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Master P’s basketball career didn’t exactly set the world on fire, but it’s said that Alice Cooper is just a few strokes shy of playing golf at a pro level. When musicians branch out into sports, there’s no telling how it’ll go, except to say that people generally expect them to fail.
Jay Z has become more involved in sports on a business level rather than trying to take his boxing skills to the ring. Whether you think he’s the King of New York or an overrated middle-tier emcee, his success does speak to some considerable business and marketing skills.
Bloomberg recently compiled a team of professional sports agents to take a look at Jay Z’s second job, working as a sports agent with his company Roc Nation Sports. Interestingly, the general consensus is that Jay Z’s ability to position himself in the rap market would translate very well into doing the same for athletes. Generally we expect professionals to be a little precious about their skills, but agents like Andrew Brandt were quick to give it up to the emcee.
Jay Z has already landed some solid clientele, like Robinson Cano, four time all-star who dropped his previous agent to sign with Jay Z.
Jay is known to be a fan of the Yankees and friends with some in the Yankees inner circle, including third baseman Alex Rodriguez.
It’s hard to argue that Jay Z’s own brand hasn’t been a tremendous help in his new career, helping him to land top-tier clients as well as giving him clout with team owners in the pro sports community.
In hip hop, our stars are not always the most formidable lyricists or the most inventive beatmakers, there are those who we respect in part for their personality and business skills. However you feel about Jay Z’s abilities as an emcee, he has proven one of the sharpest businessmen in the industry.
