Brooklyn-bred rap mogul, Jay Z, ushers in his 46th birthday on Friday, Dec. 4, capping off a year loaded with business moves. When not dishing out #TidalFacts on his Twitter, Hov is keeping busy behind closed doors, securing partnerships for his Roc Nation label and management agency or calling in his high-profile buddies (Madonna, Rihanna, Usher, Coldplay and wife, Beyonce, to name a few) for a star-studded rollout introducing his streaming service, Tidal.
Beyonce, Jay Z, Nicki Minaj, Usher, Prince and More to Storm Barclays Center for Tidal Celebration
Below, a recap of Shawn Carter’s best soundbites (and some tweets) from 2015.
“Me and Busta Rhymes actually had a rap battle in the lunchroom.” – Jimmy Kimmel Live!
“I feel like I’m always pushing envelopes. I feel like I couldn’t get a record deal; I feel like, you know, when Hot 97 [New York] was the big station, I was the first one on Power 105 [New York]. When The Source was the biggest magazine, I was first one on the cover of XXL.” – Billboard
Jay-Z’s 20 Biggest Billboard Hits
“So I’m the bad guy now, I hear, because I don’t go with the flow. I’m never gonna go with the flow, I’m never gonna let nobody take over our music .?.?. This Tidal thing is all about the music. We gonna preserve the music, we ain’t gonna let nobody take our music. We ain’t gonna let nobody offer our music up and do what the fuck they wanna do.” – Tidal Freestyle (Stream of Consciousness)
“Love to all the beautiful souls lost in the Emmanuel Church. Special Father’s Day prayers to those who lost their dad.” – Twitter
Love to all the beautiful souls lost in the Emmanuel Church. Special Father’s Day prayers to those who lost their dad.
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) June 21, 2015
“?My thing with Jimmy is, “Listen, Jimmy; you’re Jimmy Iovine, and you’re Apple, and truthfully, you’re great. You guys are going to do great things with Beats, but … you know, I don’t have to lose in order for you guys to win, and let’s just remember that.” – Billboard
Jay Z Talks Tidal, Jimmy Iovine, Rewriting the Music Business Rulebook
“Nothing real can be threatened, nothing unreal exists” Tidal is platinum. 1,000,000 people and counting. Let’s celebrate 10/20 Brooklyn.” – Twitter
“Nothing real can be threatened, nothing unreal exists” Tidal is platinum. 1,000,000 people and counting. Let’s celebrate 10/20 Brooklyn.
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) September 29, 2015
“We are here for the long haul. Please give us a chance to grow & get better. #TidalFacts” – Twitter
We are here for the long haul. Please give us a chance to grow & get better. #TidalFacts
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) April 26, 2015