JAY-Z – EST. $1 BILLION

When it comes to self-made billionaires, few would argue that Jay-Z is among the most successful. Aside from receiving plenty of accolades for his music career, he also gets credit for establishing a number of businesses, including Roc-A-Fella records back in 1995, the clothing brand Rocawear, and the sports bar chain 40/40 club—note that these have all become multi-million dollar corporations since. He continues to acquire companies and funding start-ups such as Roc Nation and buy out Aspiro, taking charge of their streaming service Tidal in the process.

As of 2019, he is the 5th wealthiest African-American and the first hip-hop billionaire.

Jay-Z started his entrepreneurial journey as a hustler in the streets of Brooklyn. Hailing from one of the toughest neighborhoods in New York City, opportunities didn’t quite present themselves frequently. After close-calls with the law, he decided it was time to hone in on his natural gift with wordplay and rhyming. After he built his reputation in NYC’s streets, Jay-Z released his first ever single entitled In My lifetime in 1995.