Jay-Z goes international with The 40/40 Club

By Mr. Hollywood
JR Staff Writer

The rise of Jay-Z is an incredible story that continues to build as time goes on. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Jay-Z was born in the middle of poverty. In order to build a better life for himself and his family, Jay-Z began selling drugs. He boasts he was so good that he was a millionaire by 1988.

Instead of falling deeper into the game, Jay-Z decided to leave and pursue a career in rap. He tried, but in the end, he was rejected by multiple record labels. Upset, Jay-Z returned to what made him rich, until he decided to give rap another try. With his second effort, Jay-Z started his own record label, Roc-A-Fella Records.

In a matter of months, the label landed a deal with Priority Records and the first Jay-Z album, Reasonable Doubt, was released. The album sold moderately well and was hailed as a classic. One year later, Jay-Z signed a lucrative with Def Jam and he took over the rap world. At one time, he was the head of Def Jam. But, he eventually left and created his Roc Nation company and is hoping to become a billionaire soon.

Jay-Z launched the 40/40 Club in 2003 in New York City. The club is an upscale sports bar and he has opened a few locations across the United States. Last year, he landed a deal with major airports across the country to have his club included inside the airports. Recently, he landed a bigger deal for the club, which has taken things international. Jay-Z has landed deals to open new spots for the 40/40 Club in Japan and China before the end of this year.

Outside of the international expansion, Jay-Z also plans to open more new clubs here in the States.