Jay Z America’s Hippest CEO

Fortune Magazine's Oct. 17, 2005 Issue has a profile on Def Jams CEO Shawn "Jay Z" Carter. FORTUNE was allowed  unique access to his new corporate life over several weeks, as he traveled from New York to Las Vegas to Europe and back, taking business meetings, wooing new talent, juggling the demands of Def Jam with those of his other ventures. The article by writer Nadira A. Hira is a window into the life of one of the most successful recording artist ever.

Its give you a little peek into Jay's life as he functions in his role as CEO and his transition from artist to working in a corporate culture.

Like fellow hip-hop moguls Russell Simmons and Sean “Diddy” Combs, he is at heart an entrepreneur. Unlike them, he has signed on to go into the belly of a major corporation (Def Jam, which pulled in about $1 billion in revenues last year, is part of Universal Music Group). He is not a traditional CEO—many financial functions are handled by Def Jam’s corporate parent, while day-to-day details are delegated to seven division heads who work beneath him—and that is precisely the point. Why waste Jay-Z’s time on quotidian affairs when he can bring his hit making touch to the label’s roster and perhaps become the premier creative force in pop?

I found this article to be very insightful and recommend it as a good read. The Fortune Magazine's Oct 17, 2005 Issue  is focused on diversity in corporate America.

Fortune Magazine Article: America's Hippest CEO