{"product_id":"2940170375301","title":"Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went from Street Corner to Corner Office","description":"\"I'm not a businessman-I'm a  business, man.\" \u003cbr\u003e  --Jay-Z \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  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 first and foremost a business. And as much as Martha Stewart or Oprah,  he has turned himself into a lifestyle. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  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. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  But despite Jay-Z's success, there are still many Americans whose  impressions of him are foggy, outdated, or downright incorrect.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. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  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- from classmates at Brooklyn's George  Westinghouse High School; to the childhood friend who got him into the drug  trade; to the DJ who convinced him to stop dealing and focus on music. This  audio book explains just how Jay-Z propelled himself from the bleak streets  of Brooklyn to the heights of the business world. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Zack O'Malley Greenburg draws on his one-on-one interviews with hip-hop  luminaries such as DJ Clark Kent, Questlove of The Roots, Damon Dash, Fred  \"Fab 5 Freddy\" Brathwaite, MC Serch; NBA stars Jamal Crawford and  Sebastian Telfair; and recording industry executives including Craig Kallman,  CEO of Atlantic Records. \u003cbr\u003e  He also includes new information on Jay-Z's various business dealings, such  as: \u003cbr\u003e  * The feature movie about Jay-Z and his first basketball team that  was filmed by Fab 5 Freddy in 2003 but never released. \u003cbr\u003e  * The Jay-Z branded Jeep that was scrapped just before going into  production. \u003cbr\u003e  * The real story behind his association with Armand de Brignac champagne.  \u003cbr\u003e  * The financial ramifications of his marriage to Beyonce. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  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.","brand":"Instructional Systems [Aubrey J. Kline (aka Jim Kline dba Instructional Systems)]","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47161808650480,"sku":"2940170375301","price":29.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940170375301_p0.jpg?v=1763708698","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940170375301","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}