Empire State of Mind

How Jay-Z Went from Street Corner to Corner Office

De: Zack O'Malley Greenburg

Narrado por: Sean Pratt

"I'm not a businessman. I'm a business, man."
—Jay-Z

Some people think Jay-Z is just another rapper. Others see him as just another celebrity/mega-star. The reality is, no matter what you think Jay-Z is, he is first and foremost a business. And as much as Martha Stewart or Oprah, he has turned himself into a lifestyle. You can wake up to the local radio station playing Jay-Z's latest hit, spritz yourself with his 9IX cologne, slip on a pair of his Rocawear jeans, lace up your Reebok S. Carter sneakers, catch a Nets basketball game in the afternoon, and grab dinner at The Spotted Pig before heading to an evening performance of the Jay-Z-backed Broadway musical Fela! and a nightcap at his 40/40 Club. He'll profit at every turn of your day.

But despite Jay-Z's success, there are still many Americans whose impressions of him are foggy, outdated, or downright incorrect. Surprisingly to many, he honed his business philosophy not at a fancy B school but on the streets of Brooklyn, New York, and beyond as a drug dealer in the 1980s.

Empire State of Mind tells the story behind Jay-Z's rise to the top as told by the people who lived it with him. This audiobook explains just how Jay-Z propelled himself from the bleak streets of Brooklyn to the heights of the business world. He also includes new information on Jay-Z's various business dealings, such as:

• The feature movie about Jay-Z and his first basketball team that was filmed by Fab 5 Freddy in 2003 but never released
• The Jay-Z branded Jeep that was scrapped just before going into production
• The real story behind his association with Armand de Brignac champagne
• The financial ramifications of his marriage to Beyonce

Jay-Z's tale is compelling, not just because of his celebrity, but because it embodies the rags-to-riches American dream and is a model for any entrepreneur looking to build a commercial empire.

©2011 Zack O'Malley Greenburg (P)2011 Gildan Media Corp

Reseñas de la Crítica

"[A] fascinating, well-done biography of one of the most extraordinary entrepreneurs of our era." (Steve Forbes)

A little biased

I think Jay Z's refusal to get behind this author's project caused this book to be slightly, but clearly, slanted against Jay Z. Not quite a smear job, but far more critical than I expected.

He's not just a businessman. He's a business, man.

Fascinating story about Jay-Z's business approach. He truly has a 360 degree mentality, meaning that he incorporates his friends with his business with his interests with his home life and then capitalizes on it all. It tells you how Jay-Z intertwined all the important things in his life and still made crazy amounts of money.

Great Read

I really enjoyed the book. It gave me a lot of background knowledge of Jay Z and helped me understand some of the people he speaks about in his songs. Also, how intelligent he is without any formal secondary education. It’s ya boy!

Liked it

There's always a different side to the same coin jay z is that kind of an example and many more

Amazing book

ThisBook offers amazing insight into the life of one of the greatest artists and business person of our era... And maybe the best ever at being both simultaneously...

Nourishing your Shift.

In order to transform there has to be a termination, when you terminate you must then provide nourishment to the seed of greatness within. This book will aid in the process and will enlightened you on who Shawn Carter is as a entrepreneur. Great to listen to on long Road trips or take a chapters a day. Enjoy. #LegacyMindset

very informative

I enjoyed this story. There is a lot of behind the scenes stuff that I didn't know. It was helpful to listen to the audio book after seeing the artist preform live. I have a better appreciation for his talent and business acumen.

jay z mogul

worth the story of rise to success. would recommend to anyone who can enjoy a biography

Entertaining

Entertaining for Jay-Z fans but not a lot of business strategy or inspiration extracted from this book. A lot of the story is nothing new for long time Jay fans but still fun to walk through his career.

If you’re not a long time follower of Hov this book would probably be a little more interesting but a lot (most) of this story I already knew. Loved the info about he and Biggie’s friendly rivalry and working together on Jigga’s first album.

Great content

This book has inspired and encouraged me to never give up on my dream and work, work, work, work...