Jeezy often has shared how possessing various streams of income has helped him amass wealth. But early in his career, Jeezy received some unsolicited financial advice as he transitioned from being a street hustler to hip-hop artist.
In a recent interview with “Assets Over Liabilities” podcast, Jeezy told how Jay-Z provided him with guidance with networking and managing his finances early in his career.
During the interview, Jeezy recalled how Jay-Z told him, “You got to talk to John Plant over at Warner because he was the first person that gave me a check for publishing.”
Later, when Jeezy received a check and didn’t deposit it in a timely fashion, Jay-Z again called him.
“He called me like, ‘What’s going on with the check I gave you?’ “
During the interview, Jeezy said he admitted, “I ain’t cash the check for like a year-and-a-half, ‘I’m a keep it real with you I left it in some pants and I think it got faded and I don’t know where it’s at.’ “
Learning the Business Ropes
Jeezy, who is reportedly worth $10 million, launched his career in the music industry in 2001 with an independently released album, “Thuggin.” But by 2004, he was signed to Bad Boy Records with the group Boyz n da Hood.
He recounts that early in his career he was still living off of money that he made illegally.
“…at the time, when I came in from the streets to music, I was good. I was straight. The music, to me, I was more infatuated that people liked what I was doing,” Jeezy said during the interview. “I didn’t need the money, so I thought. I just had the bread. Then I was getting money for shows, it was like taking ice cream from a baby. It was the sweetest shit ever.”
He launched his solo career with Def Jam Recordings and released 10 solo albums, collaborating with artists such as Usher, Rihanna, and Kanye West. He retired from music in 2019 to pursue business ventures such as a steakhouse, and a spirits house as well as owning Naud Spirits and the fuel water, Defiance. And although Jeezy is currently going through a divorce with talk show host Jeannie Mai, he appears to be confident about his entrepreneurial endeavors.
Jeezy’s transformation from selling drugs to music to entrepreneurship was not without challenges. In August, he released “Adversity for Sale,” a memoir exploring his life, especially overcoming challenges with depression and his music career. The memoir reached the No.10 spot on The New York Times Best Seller’s List.
Throughout the beginning of his career, Jay-Z told him, ‘Yo, you gotta quit playing’ and Jeezy agreed, saying, ‘All right, I gotta.’
