3 Kings
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32. Kjetil Saeter and Markus Tobiassen, “Project Panther,” Dagens Naeringsliv, January 21, 2017, subscription only; interview with Saeter, Oslo, Norway, January 2017.
33. Teri Thompson et al., “Alex Rodriguez Was Set to Quit Baseball,” New York Daily News, May 18, 2014, http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/i-team/babe-ruthless-rod-shady-lady-article-1.1796578.
34. Janko Roettgers, “Jay-Z Threatens to Sue Former Tidal Owners over Inflated Subscriber Numbers,” Variety, March 31, 2016, http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/jay-z-tidal-subscriber-numbers-lawsuit-1201742945/.
35. Gunnar Sellaeg, interview by author, Oslo, Norway, January 2017.
36. Dan Rys, “Sprint Purchases 33 Percent Stake in Tidal,” Billboard, January 23, 2017, http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7662653/sprint-jay-z-tidal-33-percent-stake-purchase.
37. Jay-Z, Tidal X concert, Brooklyn, New York, October 2015.
38. Steven J. Horowitz, “Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Nicki Minaj Rock Barclays Center for Tidal X Spectacular,” Billboard, October 21, 2015, http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6737436/tidal-x-concert-jay-z-beyonce-nicki-minaj-barclays-center.
Chapter 12: State of the Art
1. Swizz Beatz, interview by author, Englewood, New Jersey, August 2016.
2. Mike Dolan, telephone interview by author, August 2016.
3. Swizz Beatz, interview by author, Englewood, New Jersey, August 2016.
4. Cilvaringz, electronic messages to author, October to December 2013.
5. RZA, telephone conversation with author, March 2014. Author’s note: This quote, and some of the themes in this section, originally appeared in my story “Why Wu-Tang Will Release Just One Copy of Its Secret Album,” Forbes, March 26, 2014, http://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2014/03/26/why-wu-tang-will-release-just-one-copy-of-its-secret-album/.
6. Author’s note: You can find my full coverage of Wu-Tang Clan’s secret album, including the minidocumentary of my visit to Morocco to hear Once Upon a Time in Shaolin—filmed and edited by filmmaker extraordinaire Dikenta Dike—at the unlikely URL forbes.com/wu-tang.
7. Yahya, interview by author, Marrakech, Morocco, April 2014.
8. Cilvaringz, interview by author, Marrakech, Morocco, April 2014. Author’s note: This quote and the one above originally appeared in my story “Unlocking the Wu-Tang Clan’s Secret Album in Morocco,” Forbes, May 6, 2014, http://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2014/05/06/unlocking-the-wu-tang-clans-secret-album-in-morocco/.
9. Author’s note: Why eighty-eight? The Wu-Tang Clan is obsessed with numerology. Eight is considered to be a lucky number associated with wealth in many Asian cultures. The number is in the name Paddle8, the auction house tapped to sell Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. And RZA has an eight-toed cat. Okay, I made up that last one. Don’t think too hard about numerology.
10. Justin Hunte, “Martin Shkreli Plans to Bail Out Bobby Shmurda,” HipHopDX, December 16, 2015, http://hiphopdx.com/interviews/id.2825/title.martin-shkreli-plans-to-bail-out-bobby-shmurda .
11. Diddy, telephone interview by author, June 2013.
12. Tiesha LeShore, interview by author, Los Angeles, California, April 2014. Author’s note: This quote originally appeared in my story “I Want to Work for Diddy,” Forbes, April 16, 2014, http://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2014/04/16/i-want-to-work-for-diddy-meet-sean-combs-real-revolt-recruits/#1544799e71eb.
13. Diddy, telephone interview by author, June 2013.
14. Randy Lewis, “Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine Give $70 Million to Create New USC Academy,” Los Angeles Times, May 14, 2013, http://articles.latimes.com/2013/may/14/entertainment/la-et-ms-dr-dre-jimmy-iovine-usc-gift-donate-70-million-20130514.
15. Rolling Stone staff, “N.W.A. Tell All,” Rolling Stone, August 12, 2015, http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/n-w-a-tell-all-inside-the-original-gangstas-rolling-stone-cover-story-20150812.
16. Jay Balfour, Compton review, Pitchfork, August 11, 2015, http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20935-compton.
17. Peter Travers, Straight Outta Compton review, Rolling Stone, August 13, 2015, http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/straight-outta-compton-20150813.
18. Jonathan Mannion, interview by author, New York, New York, February 2016.
19. Jerry Crasnick, “Baseball’s Fascinating New Rivalry,” ESPN.com, November 7, 2013, http://www.espn.com/mlb/hotstove13/story/_/id/9936513/the-growing-rivalry-scott-boras-jay-z.
20. Eben Novy-Williams and Erik Matuszewski, “Robinson Cano Leaves Yankees for $240 Million Mariners Offer,” Bloomberg, December 7, 2013, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-12-06/cano-said-to-join-mariners-with-10-year-240-million-contract.
21. Rick Maese, “Inside Roc Nation Sports, Jay-Z’s High-End Boutique Athlete Agency,” Washington Post, May 26, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inside-roc-nation-sports-jay-zs-high-end-boutique-athlete-agency/2016/05/26/42287430-2372-11e6-8690-f14ca9de2972_story.html.
22. Iconix Brand Group, Inc., Form 10-K (Annual Report), United States Securities and Exchange Commission, December 31, 2014, https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/857737/000119312515071602/d858337d10k.htm.
23. Jay-Z, interview with Steve Forbes and Warren Buffett, September 2010. Transcript: http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/1011/rich-list-10-omaha-warren-buffett-jay-z-steve-forbes-summit-interview.html.
24. Kevin Liles, interview by author, New York, New York, October 2015.
25. Russell Simmons, interview by author, New York, New York, April 2016.
26. Cameron “Wiz Khalifa” Thomaz, interview by author, New York, New York, December 2012. Author’s note: Part of this quote first appeared in my story “All-Time High,” Forbes, December 18, 2012, http://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2012/12/18/all-time-high-wiz-khalifas-next-big-step/.
27. Lovebug Starski, interview by author, New York, New York, January 2016.
28. David Gest, telephone interview by author, January 2017.
29. Rocky Bucano, interview by author, Brooklyn, New York, January 2017.
30. Grandwizzard Theodore, interview by author, Bronx, New York, August 2016.
31. Grandmaster Caz, interview by author, Bronx, New York, August 2016.
32. Kurtis Blow, interview by author, Brooklyn, New York, January 2017.
33. Grandmaster Caz, interview by author, Bronx, New York, August 2016.
34. Grandwizzard Theodore, electronic message to author; interview by author, Bronx, New York, August 2016.
35. Fab 5 Freddy, interview by author, New York, New York, January 2016.
36. Cathleen McGuigan, “New Art, New Money,” New York Times, February 10, 1985, http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/08/09/specials/basquiat-mag.html.
37. Robin Pogrebin and Scott Reyburn, “A Basquiat Sells for ‘Mind-Blowing’ $110.5 Million at Auction,” New York Times, May 18, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/18/arts/jean-michel-basquiat-painting-is-sold-for-110-million-at-auction.html.
38. Swizz Beatz, interview by author, Englewood, New Jersey, August 2016.
39. TVC Group, “Swizz Beatz and A$AP Rocky Take Us on a Tour of the Bronx,” August 3, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MoTc6fx_qg.
40. Mike Dolan, telephone interview by author, August 2016.
41. Swizz Beatz, interview by author, Englewood, New Jersey, August 2016.
Afterword: Kings, Queens, Presidents, and Precedents
1. Kendrick Lamar, interview by author, Boston, Massachusetts, October 2017.
2. Tim Funk and Jim Morrill, “Donald Trump Promises ‘A New Deal for Black America,’” Charlotte Observer, October 26, 2016, http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article110546817.html.
3. Christopher Mele and Patrick Healy, “‘Hamilton’ Had Some Unscripted Lines for Pence,” New York Times, November 19, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/19/us/mike-pence-hamilton.html.
4. Okieriete Onaodowan, interview with author, Boston, Massachusetts, October 2017.
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5. Little Simz, interview with author, Jerusalem, Israel, April 2016.
Praise for
3 KINGS
“Millions of words have been written about these titans and their empires, but precious few have been written by business reporters who examine how they actually got where they are. Greenburg brings a business perspective along with just enough context and history so that this book can be appreciated and understood by both hip-hop heads and the financial world.”
—Jem Aswad, senior music editor, Variety
“Greenburg reveals a blueprint for how billions were made by and for the artists themselves. An excellent read and a valuable education for entrepreneurs, industry insiders and outsiders, and music aficionados.… A uniquely American story of entrepreneurship.”
—Josh Davis, author of Two Awesome Hours: Science-Based Strategies to Harness Your Best Time and Get Your Most Important Work Done
“A vividly clear depiction of the commercial empires built by Diddy, Jay-Z, and Dr Dre. The book documents their humble beginnings and their rise to fame, and illustrates their important connections to the pioneers who paved the way for their success.”
—Rocky Bucano, president of the Universal Hip Hop Museum
“Finance is a central focus in hip-hop, but few writers have the facts and figures to discuss it credibly. Greenburg demystifies three iconic rap artists who these days make most of their money apart from rap. It’s a well-constructed analysis that you don’t need to be an expert to appreciate.”
—Ben Westhoff, author of Original Gangstas: The Untold Story of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, and the Birth of West Coast Rap
“Greenburg has become one of the rare reporters to bring dignified coverage of the hip-hop business into the mainstream.”
—Dan Charnas, author of The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop
“A pleasingly broad perspective of hip-hop as economic triumph… Greenburg’s vivid descriptions—a small sampling includes the ‘farty bass lines’ of Dre’s G-funk period; Suge Knight in his notorious 1995 Source Awards appearance ‘looking like a gang-affiliated Kool-Aid Man’; and Diddy dressed like ‘a very fashionable porcupine’—make for engaging reporting that will satisfy neophytes and devotees alike. A wide-ranging survey of the first four decades of hip-hop that vividly brings some of the culture’s biggest success stories into one place.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“A veteran music journalist who can successfully draw parallels between street-art culture and multimillion-dollar corporate mergers, Greenburg is the perfect person to take us on a journey through the ascent of hip-hop’s greats. He’s able to reveal previously hidden sides of rap’s ‘cash kings’ (a term he coined) through deep sourcing, in-depth research, and a true love of and respect for the genre. I came away with a new understanding of hip-hop’s trajectory and the significance it bears for general cultural history.”
—Hana Alberts, features editor, New York Post
“Plain and simple: I’m just a diehard fan.”
—Kevin Olusola, Grammy-winning member of Pentatonix
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