Finally, I’d like to thank Jay-Z for living a life worth chronicling.
NOTES
Introduction
1 New York Times staff, “1,200 on Last Trip on Myrtle Ave. El,” New York Times, October 4, 1969.
2 Jay-Z, “Moment of Clarity,” The Black Album, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2003.
3 Lisa Taddeo, “Jay-Z: It Takes a Harmless, Hand-Built Gangster to Run This Town,” Esquire, January 7, 2010.
4 Adam Sherwin, “Blinged Up Wellies for Glastonbury Arrive at Jay-Z’s Hotel,” The Times (London), June 26, 2008.
5 Dorothy Pomerantz and Lacey Rose, “The Celebrity 100,” Forbes, June 28, 2010, http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/22/lady-gaga-oprah-winfrey-business-entertainment-celeb-100-10_land.html.
6 Scott DeCarlo, “What the Boss Makes,” Forbes, April 28, 2010, http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/27/compensationchief-executive-salary-leadership-boss-10-ceo-compensation-intro.html. Note: List tabulates CEO pay by combining salary and exercised stock options or vested stock awards.
7 Kanye West featuring Jay-Z, “Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Remix),” Late Registration, Def Jam/Roc-A-Fella Records, 2005.
8 Craig Kallman, electronic message to author, August 2010.
9 Russell Simmons, “Jay-Z,” Newsweek, November 13, 2009, http://2010.newsweek.com/top-10/newly-minted-tycoons/jay-z-and-beyonce.html.
10 Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund staff, “About Us,” Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund Web site, http://shawncartersf.com/AboutUs.aspx?p=about.
11 Jonathan Lemire, “Stars Guide Donors’ Way,” New York Daily News, September 2, 2005.
12 Nick Wadhams, “Jay-Z Helps U.N. Focus on Water Crisis,” Associated Press, August 9, 2006.
13 Nekesa Mumbi Moody, “Organizers Say All-Star ‘Hope for Haiti Now’ Telethon Raises $57M for Quake Victims, So Far,” Associated Press, January 23, 2010.
14 Jonathan “Jaz-O” Burks, telephone interview by author, May 2010.
15 Bonsu Thompson, “’Bout Me,” XXL, October 2009.
16 Mark Binelli, “King of America,” Rolling Stone, June 24, 2010.
Chapter 1: A Hard Knock Life
1 Touré, “The Book of Jay,” Rolling Stone, December 15, 2005.
2 NY-Z, mini-documentary, directed by Danny Clinch, 2009, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6zVR0SgSOM.
3 Touré, “The Book of Jay,” Rolling Stone, December 15, 2005.
4 Ibid.
5 Jay-Z, “Moment of Clarity,” The Black Album, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2003.
6 Jay-Z, “December 4th,” The Black Album, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2003.
7 Rodolfo “DJ Clark Kent” Franklin, interview by author, Brooklyn, New York, January 2010.
8 Jonathan “Jaz-O” Burks, interview by author, May 2010.
9 Touré, “The Book of Jay,” Rolling Stone, December 15, 2005.
10 Jonathan “Jaz-O” Burks, electronic message to author, July 2010.
11 Jay-Z, “You Must Love Me,” In My Lifetime Vol. I, Roc-A-Fella Records, 1997.
12 Ibid.
13 Ibid.
14 David Kohn, “The King of Rap,” CBS News, August 13, 2002, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/11/18/60II/main529811.shtml.
15 Jay-Z, “December 4th,” The Black Album, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2003.
16 Carlos R. Martinez, electronic message to author, November 2009.
17 Billy Valdez, electronic message to author, November 2009.
18 Salvador Contes, telephone interview by author, December 2009.
19 DeHaven Irby, interview by author, Brooklyn, New York, January 2010.
20 Ibid.
21 Elvis Mitchell, “Jay-Z,” Interview, February 2010.
22 Jay-Z, “December 4th,” The Black Album, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2003.
23 Michael “DJ Serch” Berrin, telephone interview by author, December 2009.
24 Jay-Z, “The Takeover,” The Blueprint, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2001.
25 Larry Collins, “The Seeds of Misery—Crack,” Sunday Times, November 14, 1993.
26 Jay-Z, “December 4th,” The Black Album, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2003.
27 Terry Williams, Crackhouse: Notes from the End of the Line (New York: Penguin, 1993), p. 8.
28 Michael “MC Serch” Berrin, electronic message to author, August 2010.
29 Donald David, telephone interview by author, July 2010.
30 Patrick “A Kid Called Roots” Lawrence, interview by author, New York, November 2009.
31 Touré, telephone interview by author, December 2009.
32 Jay-Z, “Dead Presidents,” Reasonable Doubt, Roc-A-Fella Records, 1996.
33 Richard Harrington, “Jay-Z’s Rhymes of Passion,” Washington Post, January 2, 2000.
34 Touré, “The Book of Jay,” Rolling Stone, December 15, 2005.
35 Kanye West featuring Jay-Z, “Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Remix),” Late Registration, Def Jam/Roc-A-Fella Records, 2005.
Chapter 2: The Roc-A-Fella Dynasty
1 Christian Koch, “Nice Threads,” Evening Standard, March 15, 2010.
2 Victoria Newton, “Becks Sees Stab Victim,” Sun, July 15, 2003.
3 Damon Dash, telephone interview by author, January 2010.
4 Elizabeth Mendez Berry, interview by author, New York, New York, May 2010.
5 Donald David, telephone interview by author, July 2010.
6 Patrick “A Kid Called Roots” Lawrence, interview by author, New York, New York, November 2009.
7 Michael “MC Serch” Berrin, interview by author, December 2009.
8 Jay-Z, “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” Reasonable Doubt, Roc-A-Fella Records, 1996.
9 XXL Staff, “The Making of Reasonable Doubt,” XXL, August 2006.
10 Michael “MC Serch” Berrin, interview by author, December 2009.
11 Ryan Schinman, telephone interview by author, June 2009. Note: Excerpts from this interview appeared in my article “Michael Jackson’s Estate Sale,” Forbes, June 27, 2009, http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/26/michael-jackson-beatlesbusiness-media-estate.html.
12 Jay-Z, “No Hook,” American Gangster, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2007.
13 Michael “MC Serch” Berrin, electronic message to author, August 2010.
14 Eric Konigsberg, “Why Damon Dash Hates Mondays,” New York magazine, June 11, 2006.
15 Jon Caramanica, “Jay-Z,” in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, Ed. 4, ed. Nathan Brackett and Christian Hoard (New York: Fireside, 2004), p. 424.
16 VH1 staff, “100 Greatest Songs of the ’90s,” VH1, December 13, 2007, http://blog.vh1.com/2007-12-13/top-100-songs-of-the-90s/.
17 Recording Industry Association of America database, “Gold and Platinum (Jay-Z),” Recording Industry Association of America, http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS. .
18 Jay-Z, “Moment of Clarity,” The Black Album, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2003.
19 Donald David, interview by author, July 2010.
20 Allison Samuels and David Gates, “Rap Takes Another Big Hit,” Newsweek, December 5, 1999.
21 Samuel Maull, “Rapper Jay-Z Pleads Guilty to Assault in Knife Attack; Gets Probation,” Associated Press, October 17, 2001.
22 Ellis Henican, “He Won’t Let His Client Take the Rap,” Newsday, December 5, 1999.
23 Samuel Maull, “Rapper Jay-Z Pleads Guilty to Assault in Knife Attack; Gets Probation,” Associated Press, October 17, 2001.
24 Robert Sandall, “Destiny’s Children,” Sunday Times, August 9, 2009.
25 Jim Farber, “Rap for the Holidays,” New York Daily News, January 6, 2000.
26 Recording Industry Association of America database, “Gold and Platinum (Jay-Z),” Recording Industry Association of America, http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS. .
27 Bernie Resnick, telephone interview by author, October 2009.
28 Michael “MC Serch” Berrin, interview, December 2009.
29 Julia Boorstin, “What Makes Damon Dash?” Fortune Small Business, September 1, 2004
.
30 Veronica Chambers, “The Playa,” New York Times, September 22, 2002.
31 Julee Kaplan, “The Blueprint,” Women’s Wear Daily, November 30, 2009.
32 Veronica Chambers, “The Playa,” New York Times, September 22, 2002.
33 Jay-Z, “U Don’t Know,” The Blueprint, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2001.
34 Rocawear staff, “About Rocawear,” Rocawear Web site, http://www.rocawear.com/shop/aboutus.php.
35 Richard Harrington, “Jay-Z’s Rhymes of Passion,” Washington Post, January 2, 2000.
36 Touré, “The Book of Jay,” Rolling Stone, December 15, 2005.
37 Denene Millner, “From Homeboys to Home Video,” New York Daily News, September 29, 1998.
38 Kelefa Sanneh, “Gettin’ Paid,” The New Yorker, August 20, 2001.
39 David Connor, “Stars Get Rapped Up in Vodka,” Sun, September 26, 2002.
Chapter 3: Building a Notorious Brand
1 MTV News staff, “Jay-Z’s Yankee Memorabilia Is a Home Run, Fans Say,” MTV News, August 31, 2010, mtv.com/news.
2 XXL Staff, “The Making of Reasonable Doubt,” XXL, August 2006.
3 Jon Caramanica, “Jay-Z,” in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, Ed. 4, ed. Nathan Brackett and Christian Hoard (New York: Fireside, 2004), p. 424.
4 Jeff Chang, telephone interview by author, March 2010.
5 Rodolfo “DJ Clark Kent” Franklin, interview by author, January 2010.
6 Jonathan “Jaz-O” Burks, electronic message to author, June 2010.
7 Jay-Z, “Takeover,” The Blueprint, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2001.
8 “Stillmatic,” unreleased track that appeared only on the radio and later as part of a mix tape, 2001.
9 Jay-Z, “Takeover,” The Blueprint, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2001.
10 Nasir “Nas” Jones, “Ether,” Stillmatic, Ill Will/Columbia Records, 2001.
11 Jeff Chang, interview by author, March 2010.
12 Touré, “The Book of Jay,” Rolling Stone, December 15, 2005.
13 Ibid.
14 Touré, telephone interview by author, December 2009.
15 Kelefa Sanneh, “Gettin’ Paid,” The New Yorker, August 20, 2001.
Chapter 4: Jay-Z’s First Basketball Team
1 Jay-Z, “History,” Music Inspired by More Than a Game, Zone 4/Interscope Records, 2009.
2 The Rucker staff, “History,” The Rucker Web site, http://www.therucker.com/history.html.
3 Freddy “Fab Five” Brathwaite, interview by author, New York, New York, November 2009.
4 Dave Bry, “Look at Me Now,” XXL, August 2005.
5 Tim Arango, “Reebok Running Up Sales with New Jay-Z Sneakers,” New York Post, April 23, 2003.
6 Maureen Tkacik, “Hoops Phenom Nets $90 Million Deal with Nike,” Wall Street Journal, May 23, 2003.
7 Sebastian Telfair, telephone interview by author, December 2009.
8 Jay-Z, “U Don’t Know,” The Blueprint, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2001.
9 Jamal Crawford, telephone interview by author, December 2009.
10 Jay-Z, “History,” Music Inspired by More Than a Game, Zone 4/Interscope Records, 2009.
11 Ad Age staff, “10 Biggest Impact Madison + Vine Deals,” Advertising Age, December 22, 2003.
Chapter 5: Early Retirement
1 Fade to Black, documentary, directed by Patrick Paulson and Michael John Warren (New York: Radical Media, 2004).
2 Jay-Z, “Encore,” The Black Album, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2003.
3 Ibid.
4 Elizabeth Mendez Berry, “The Last Hustle,” Village Voice, November 25, 2003.
5 Jon Caramanica, “Jay-Z,” in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, Ed. 4, ed. Nathan Brackett and Christian Hoard (New York: Fireside, 2004), p. 424.
6 David Edwards, “20 Crazy Facts,” Daily Mirror, May 29, 2006.
7 Recording Industry Association of America database, “Gold and Platinum (Jay-Z),” Recording Industry Association of America, http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS. .
8 Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, interview by author, January 2010.
9 Touré, “Superstardom Is Boring: Jay-Z Quits (Again),” New York Times, November 16, 2003.
10 Jay-Z, “Excuse Me Miss,” music video, directed by Julien Lutz, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnDh0JhmaFw.
11 Richard Linnett, “An Urban Rite of Passage,” Advertising Age, January 22, 2001.
12 Mark Binelli, “King of America,” Rolling Stone, June 24, 2010.
13 Touré, “The Book of Jay,” Rolling Stone, December 15, 2005.
14 Ibid.
15 Lola Ogunnaike, “Jay-Z, From Superstar to Suit,” New York Times, August 28, 2005.
16 Touré, “The Book of Jay,” Rolling Stone, December 15, 2005.
17 Lionel Deluy, “The Man Who Bling,” Independent, July 9, 2006.
18 Dave Bry, “Look at Me Now,” XXL, August 2005.
19 Tim Arango, “Dash to Finish,” New York Post, May 9, 2005.
20 Alison Gendar, “A Dash of Violence at Upscale Magazine?” New York Daily News, October 4, 2005.
21 Touré, “The Book of Jay,” Rolling Stone, December 15, 2005.
22 Bonsu Thompson, “’Bout Me,” XXL, October 2009.
23 DeHaven Irby, interview by author, Brooklyn, New York, January 2010.
24 Jonathan “Jaz-O” Burks, telephone interview by author, May 2010.
25 Jay-Z, “Blueprint 2,” Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2002.
26 Jay-Z, “December 4th,” The Black Album, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2003.
27 Jaz-O, “Ova,” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kObkabiv0j8.
28 Jonathan “Jaz-O” Burks, interview by author, May 2010.
29 Rodolfo “DJ Clark Kent” Franklin, interview by author, January 2010.
30 Touré, “The Book of Jay,” Rolling Stone, December 15, 2005.
31 Jay-Z, “Moment of Clarity,” The Black Album, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2003.
Chapter 6: Def Jam Takeover
1 Wall Street Journal staff, “Seagram’s Music Unit Nears Closing of Deal To Buy Out Def Jam,” Wall Street Journal, March 1, 1999.
2 Mark Binelli, “King of America,” Rolling Stone, June 24, 2010.
3 Touré, “The Book of Jay,” Rolling Stone, December 15, 2005.
4 Ibid.
5 Jay-Z, “My 1st Song,” The Black Album, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2003.
6 Nick Simmons, interview by author, New York, New York, December 2009.
7 Bernie Resnick, telephone interview by author, October 2009.
8 Hillary Crosley, “Jay of All Trades,” Billboard, December 2, 2006.
9 Sylvia Patterson, “Singing in the Rain,” Observer, August 26, 2007.
10 Touré, “The Book of Jay,” Rolling Stone, December 15, 2005.
11 Ibid.
12 Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, telephone interview by author, January 2010.
13 Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, telephone interview by author, February 2010.
14 Hillary Crosley, “Jay of All Trades,” Billboard, December 2, 2006.
15 Steve Jones, “This Week’s Reviews,” USA Today, August 28, 2006.
16 Will Dukes, “Blood at the Roots,” Village Voice, August 29, 2006.
17 Recording Industry Association of America database, “Gold and Platinum (Jay-Z),” Recording Industry Association of America, http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS. .
18 Craig Kallman, telephone interview by author, June 2010.
19 Katie Hasty, “Nas Scores Third No. 1 Album with ‘Hip-Hop Is Dead,’” Billboard, December 27, 2006.
20 Bonsu Thompson, “’Bout Me,” XXL, October 2009 issue.
21 Jay-Z, “The Prelude,” Kingdom Come, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2006.
22 Patrick “A Kid Called Roots” Lawrence, interview by author, November 2009.
23 Jay-Z, “Kingdom Come,” Kingdom Come, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2006.
24 Peter M
acia, Pitchfork Media, “Jay-Z: Kingdom Come,” November 20, 2006, http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/9647-kingdom-come/.
25 Jay-Z, “Pray,” American Gangster, Roc-A-Fella Records, 2007.
26 Kelefa Sanneh, “Jay-Z Finds Himself at the Movies,” New York Times, November 5, 2007.
27 Rob Sheffield, “American Gangster,” Rolling Stone, November 15, 2007, http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/jayz/albums/album/17121991/review/17139179/american_gangster.
28 XXL staff, “Time to Build,” XXL, October 2009.
29 Mark Binelli, “King of America,” Rolling Stone, June 24, 2010.
Chapter 7: Champagne Secrets
1 Branson Belchie, interview by author, New York, New York, February 2010.
2 Jay-Z, “Imaginary Players,” Vol. 1: In My Lifetime, Roc-A-Fella Records, 1997.
3 Marcus Franklin, “Rapper Jay-Z Decides to Boycott Cristal,” Associated Press, June 15, 2006.
4 Ibid.
5 Robin Givhan, “Bubbly Boycott? Oh Please, Jay-Z, Just Chill,” Washington Post, July 7, 2006.
6 Mike Steinberger, “The Cristal Boycott,” Slate, June 22, 2006, http://www.slate.com/id/2144328/.
7 Roberto Rogness, electronic message to author, February 2010.
8 Douglas Century, “Jay-Z Puts a Cap on Cristal,” New York Times, July 2, 2006.
9 Adam Tschorn, “Night of 10,000 Bubbles,” Los Angeles Times, December 30, 2007.
10 Sunday Mail staff, “Mariah’s 30-K Carey-Out,” Sunday Mail, April 3, 2005.
11 U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, “Armadale,” U.S. Patent and Trademark Office database, http://tess2.uspto.gov/.
12 Ryan Schinman, interview by author, March 2010.
13 Burt Helm, “Is the Champagne in the Jay-Z Video for Real? It’s Complicated,” BusinessWeek, October 25, 2006, www.businessweek.com/the_thread/brandnewday/archives/2006/10/is_the_champagn.html.
14 Lyle Fass, interview by author, New York, New York, February 2010.
15 Philippe Bienvenu, telephone interview by author, February 2010.
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