{"product_id":"9781591843818","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 \u003cp\u003eSome 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou 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 \u003ci\u003eFela!\u003c\/i\u003e and a nightcap at his 40\/40 Club. He'll profit at every turn of your day. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut despite Jay-Z's success, there are still many Americans whose impressions of him are foggy, outdated, or downright incorrect.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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eEmpire State of Mind\u003c\/i\u003e 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 book explains just how Jay-Z propelled himself from the bleak streets of Brooklyn to the heights of the business world. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eZack 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 Jamall 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: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e• The feature movie about Jay-Z and his first basketball team that was filmed by Fab 5 Freddy in 2003 but never released. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e• The Jay-Z branded Jeep that was scrapped just before going into production. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e• The real story behind his association with Armand de Brignac champagne. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e• The financial ramifications of his marriage to Beyonce. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJay-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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47055112732912,"sku":"9781591843818","price":25.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781591843818_p0.jpg?v=1763807815","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781591843818","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}