Jay-Z is wealthy and he knows it. He's not allowing anyone to make him feel bad about it either.
After dropping a four-minute verse on the title track of DJ Khaled's latest album, "God Did," that was nearly instantly adored, rap veteran Jay-Z joined Khaled, journalists Rob Markman and Ari Melber, and others for an even rarer public discussion inspired by the song via Twitter Spaces on Wednesday night. Jay-Z was clear on it about his wealth, putting it out there that he cannot be shamed for being wealthy.
In it, Jay highlighted his rise from poverty to billionaire status and appeared to answer to critics who have referred to him and his peers as capitalists. Jay replied, "Yeah, we're not gonna stop. You know, hip hop is young, we still growing, and we're not falling for that trick-nology whatever, you know, this public puts out there."
Also on Wednesday, audio of Ari Melber's MSNBC episode analyzing Jay-"God Z's Did" lyric was uploaded to Jay-Spotify Z's website as a roughly 12-minute "audiobook" titled "Hov Did."
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Melber, who frequently incorporates rap into his reporting and commentary on "The Beat," explains Jay's storytelling as a reflection of the rapper's incredibly successful transition from the illegal drug trade to the entertainment industry and other ventures despite the US government's frequently racist, hypocritical, and ever-changing War on Drugs.
In yesterday's Twitter Space, Jay continued to debate American unfairness and appeared to object to the notion that it should be addressed by targeting the wealthy.
He stated, "We're not gonna be tricked out of our position," he said. "Y'all locked us out. Y'all created a system that, you know, doesn't include us. We said fine. We went our alternate route. We created this music. We did our thing, you know, we hustle, we fucking killed ourselves to get to this space. And, you know, now it's like, you know, you know, 'Eat the rich,' and, man, we're not stopping, so that evolution is, you know, from us."
In recent years, the term "Eat the Rich" has reemerged as a rallying cry against extreme social and economic stratification in America..
Jay-Z is not only one of the wealthiest rappers living, but also one of the wealthiest persons alive. Forbes estimates Jay-net Z's worth to be $1.3 billion as of June 14, 2022.
According to Parade, the star rose from peddling narcotics in Brooklyn's Marcy Houses projects to selling out stadiums alongside his wife Beyoncé, but his talents extend beyond the microphone.
His generally astute investments and collaborations have netted him some considerable cash, giving him an estimated net worth of more than $1 billion.
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