Jay-Z’s one of the wealthiest men in hip-hop. He has been putting out music consistently since the 1990s, and as a well-connected Brooklyn rapper, the ‘Dead Presidents’ musician has been around hip-hop since he was a teenager in the 1980s. In 2019, Jay-Z became the first artist from the genre to achieve billionaire status.
As a result, the rapper (real name Shawn Carter) is considered one of the best rappers of all time and is revered as somewhat of a god within the culture, with a business portfolio like no other emcee.
Although the culture originated in the Bronx, it is fair to say that in New York, the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens have arguably produced the biggest legends over time, including Nas and Ol’ Dirty Bastard. However, Jay-Z surpassed everyone around him and became a tycoon.
During the mid-1990s, when Jay-Z was a local phenomenon, he couldn’t get signed. This led him to begin his own record label with Dame Dash. Roc-A-Fella was founded in 1994, and it became an empire in the 2000s. It went on to be bought by Def Jam in 2004 for around $10 million.
With all of this affluence, Carter became an untouchable figure in hip-hop and was a symbol of wealth in the culture. He is also seen as someone who is unreachable and inaccessible, an artist who only moves in the higher echelon.
That said, it is unimaginable to think someone would ever attempt to sue Jay-Z as he can afford the best lawyers in America. However, in 2007, precisely this happened and Carter lost the battle.
In 2007, former WCW pro-wrestler Diamond Dallas Page sued Jay-Z for using a Diamond hand gesture to signify Roc-a-Fella Records as he had used what he named the ‘Diamond Cutter’ gesture since the 1990s.
Carter wanted to avoid taking the case to court as it had become a significant part of his brand, and he knew that if he lost, it would wipe out a massive chunk of his marketing arsenal. As such, in July 2007, Jay settled the lawsuit by giving Page an unknown amount of money.
Following this, Page dropped the lawsuit, but to many, Jay-Z chickened out of what could have been a case he ultimately might have lost. You can see Page using his signature throughout the ’90s in the video below.
