It was recommended by Ryan Holiday.
It gives a great and detailed look into the type of mindset you have to adopt if you want to build an empire as Jay-Z did. Especially if you are starting almost from 0 as he did.
Flow: 5/5
Actionability:3/5
Mindset: 4/5
Some of My Highlights:
“As Steve Jobs famously answered when asked if he wanted to do market research: ‘No, because customers don’t know what they want until we’ve shown them.'”
“Entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs have a strong belief in themselves.”
“…passion, the knack for imagining what doesn’t exist; and the iron-willed self-discipline to make that come into existence… as well as the desire to control as much of your destiny as possible; risk-taking by breaking the bounds of the conventional way of doing things; and the ability to bounce back from setbacks.”
“One of the main reasons for this continued success is Jay-Z’s ability to build and leverage his personal brand.”
“It shows a desire for the sort of discipline that he would eventually learn to impose on himself.”
“…he spent four months in 1989 working the hip-hop equivalent of an unpaid internship – rapping for room and board, which consisted of a spot on the tour bus floor and a free pass at the buffet.”
“‘The difference between him and a lot of other people is you really couldn’t tell that he was this guy that had a whole bunch of money from being in the streets because he wasn’t out there buying Benzes,’ says Kent.”
“The conversation was, ‘Yo, I’m over here at Atlantic Records, we gotta do this.’ He’s like, ‘Nah I’m good,’ Kent remembers.”
“…the use of a single sample might cost $5,000 to $15,000, plus an additional royalty cut…”
“Postproduction and promotion add to the tab, as does studio time – perhaps $2,500 per hour for a minimum of four hours during the period in which Jay-Z first started recording.”
“When Jay-Z arrived to record his verse, he hadn’t yet heard the beat.”
“There are two key copyrights associated with any musical work: the master recording and the underlying song, or publishing.”
“We shouldn’t let other people make money off us, and we shouldn’t give free advertising with our lifestyle.” – Dash