The extent of Jay-Z’s financial success is so hallowed that he earned himself a full-length book by a Forbes journalist fawning over his business acumen and claiming that Jay-Z’s “story is the American dream in its purest form, a model for any entrepreneur looking to build a commercial empire.” A telling commentary in and of itself, the book is focused on Jay-Z’s business ventures, not his music.

XREF: Echoes broader cultural pattern of valorizing wealth over craft in hip-hop and celebrity discourse.

Andrew deWaard, Derivative Media, loc. 334