Last night I watched this on apple TV before I feel asleep. In just 30 minutes I learned so much it was unreal.
Jay Z ain’t who most people think he is…
Now there’s not too many people who like Jay Z more than me. I listen to reasonable doubt like 2 times a week. I remember when Hard Knock Life hit the charts, that shit was out of this world.
I never really knew much about Jay other than he was a rapper, sold drugs, then made albums.
Turns out, most of that ain’t even true…
…but that makes me like him more.
Here’s the first lesson: Pay attention to what someone does not what they say.
You see Jay Z wasn’t really some big time drug dealer, he was obsessed with rap and used it to reach the drug dealer niche.
While Jay Z talks about selling dope and stuff, that’s not really what he’s doing for money. He rapped on the streets, in clubs, etc.
Most people don’t know this but when he and Dame Dash split, Dame took all his masters. He literally only had the master to reasonable doubt.
So while most people think Jay Z made his money from music and dope dealing, it’s not the case. He raps about those things, but his money has come from the businesses he owns. Rocafella Records being one of them.
Here’s the second lesson: He was obsessed with mastering his craft.
While other kids hung in the streets, played basketball, or sold drugs Jay Z worked in writing. He wrote his songs, rhymes and raps every single day to the point his momma thought he was losing his mind.
He didn’t let the crabs hold him down. He got focused, obsessed and stayed the course no matter what temptation lied in the wait.
Here’s the third lesson: Be yourself.
Jay tried to do the pop culture thing that was popular for rappers at the time and it only fucked his image up. He kept failing when he tried to be like everyone else. His records wouldn’t sell, they didn’t stand out.
As soon as Jay Z started finding his voice, the people where there to listen to him. When he got real, shit got real.
This documentary is badass. There’s so many business lessons to be learned from it
