Shawn Carter, professionally known as Jay-Z, is experiencing a resurgence in popularity, with his 2013 hit song "Tom Ford" gaining significant traction on TikTok among a new generation of fans. This viral moment comes as the artist, a titan in the music industry for three decades, continues to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his debut album, "Reasonable Doubt."
Fans on TikTok have made "Tom Ford" a trending sound, with posts utilizing the song accumulating over 550,000 likes, 12,000 saves, and 16,000 shares. The track has appeared in more than 10,000 TikTok videos this month and recently crossed 100 million streams on Spotify. The song previously peaked at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100.
This renewed interest in his music is a backdrop to Jay-Z's ongoing career celebrations. He recently held a three-night residency at Yankee Stadium in New York and is scheduled for a two-night engagement at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 4 and 5. These performances mark a continued celebration of his extensive career, which began with the release of "Reasonable Doubt" in 1996. During his Yankee Stadium shows, he was joined on stage by his wife, Beyoncé, and their daughter, Blue Ivy.
Jay-Z, who was named the "greatest rapper of all time" by Billboard and Vibe in 2023, boasts a career with 24 Grammy Awards, 140 million records sold, and 14 No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 chart, the most for any solo artist. He achieved billionaire status in June 2019, becoming the first hip-hop artist to do so.
Beyond his music, Jay-Z has built a vast business empire. His entrepreneurial ventures include investments in film, video games, a basketball team, watch design, and his own lines of cigars and fragrances. He is known for his business strategy of owning companies outright rather than licensing his name. His clothing line, Rocawear, launched in 1999, was sold for $204 million in 2007. His most valuable business asset is reportedly the Armand de Brignac champagne house, acquired in 2014, which Forbes estimates to be worth $300 million. Other significant holdings include a stake in D'Ussé cognac, the music streaming service Tidal, his entertainment company Roc Nation, and an art collection. His investments also extend to a significant stake in Uber, purchased in 2013, which has seen substantial growth.