Although all of Brooklyn is most certainly throwing one up in the air for favorite son Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter on his birthday (Hov hit the big 43 today), one thing the mogul most certainly won’t be toasting is an unauthorized biography focused on his business affairs from Forbes writer Zack O’Malley Greenburg. The journalist’s book was well received by most critics – except Jay-Z himself.
In a Q&A with Black Enterprise , O’Malley Greenburg gets candid about his interaction with the rap icon. Empire State Of Mind: How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner To Corner Office didn’t get high marks from the Roc Nation boss. O’Malley Greenburg recounts the tale of running into his book’s subject at this year’s Made In America concert, and nearly getting the cold shoulder to boot.
From Black Enterprise:
Standing 15 feet away from me are Jay-Z, Beyoncé and a whole gaggle of people. And there’s nobody between me and him. I had a few brushes with him, but there was always something — I was, like, well this is my chance. As I did, he turned around and our eyes met. He was walking past me and I say, “Jay, I’m the guy who wrote the book about you. And he kept walking for about ten feet — and I knew he’d heard me, because he was two feet away from me — and as he was about to turn the corner he looked over his shoulder and said, “That book was horrible!
O’Malley Greenburg wasn’t terribly affected by Jay panning the book, but was satisfied he managed to get the rapper’s attention at the least. The interview delves deeper into Jay-Z’s rise beyond rap fame and his mesmerizing transformation in becoming one of the most respected business minds in the world.
O’Malley Greenburg is also set to release a new book in 2014, Michael Jackson, Inc., which will focus on the business affairs of the “King Of Pop” and how the estate is enjoying record revenue even today.
We wonder, though, did Jay-Z really read the book or was he giving Zack a hard time?
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Photo: YouTube
