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Jay Z

Jay-Z Hip-Hop's Top Earner at $35 Million

Filed under: Wealth


You gotta hand it to Jay-Z. Despite taking a 57% pay cut -- down from $82 million in 2008 to $35 million in 2009 -- he's still the Hip-Hop Cash King, according to Forbes. (Cash Queens, aka the women, can be found on their own list, which focuses on all women in music, not just in the hip-hop genre.) Diddy squeaks in as the #2 cash king, with $30 million, and Kanye West is #3 with $25 million. Both of these gents also are down several million from last year.

Many of the artists on the Hip-Hop Cash Kings list earn a good chunk of their income through licensing and endorsements, but gone, at least for as long as the economy is uncertain, are one-time mega deals in the $100 million-plus range. This is what knocked 50 Cent out of first place in 2008 down to #4 this year, with "only" $20 million.

In Pictures: Hip-Hop's 20 Top Earners

Jay-Z Plans J Hotels

Filed under: Journeys, Celebrity Shopping

Jay-Z recently stepped down as the head of Def Jam records, perhaps because he's got a new project, a chain of five-star hotels. Various sources are reporting that he recently paid $66 million for a piece of land in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood in order to create the first of his new J Hotels. Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, already as a clothing line (Rocawear) as well as his own bar chain, the 40/40 Club (he opened the Las Vegas 40/40 Club over New Year's) so this deal seems more secure than some of the others we've seen, such as Nicky Hilton's attempt at the hotel business.

Limited Edition Swarovski Alizé

Filed under: Spirits

The story of Alizé says that the drink was created when a brandy maker fell in love with a jam maker and the two came together into a drink. More likely, this combination would have produced some boozy dessert a la Nigella Lawson, but that is neither here nor there. The drink claims to be the " original drink of love" and in honor of Valentine's Day, Alizé has commissioned a limited run of bottles that are completely covered in sparkling Swarovski crystals. Each bottle is £1000 (almost $2,000) and is filled with Rose Alizé, which is a blend of French Vodka, Cognac, passion fruit, strawberry, lychee and rose.


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