New Day: Jay Z's Illest Power Moves
King Hov stays winning, now in even more ways.
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Once Again It's On! - Remember when Jay Z announced his retirement from hip-hop in 2003? As we all know, that departure was short-lived, but it theoretically serves as the end to the first half of his illustrious career.You always hear that hip-hop is a young man’s game, but here we are celebrating another Jay Z birthday. Still a chart-topper, still on stage, still making power play after power play. Yes, we’re keeping score and here are Hov’s illest power moves. — By BET Staff and Jon Reyes(Photo: Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
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Joining Forces With Apple? - In Jay Z's most recent power move, Tidal is in talks to be purchased by...wait for it...Apple. Considering the close ties to chart-topping artists, why wouldn't Apple jump on board? Jay knows when to make a sale. (Photos from left: Tidal, Apple)
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Romeo, Romeo! - Early in June, it was announced that Latino superstar Romeo Santos signed on to be the CEO of Jay's Roc Nation Latin. Smartest power move ever? Possibly. (Photo: Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for Roc Nation)
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Major Key Alert!!! - As DJ Khaled is arguably at the prime of his career thanks to one hell of an inspirational Snapchat account, the hitmaker signed a management deal with Roc Nation earlier this year. For Jay Z, that power move was...ANOTHER ONE! (Photo: C Flanigan/WireImage)
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Homecoming - In July of 2015, Jay returned "home" to BK's Barclays Center to ink a new partnership deal where his other ventures (including Tidal) would have access to exclusive events at the now-famed venue. Sometimes going home is a great idea. (Photo: Barclays Center)
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Power Stream - When Jay Z acquires anything, noise is made, and the acquisition of streaming service Tidal, was no exception. It was a major announcement filled to the brim with an all-star press conference. While the future of Tidal is uncertain, there aren’t that many artists-turned-moguls with enough power to acquire a whole streaming service.(Photo: Tidal)
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Crazy Fleeing - Who else can go on a tour with their spouse and make $109 million? That definitely made the On the Run Tour a success.(Photo: Larry Busacca/PW/WireImage for Parkwood Entertainment)
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Live From New York - It’s crazy that Jay Z also has his hand in the music festival arena, but Made in America has proven to be successful since its inception in 2012, and Jay Z gave it the ultimate re-up. This past year he announced that Made in America would find a permanent home in New York City after completely pulling out of Los Angeles but keeping Philly in the loop for 2015.(Photo: Made in America)
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“That D’ussé Is the S**t…” - Because champagne wasn’t enough, the cognac market was something that needed a little touch of Hov, which is what he gave by fully embracing the brand. Liquor and bubbly, life is complete.(Photo: D'usse)
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What You Sipping On? - Jiggaman knows a thing or too about brand marketing and has put a few spirit companies into good graces with his buying audience. After Cristal didn't appreciate his services some years back, Jay Z put another champagne at the top of the heap when he started endorsing Ace of Spades. In true Hov fashion, it became public knowledge in November that he purchased the Armand de Brignac company that produces the pricey $300 and up bottle for an undisclosed amount.(Photo: Prince Williams/FilmMagic)
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The Takeover - Jay Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail hit the streets in the most elegant of ways. From the tracklisting scavenger hunt in Brooklyn and the MCHG cover art on display at the Salisbury Cathedral to the buzzworthy announcement of the album via a commercial during the NBA Finals and the all-out digital takeover of the Internet with the actual release, the LP proved Mr. Carter's reach.(Photo: Roc Nation)
Photo By Photo: RocNation
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Can I Live? - After a brief stint as president of Def Jam, Jay Z inked one of the biggest deals in music history: a $150 million, 360 agreement with Live Nation. The touring company put up financing for Jay's ventures (like $25 million for acquisitions and investments for the then newly formed Roc Nation) in exchange for a decade of rights to his music and concerts.(Photo: Hugh Dillon/WENN.com)
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Renegade - Can't knock the hustle. Jay Z struck the illest b-boy stance when he got Samsung to commission his run at his 12th No. 1. After all, how better to release an album in hip hop's post-platinum era than with a million units sold before the album is even announced? No better way, said the RIAA, which subsequently changed its digital sales-tracking policy.(Photo: Recording Industry Association of America)
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Lyrics in Print - Now he can add New York Times bestseller to the list of accolades. With the release of Decoded, his memoir, Jay Z let readers into the world that made him the iconic figure he is today.(Photo: Spiegel & Grau)
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Watch the Download - Like scenes from a spy thriller, Jay Z and Kanye West recorded Watch the Throne in makeshift studios in hotel rooms across two continents. To share song files, instead of using the Internet, their engineer would transport a password protected external drive via a locked briefcase. And it worked. There were no significant leaks; and the digital version dropped via iTunes one week prior to the physical. The album debuted at No. 1, earned seven Grammy nods and was certified platinum in just over a month.(Photo: Roc A Fella Records)
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