If you want something badly enough, you can make it happen. Likewise, when Jay-Z first started Rock-A-Fella records the company office didn’t have desks, computers, or air-conditioning, but the company still put out hit records and turned a profit. Jay-Z didn’t have a drum kit or Pro Tools growing up, but that didn’t stop him from making beats to rap over (he used his fist and a kitchen table). It’s time to really focus on and then get serious about it, give it your all.’ And once I did that, it was no looking back from there.” “It just got to a point where it was, like, ‘Make this decision, because this is something you really love and you love to do. #2 Don’t Wait Until You Have Everything You Need More than anything else, that has been the engine behind his success. Now Jay-Z runs legitimate businesses instead of selling illegal drugs, but he’s still got the energy of hustler. “I’m far from being god, but I work god damn hard.” It’s that type of hustle that allowed Jay-Z to develop into one of the greatest rappers of all time. He and his friend Jaz would lock themselves in a room for hours on end, just working on their technique. Even as he continued to work as a dealer, Jay-Z never lifted his eyes from the goal of becoming a great rapper. In Brooklyn, that was the definition of a hustler: somebody who hit the streets to sell drugs.īut Jay-Z fit another definition of the word hustler: an energetic go-getter. Given the choice between applying for a job at McDonald’s or becoming a drug dealer, he chose the latter.

There wasn’t a lot of opportunity for ambitious Marcy kids like Shawn. “Look what I embody: the soul of a hustler.” It was by following her example that Jay-Z got his unrelenting work ethic – his hustle. In 1982, Jay-Z’s father left and his mother had to support her family alone. He grew up in Marcy, a housing project in Brooklyn, New York City. Jay-Z was born Shawn Corey Carter in 1969. “Without the work, the magic won’t come.” Keep reading to find out how Jay-Z became not just one of the greatest rappers of all time, but one of the greatest entrepreneurs of the 21st century. Sure, he’s had hit records and sold out shows – but the real wealth comes from his businesses ( Rocawear and Roc-A-Fella Records). Shawn Carter) has amassed a personal worth of $450 million while turning the music business on its head. The record industry is known for chewing musicians up and spitting them out.

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