Photo: WENN.com
Rap superstar Jay Z has confessed that he built his Roc Nation record label on the skills he learned selling drugs on the streets of New York city.
The 'Holy Grail' superstar founded the record label in 2008 and currently manages the likes of Shakira, Kylie Minogue, Mark Ronson, MIA, Rihanna and Haim. Discussing the founding of his rap empire, Jay Z credits his time on the streets with sparking his business skills.
"I know about budgets. I was a drug dealer. To be in a drug deal, you need to know what you can spend, what you need to re-up," he says in a new interview with Vanity Fair magazine.
Having put a life of crime behind him, Jay Z is now one of the biggest stars in rap
When asked about having regrets about his time spent dealing drugs, he added that it took some time for him to consider the impact he was having on his community.
"Not until later [did I have regrets], when I realised the effects on the community. I started looking at the community on the whole, but in the beginning, no," he added. "I was thinking about surviving. I was thinking about improving my situation. I was thinking about buying clothes."
Below: Jay Z joins Justin Timberlake on their joint 2013 tour, Legends Of The Summer
