You Are Witnessing A Mogul In Action
“Remember the $150 million deal Jay-Z was working on with Live Nation back in early April? Well, it appears the deal is sealed.
“Via a report from Billboard.com, Jay-Z and Live Nation closed the deal Wednesday night (April 30).
“The company filed a Form-8K on Thursday (May 1) with the SEC that states Jay is getting 775,434 Live Nation shares, plus an option on an additional 500,000 with the exercise price of $13.73. The shares will be given to Marcy Media, the company affiliated with the mogul, in connection with the formation of Roc Nation LLC, a joint entertainment venture between Live Nation and Jay-Z.
TheStateOf . . . Jigga. Jigga is an inspiration - straight up. He has stayed on the cutting edge of the transitions in the music business and expanded to basketball, clothing, clubs, hotels, etc.
Filed under: Music
The Tragic Irony
We all assumed Dubois’ Talented Tenth would emerge from our nations best Historically Black Colleges and the Ivy League bastions of whiteness.
But no.
For the most part they became glorified consumers, perpetual employees in the corporate plantation system.
It’s the field Negros, the brothers from the streets, Hip Hop cats who learned economics not in the classroom but on the street corner have evolved to become the closest thing Black America has to true captains of capital.
While dudes with paper degrees got stuck flipping homes financed with subprime loans, cats with GED’s flipped kilos of cocaine and mastered the art of distribution, marketing and management.
It’s no wonder the power elite are more threatened by and wage war upon the street corner capitalists than they are the conditioned conformists pumped out of degree factories every May.
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What’s tripped out about this subject is that I was watching a Yo! MTV Raps special the other day and Ed Lover spoke some truth for a second. He stated that if it were not for that show and how it brought “OUR” culture to “THEM” there would be no Barack Obama running for president with a legitimate chance. He is right.
No disrespect to those that came before us, but Hip Hop brought white, Asian, and Latino kids to us in droves that the entire Civil Rights movement could not do. I definitely credit Hip Hop with a good portion of my success (next to CAU of course) and what it meant to me. I f***’s with Jay-Z not only as an artist and business man but as a man. If his reported prenup agreement is in fact true, then I must say he has his head on right and doing the right thing showing these younger brothers the right way to carry yourself and your lady. Big Up!
SDIC
Jay Z is doin it right now. For real.
SDIC,
I agree with you to on the Obama thing. But obviosly the Civil Rights Movement and people like James Brown paved the way for better race relations. Don’t forget - white folks were singin’ “I’m black and I’m proud” too. LOL.
American business is very mature. A great many of our products and services have been consolidated in the hands of major companies, which is why the most talented blacks are now wasting their time slaving away in the Fortune 500.
Anyhow, Jigga is definitetly setting an example I’m not ashamed to say that I hope to emulate, even in my own little way. Jigga is in Fortune Magazine every week promoting his speaker series - something like “Conversations With A Mogul.”
DV
We all assumed Dubois’ Talented Tenth would emerge from our nations best Historically Black Colleges and the Ivy League bastions of whiteness.
Let’s not loose perspective. For every J-Z in the rap game their are multiple bankrupt former icons. Now the reality is that a little black boy or girl will have the best chance to succeed fiscally in life at something other than rap or sports. For every J-Z , Simmons & Diddy I can provide examples of fiscally powerful brothers and sisters who have graduated from college but not had the fame that some of us (DV) American’s place on so called celebs. Congrats to J he has done his thing… But congrats to all the non-rap brothers and sisters doing their thang as well… To suggest that higher education is not important to the masses is very dangerous!
“To suggest that higher education is not important to the masses is very dangerous!” Anon
To suggest that what you call “higher” and “education” is actually “higher” and indeed “education” … is far more dangerous.
White folks step on grapes and tell you it’s wine, don’t make it Bordeaux.
The product currently SOLD at the temples of whiteness called universities at $120K a pop, train people to be employees. Very rarely do they educate.
Be suspicious of any process that produces legions of men who barely like girls any more.
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DV you are crackin’ me up today.
I believe in getting the best education you can get, SO LONG AS it doesn’t make you into a mild, milquetoast, non-thinking brotha or sista. Don’t go to college in order to get a job.
DV
The product currently SOLD at the temples of whiteness called universities at $120K a pop, train people to be employees. Very rarely do they educate.
Have you attended such an institution??? Define educate??? I would tell you that it is fact that Obama’s (your Prophet) dominant core base are persons with college degrees. So what does that say of the educated DV???
Anon. Respond to the substance of what DV is suggesting and not just its literal meaning. I’m really interested in your reply.
How do you substantively respond to the notion that today’s form of higher education is not adequately preparing people today (black or white) to be producers rather than consumers, business owners rather than employees and fiscally secure instead of dent ridden upon graduation and living from check to check thereafter.
Let go of the tit for tat for a second b/c I think absent that you have something to say. However your points are being overshadowed by an unnecessary need to one up Denmark Vesey.
…DEBT ridden upon graduation…
RJEsq
Anon. Respond to the substance of what DV is suggesting and not just its literal meaning. I’m really interested in your reply.
I can not because he is suck of fan of hip hop icons that I take him to his word that education is a waste of time. Thus he is suggesting that our youth should put down the books and pick up the mic!
Anyway the facts are the following:
High school graduates can expect, on average, to earn about $1.2 million dollars in lifetime income, while those with a bachelor’s degree earn an average of $2.1 million over a 40 year working lifetime. In sum, a college degree is worth a million dollars of extra cash, but it’s amortized over a 40 year period, and we must account for inflation and the time value of money. At the same time, the cost of a state college for four years is about $100k.
Anon, there is more to wealth than cash.
There is more to empowerment than paychecks.
Black people have 10 times more degrees today than we had 50 years ago and far less power. We once owned grocery stores, hotels, hardware stores, our own schools, taxicab companies and farms.
Liberals came to “save us” by getting us to fight for “integration”. After we “won” the privilege to spend our money in downtown Jewish department stores, our economy collapsed. Later we “won” the right to work in white corporations and have spent the past 30 years begging for Affirmative Action which would GUARANTEE we could continue to work for white corporations.
We marched, fought dogs and water hoses to “win” the right for our children to attend public schools with whites. 50 years after Brown, our children less educated than before Brown.
You think this thing called “education” is a path to group success, I think it has proven to be a path from one plantation to another. A horizontal move.
My applause of Hip Hop is not for young people to pick up mics. It’s an applause of young people who wisely reject the value system of a system that has rejected them. Healthy skepticism.
The Jay-Z’s and the Fiddy’s and the Dame Dash’s have provided a very important model.
They Do What The Powerful Do. Not What The Powerful Say To Do.
I teach my sons Jackie Robinson was a nice man. But playing baseball for Jewish team owners aint nothing to be proud of and can’t compare to Sean Carter buying teams.
Joe Kennedy was a hustler and a gangster. His son was president.
I’ve got high hopes for Curtis Jackson Jr.
I don’t expect much from Harold Ford III.
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I tried to set you up for the dunk Anon….
DV
Anon, there is more to wealth than cash.
So whay are you praising Jay Z so much… Did I miss something did he find the cure for cancer… or male baldness… Or organize a movement for black justice in the court systems… Why exactly is tangible in his body of work… DV
DV
Black people have 10 times more degrees today than we had 50 years ago and far less power.
How did you determine this?? Is this based on your gut feeling or fact?? Yes your right DV 50 years ago a black man could have easily thought of running for president let alone become secretary of state or head general of the military under a republican party at that.
DV
Liberals came to “save us” by getting us to fight for “integration”.
You know Sean Hannity (Fox News)often starts each of his provocative statements of by using the word “Liberals”
DV
50 years after Brown, our children less educated than before Brown.
Where is the evidence for this statement??
DV
You think this thing called “education” is a path to group success, I think it has proven to be a path from one plantation to another. A horizontal move.
So you think RJEsq made a mistake by going to law school when statistics prove that the majority of black people in jail barely completed highschool. You don’t seem to see the correlation I guess?
DV
My applause of Hip Hop is not for young people to pick up mics. It’s an applause of young people who wisely reject the value system of a system that has rejected them. Healthy skepticism.
Which value system are they rejecting DV?? I say GOD’s value system is what they reject. Dealing dope in their neighboorhoods, buying cars with 22’s, walking around with black women on dog collars, blacks kill blacks over 90% of the time DV is that white folks fault??
50 years after Brown, our children less educated than before Brown.
DV
“Where is the evidence for this statement??”
You.
DV
I teach my sons Jackie Robinson was a nice man. But playing baseball for Jewish team owners aint nothing to be proud of and can’t compare to Sean Carter buying teams.
Jay-Z played ball for the Universal Music Group(Jewish) and will now play ball for Live Nation(Jewish). Good for him… he should be proud that he got out of the hood and is comfortable in life DV. Everyone can’t be president. Vice president is a noble spot as well. Beats prison!
Anon,
Did he play ball “for” or did he play ball “with”?
If you were educated you would not only understand the difference, you would appreciate it.
You need to call Humro Tech and see if you can refund.
DV
50 years after Brown, our children less educated than before Brown.
DV
“Where is the evidence for this statement??”
You.
Cute DV… I figured you wouldn’t have a legit answer… Par for the course Mr. Fox News…
Anon, the evidence for the statement that Black youth and less educated than ever before lies in the statistics and anecdotes that you often cite.
In Los Angeles, I think less than half of Black males graduate highschool. I dont profess to state the exact numbers but you get the drift.
What exactly is wrong with an observation that despite all of the “progress” of the generations that came before us, something remains gravely wrong in our community. Moreover, it could only be because of a willful blindness, that you cannot acknowledge the irony in the fact that there are numerous former dregs of society (uneducated, poor, former criminals) among the most fiscally savvy and wealthy in our community.
Hell to put it terms that you are more likely to understand, Bill Gates dropped out of college. His story, much like that of the Jay Z’s of the world, challenge the idea that traditional roads (college or formal education) is the only available means to success.
That’s all folks are trying to say. Its okay to veer off the beaten path of thought every now and again.
RJEsq
Hell to put it terms that you are more likely to understand, Bill Gates dropped out of college. His story, much like that of the Jay Z’s of the world, challenge the idea that traditional roads (college or formal education) is the only available means to success.
We can always cite the few that make it. The reality is that less than 1% of highschool athlete’s
make it into any form of professional sports. Even if they do there careers last 3 years on average. That we know because it’s easy to collect the data. Now we can only imagine the amount of Jay Z wannabees that never make a dime from rapping that you have never heard of on the avaerage street corner of every American city. But Dv would have you think that they all are ballin. That’s the problem… In DV’s world he is teaching his son’s that if you are just Jackie Robinson you are a failure because your working for the white man (like Jay Z). If you ain’t Jay-Z but your a lawyer defending brothers and sister from the system you ain’t nothing in DV’s world… Just sittin on the plantation. RJ no one is saying to not reach for Jay Z status… but in case you miss you need a good plan B. And since DV ridicules college I guess becoming a gansta/drug dealer is the next best path(then jail). The truth RJ is that black men have also been shucking and jivin(entertaining) for years along with those civil rights leaders and has their time in the spotlight changed anything?
Now that was a response!!!!!!!
Quit all the rest of that bullshit.
I actually agree with you Anon. I just am a fan of a good creative debate. Which is why I urge you to counter DV’s position with substance and not that kid stuff.
If I just felt like taking up the issue we could point out that 1) DV went to college; 2) his position is far more effective in its abstract sense and loses something when applied literally; and 3) his criticisms of the civil rights era are overreaching — yes time’s up for many folks, but to suggest that the era was completetly ineffective is simply disingenuous.
I would say all those things, but sometimes I like to sit back and watch.
Whew! Anon, you’re much more persuasive when you articulate your true point. Thank you.
That was worth the long read.