This deal came on the heels of the one where he sold half of his stake in his champagne brand Armand de Brignac to Bernard Arnault’s LVMH in a deal that valued the champagne brand at $640 million. Jay-Z retained 50% ownership of his luxury champagne brand. Combined, the two deals added about $400 million to his net worth. Suddenly, his 2005 lyric, “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man,” makes a heck of a lot of sense. He’s had a plan all along. In addition to the aforementioned companies, he also owns the cognac brand D’Usse, salad restaurant chain Sweetgreen, and insurance startup Ethos. Jay-Z also owns a lot of his own very popular music as well as a growing art collection and several multi-million dollar homes he owns with Beyonce. Let’s take a look at how Jay-Z’s various business ventures and assets shake out and what they’re worth. Real Estate — $50 million In 2017, Jay-Z and Beyonce purchased two homes: a Bel Air estate for $88 million and a mansion in the East Hamptons for $26 million. Their Bel Air home is worth $5 million more than they purchased it for. Jay-Z also owns the Tribeca penthouse he bought for $6.85 million in 2004. Art Collection — $70 million Jay-Z has long been a fan of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat—he even sang about him in his song “Picasso Baby.” In 2013, Jay-Z reportedly paid $4.5 million for one. He also owns works by David Hammons, Richard Prince, and Damian Hirst. Music Catalog — $95 million Jay-Z has around 300 songs in his music catalog. With the recent boom in the sales of music catalogs, this has driven the worth of Jay-Z’s up $20 million in just the last two years. Being the savvy businessman he is, Jay-Z negotiated so that he owns both the publishing rights to his songs and the master recordings—which is a rare feat in the music industry. D’Usse Cognac Brand — $120 million In partnership with Bacardi, Jay-Z launched his cognac brand in 2012. It typically sells for about $30 a bottle. However, there are 50 rare bottles out there that are being auctioned off at Sotheby’s for $24,000 to $75,000 each. Why so pricey? One of them comes in a diamond-shaped crystal decanter. Roc Nation — $140 million Jay-Z founded Roc Nation with Live Nation in 2008. It is a full-service entertainment company that represents some of the biggest names in music and entertainment including Alicia Keys and Rihanna. Roc Nation produces the Super Bowl Halftime Show, has a publishing deal with Random House, and pre-pandemic, put on the Made in America music festival. Armand de Brignac Champagne Brand — $320 million Jay-Z’s sale of half of his champagne brand to LVMH more than the 2019 valuation of the company. It is currently worth $640 million – more than half a billion. Cash and Investments — $425 million Jay-Z has put a good chunk of his roughly $760 million in estimated pre-tax earnings into investments including stakes in Uber, SpaceX, and Square as well as the aforementioned Sweetgreen and Ethos. His oatmilk company Oatly is expected to IPO in 2021 with a $10 billion valuation. Jay-Z invested in the company in July 2020. It is not known how much of a stake he has.
