Uber stake, liquor brands, entertainment agency: What makes Jay-Z world's richest musician with $2.5 billion net worth?

Hip-hop icon Jay-Z is one of the few celebrities that have become billionaires after earning fame. Born as Shawn Carter, Jay-Z has long been known for his musical genius, but over the years, he has worked to become one of the most monetarily successful celebrities across the world. Earlier this month, JayZ featured in the coveted Forbes “World’s Celebrity Billionaires 2025” alongside singer Rihanna as well as other celebs including Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian.

As per Forbes Billionaire List 2025, Jay-Z is the richest musician in the world.

Jay-Z boasts of a vast portfolio, including his champagne brand Armand de Brignac and his cognac label D’Usse, a stake in Uber that he purchased during the early days of the app, a beautiful art collection with pieces by Jean-Michel Basquiat, and last but not the least – his own music records.

Jay-Z net worth

The 55-year-old was among the 18 celebrities in the Forbes list this year. JayZ boasts a net worth of $2.5 billion, as per Forbes.

The net worth of Jay-Z has seen a meteoric rise since he first became a billionaire in 2019, more-than-doubling his fortune, thanks to his wise investment moves. Additionally, the musician has sold over 140 million records during his career.

Breakdown of JayZ's assets

Here is a breakdown of Jay-Z's assets, which have pushed his net worth to $2.5 billion.

• Liquor ventures: One of Jay-Z's most successful businesses is his brands in the liquor industries. He created ripples when he partnered with the French champagne brand Armand de Brignac, also known as Ace of Spades. In 2021, he sold a 50 per cent stake of the brand to LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) for reportedly $640 million, as per CEO Today. The other liquor brand he owns is his cognac firm D'Usse. In 2023, Jay-Z sold a majority stake of the brand to Bacardi, furthering his wealth.
• Roc Nation: This is one of the most profitable business ventures that Jay-Z has. Roc Nation was founded in 2008 with a Live Nation partnership as an entertainment agency. Over the years, Roc Nation has signed contracts with top artists like Rihanna, J. Cole, and Meek Mill for music management, touring, publishing, and talent development. The hip-hop star signed a groundbreaking $200 million deal with Live Nation in 2017 to extend their touring partnership for 10 more years.
• Tech stakes: Jay-Z also boasts of a tech portfolio. The music icon has an investment in Block (formerly Square), which is a payment processing platform founded by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. Jay-Z's early investment in the company has proven to be profitable, as has his stake purchase in ride-hailing app Uber. This early investment in the company has extremely profitable.