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Jay Z's former drug dealing partner has stated that he accumulated $100,000 by the age of 17 whilst the duo were living in the Marcy Houses housing project in Brooklyn, New York City.
De Haven Irby aged 44 and hip-hop star Jay Z real name Shawn Carter grew up together in the notoriously tough housing projects of New York. Growing up as neighbours they made a number of dodgy deals, in particular the sale of crack cocaine.
Speaking to The Sun, Irby stated: "I got into selling drugs at 14. Jay wasn't getting on with school and he used to come at weekends. 'Then he moved in with me and my aunt and uncle and I told him, 'What's mine is yours'. We made a lot of money. We were 17 and I'd have $100,000 (£62,700) stuffed under the mattress."
Going on to elaborate that the pair turned to crime in a bid to escape the limits of their impoverished surroundings, explaining: 'Thankfully, I never had to kill anyone. Although now I realise we were killing people slowly with the drugs. We just wanted money, clothes, jewellery, cars, a way up.'
Jay Z is now one of the biggest music stars on the planet
Following Jay Z's father abandoning him, he was taken under the wing De Haven's mother and father. Once the star was catapulted into the limelight however Irby accused Jay of forgetting his roots.
"Does my mum not deserve a call on Mother's Day? This is the lady who I woke up at four in the morning saying, 'Mum, Jay's in trouble, we have got to get him out of jail.' He got caught with drugs in his pocket. ''When she went to go and get him she didn't say, 'That's my neighbour,' she said, 'I've come to get my son."
Jay Z is now worth over a billion dollars has alluded that it was the skills that her learned on the street that gave him the skills to build his musical empire.
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