In your opinion, why is Jay Z so popular and successful?

[The Devil's Advocate]

Jay is very skillful but his biggest keys to success has always been:

- business mind / business backing: when you are the OWNER or PRESIDENT or HNIC of the label you are signed to you have an UNLIMITED album and marketing budget and never get your music pushed back, gave Jay an advantage over almost every other rapper in history

- follow trends and/or do gimmicks do help him sell albums: from faking retirements to marrying B to the recent Samsung deal Jay has almost always had a fake gimmick to help him sell records

- being a very selfish and narcissistic person prepared to do anything to get himself ahead: from shyting on the dude that bought you into the game to turning group albums into solo albums to having solo singles on your artists albums to screwing over Dame Dash, Jay will do almost anything to better himself. Didn't he even shoot his own brother at one point?

Those three things combined with some serious insecurities, serious skill and a good work ethic is why Jay Z is where he is where he is today.

Forgot about that but it goes to my point. Dame said Jay would shelve the whole label to be able to drop every year. He'd take such a big percentage of his own album sales that it would cut into other artists budgets. He'd take all sorts of roc funds and put them to his own promotional budget. To the point everyone suffered in order to "let" jay put his stuff out

Nobody else in rap had that power at the time. You can say its selfish. It was. But to come in the game in 96 and own your own label and be the lead artist. That was smart business. Which is what most rich successful people do. fukk over the little man to get themselves higher and make themselves more money

"They say bill gates stole microsoft's plans... For 60 billion, would you rob your man?"

- Venem -

 

[Kid Coli]

Forgot about that but it goes to my point. Dame said Jay would shelve the whole label to be able to drop every year. He'd take such a big percentage of his own album sales that it would cut into other artists budgets. He'd take all sorts of roc funds and put them to his own promotional budget. To the point everyone suffered in order to "let" jay put his stuff out

Nobody else in rap had that power at the time. You can say its selfish. It was. But to come in the game in 96 and own your own label and be the lead artist. That was smart business. Which is what most rich successful people do. fukk over the little man to get themselves higher and make themselves more money

"They say bill gates stole microsoft's plans... For 60 billion, would you rob your man?"

- Venem -

Real talk.

Jay definitely fukked up a lot of careers and lives to solely benefit himself.

It's quite amazing when you think ruthless and selfish this dude is. I don't think anyone could ever rival him in that department.

 

[Shammago]

Sounds like P. Diddy

 

[intilectual recipricol]

look at all these mad queers LMAO...

Warren Buffet made good business moves, why isnt he selling albums? He'd be the GOAT rapper...
Pac didnt make ANY business moves...and he IS the GOAT.

Some of yall bafoons kill me

 

[Bolzmark]

They were descent albums that got hyped up by great business moves.

Its cool to have an opinion, but overall the hip hop community strongly disagrees with you.

People are too caught up in his business mind. You think Jay is the only one with a sound business mind in hip hop? You need more than that. You need HOT MUSIC. Madison Square Garden doesn't sell out in 5 minutes because the ticket buyers wanna hear about Jays business plan.

 

[OG Talk]

Its cool to have an opinion, but overall the hip hop community strongly disagrees with you.

People are too caught up in his business mind. You think Jay is the only one with a sound business mind in hip hop? You need more than that. You need HOT MUSIC. Madison Square Garden doesn't sell out in 5 minutes because the ticket buyers wanna hear about Jays business plan.

I disagree... Going to a Jay-Z concert is less about the music and more about it being a status symbol for hipster whites and bougie blacks. Look at the price of his tickets.

You think Gayle King or Ashlee Simpson goes to break down his verses from RD?

It's the new version of going to the opera or going to see Cats on broadway... You think Cats was really better than everything else on or off broadway? It's more about his branding than anything.

And the fact that his shows provide a safe enviornment for gentrified or suburban residents to come meat peep on an aspect of "urban" culture with zero risk also plays into this.

That's like saying the reason Jordans sellout so quickly is because "it's a really quality shoe"

 

[intilectual recipricol]

That's like saying the reason Jordans sellout so quickly is because "it's a really quality shoe"

So Mike's aint a quality shoe? I suppose you prefer some D Roses...

 

[surv2syn]

He's talented. One of the best to ever do it.
He is a smart guy and intelligent business man.
He has rode the back of some people before him to get to where he is at.
He was in the right place at the right times.

all of these things apply and I cannot take any of that away from the man....

another thing that definitely applies is....

he's an a$$hole. when I say that I mean I work in corporate America...and you just dont climb into upper management and lofty positions without being an a$$hole. being an a$$hole if you have the smarts and savvy is almost a blueprint to success. I am not saying he is a rude person. I am saying...he is an opportunist. One who mainly looks out of numero uno first and foremost. Jay had no problem using people to get to where he got...but once he got to a certain level look at how he just took a shyt on those same people. Also, I wont go so far as to say he is straight out kewnin...but he is a politically correct sumbytch. My biggest issue with him is IMO he just comes off as phoney. He aint official like he would want people to believe. At the risk of sounding cliche....he's a dikkridin fakkit who loves the attention. Truer words could not have been spoken.

 

[OG Talk]

So Mike's aint a quality shoe? I suppose you prefer some D Roses...

If you took the same exact design and materials on the Jordans and replaced the jumpman with a Spalding logo, sells would drop by 99.9%.

It's called branding..

 

[surv2syn]

He's talented. One of the best to ever do it.
He is a smart guy and intelligent business man.
He has rode the back of some people before him to get to where he is at.
He was in the right place at the right times.

all of these things apply and I cannot take any of that away from the man....

another thing that definitely applies is....

he's an a$$hole. when I say that I mean I work in corporate America...and you just dont climb into upper management and lofty positions without being an a$$hole. being an a$$hole if you have the smarts and savvy is almost a blueprint to success. You have to step on a lot of toes, you have to climb a lot of backs. I am not saying he is a rude person. I am saying...he is an opportunist. One who mainly looks out of numero uno first and foremost. Jay had no problem using people to get to where he got...but once he got to a certain level look at how he just took a shyt on those same people. Also, I wont go so far as to say he is straight out kewnin...but he is a politically correct sumbytch. My biggest issue with him is IMO he just comes off as phoney. He aint official like he would want people to believe. At the risk of sounding cliche....he's a dikkridin fakkit who loves the attention. Truer words could not have been spoken.

 

[intilectual recipricol]

If you took the same exact design and materials on the Jordans and replaced the jumpman with a Spalding logo, sells would drop by 99.9%.

It's called branding..

Spalding wouldnt make such a quality shoe though, and nikkaz know that. If they did then MJ would rock them and they would sell out.

 

[OG Talk]

Spalding wouldnt make such a quality shoe though, and nikkaz know that. If they did then MJ would rock them and they would sell out.

"n1ggaz" don't know sh1t..

 

[bigbadbossup2012]

Because hes the bestt hustla. Thinks out everyy move from day one. Plus hes maintained his core talent. Hes not the most innovative but a great mc and knows how and when to use the innovation of others. People like kanye pac etc are more innovative and always presented a different look to their shyt to shine. Jay will peep whats workin get in the middle out rap most nikkas involved and then peep the next big thing and do it again. Badboy ruff ryders etc. Some pwople resist new trends which is cool but only if you can outshine that new trend. 50 tried to resist YMCMB but was doing a great alternative and he lost

 

[Ill-Yaz]

Stop it five, she'd have blown up, Jay or not.

Why isnt naS as popular and successful? DMX? LOL @ tricking people into buying albums by releasing them in the fall... Sometimes I wonder if people read the BS they type

Dont take Nas fans seriously breh. Dudes are salty over Jay's success

 

[Blackout]

Its cool to have an opinion, but overall the hip hop community strongly disagrees with you.

People are too caught up in his business mind. You think Jay is the only one with a sound business mind in hip hop? You need more than that. You need HOT MUSIC. Madison Square Garden doesn't sell out in 5 minutes because the ticket buyers wanna hear about Jays business plan.

The only people who disagree with me are people who got caught up in the hype thanks to his business moves that helped promote his music and those who may actually like his music for themselves.

Hear about his business plan? What are you talking about? Hiim staying on recent trends to where his features and topic in songs suited the trends, him having the right people back him up and him using biggies death to boost his popularity is many factors that do not relate to talent. His aim was popularity and he did that well.