(lifestyle) Jay Z: The 40 million album man

The documentary of American rap star, Jay Z’s ‘Made In America’ music festival is set to debut at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2013.

A month later, precisely on October 11, the documentary of the annual two-day music festival will hit Showtime Cable Network. Basically, the documentary will chronicle Jay Z creating the festival which held in September 2012.

Held in Philadelphia, the concert featured performances by some other artistes including Kanye West, Drake, Tyler, Pearl Jam and Run DMC. Interviews by some of the artistes have been said to also feature in the documentary.

The film was directed by Ron Howard with the trailer for the documentary already out.

Showtime president of entertainment, David Nevins, said, “Ron Howard and Jay-Z have crafted an inspirational portrayal of American resilience, drive and creativity, interwoven with an incredible showcase of musical talent.”

At this year’s show, however, Jay Z’s wife, Beyonce Knowles, entertained the crowd with a 90-minute performance that featured songs like ‘Crazy in Love’ and ‘Single Ladies (Put a ring on it).

Jay Z is one of the world’s most successful hip hop artistes, having sold over 40 million albums in his career.

In June 2013, Samsung bought a million copies of his recent album, ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’, for $5 each, to put on some of their models for customers, prior to its official release.

 Jay Z: From the streets to a life of luxury

Shawn Corey Carter, better known as Jay Z is one of the most successful music artistes with 17 Grammy awards and a track record of achievements as a rapper and record producer. Jay Z, who is arguably one of the greatest rappers of all time, has sold approximately 50 million albums worldwide.

 Born on December 4, 1969 in Brooklyn, United States, Jay Z’s foray into business has also paid off, in spite of his poor background. Jay Z was only 11 years when his father, Adnes Reeves, abandoned the family, leaving him and his three siblings to the care of their mother, Gloria Carter.

He once admitted in his music to having been involved in selling crack cocaine as a street boy and also claimed that at age 12, he shot his older brother in the shoulder for stealing his jewellery. He claimed that he himself was shot at three times during that time of his life.

But today, Jay Z is an entrepreneur with a stake in NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. He co-owns the 40/40 Club and is also the co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records and the clothing line, Rocawear.

 In 2012, Forbes estimated Jay Z’s worth at nearly $500 million (N80bn). Remarkably, Jay Z started his music career selling his CDs out of his car because he could not get a major label to give him a record deal.

It seems that Jay Z is still very much connected to his roots as an African-American. His contributions to the Broadway show, Fela, which celebrated the work of the late Nigerian music legend, Fela Kuti, was a case in point. Jay Z said that Kuti’s work and life story inspired him and stirred up his interest to support the production of the musical.

Jay Z is publicly known to be friends with US President, Barack Obama, and both parties have openly confessed their friendship. He was a supporter of Obama’s candidacy to become a senator and later, the US president. Recently, Jay Z admitted in an interview that he and Obama exchange text messages.

“Yeah, I’ve spoken to him on the phone and had texts from Obama, of course,” he once said.

In the past, Obama has also been quoted as saying, “Every time I talk to Jay Z, who is a brilliant talent and a good guy, I enjoy how he thinks. That’s somebody who is going to start branching out and can help shape attitudes in a real positive way.”

Jay Z is married to American R and B singer, Beyonce Knowles, who he gave a $5 million (N800m) wedding ring in 2008. The couple lives a lavish lifestyle and their daughter, Blue Ivy, has also not been left out.

Jay Z once joked in an interview on TV that he knew he would “probably have the worst, spoiled little kid ever,” and he had reasons for saying so. Blue Ivy was born amid a $125,000 (N22m) security operation which saw a bulletproof door temporarily installed at the entrance to Beyonce’s room at the New York hospital where she delivered.

It is said that Blue Ivy has her own nursery at a basketball stadium that costs $1 million (N160m) a year to rent. When Blue Ivy was just five days old, the couple reportedly bought her a $21,000 (N3.36m) crib. And don’t forget the $16,000 (N2.56m) high chair lined with crystals, designed by Carla Monchen, from which Blue Ivy can eat when she is old enough.

Jay Z owns a 14-room apartment in one of the world’s most luxurious apartment buildings, the Trump World Towers in New York, at a cost of $65,000 (N10.4m) a month. In addition, the couple owns a property spread on about 2 acres of land in Scarsdale, New York . The couple also owns a large mansion in Indian Creek Island, Florida, which was their onetime residence. The house has 7 bedrooms, 8 full and two partial baths, a tile roof, and a pool.

 But that is not all, Jay Z has a $40 million (N6.4bn) private jet, a Bombardier Challenger 850, which was presented to him as a gift by his wife on the occasion of Father’s Day. The jet can accommodate 15 passengers and boasts a living room, two bathrooms and a kitchen. By the way, the couple also has a yacht that reportedly costs them $377,000 (N60.32m) a week. And what is it they say about a man’s car saying a lot about him? Well, if that’s the case, then Jay Z’s garage screams about his flamboyant lifestyle. Consider this! Jay Z has a Maybach Exelero, a super luxury car customised to his taste and priced at a whooping $8m (N1.28bn).

The car, report says, has a special place in his car collection. Jay Z also has a Bugatti Veyron, the world’s fastest legal sports car, estimated to cost about $2 million (N320m). Also in Jay Z’s garage are other luxury cars like the Pagani Zonda, Rolls Royce Phantom, Ferrari F430 Spider and the Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet.

Jay-Z, who is known to be a lover of art work, wears Radii 420 Top Sneakers. He is also a fan of Air Jordan sneakers from Nike. However, Jay Z’s preferred phone is the Blackberry and he has been spotted several times using his customised Blackberry Porsche designed P’9981 Smartphone. As a birthday gift in December 2012, Beyonce gave Jay Z a $5 million (N800m) Hublot wristwatch, which has 1,282 diamonds in all on its case, dial and bracelet. The watch was said to be the most precious watch ever created by the watch company.