself, doesn’t hurt.

In 1996, Jay-Z became a household name when he released his debut album, “Reasonable Doubt,” on his independent label, Roc-A-Fella Records, CNN reports.

Since then, the 49-year-old — who has rapped about his unconventional rise from Brooklyn street corners to corporate boardrooms — has continued to expand his portfolio to include smart investments inside and outside of music.