Jay-Z and Beyoncé have been regarded for decades as pioneers of the hip hop and pop music worlds. He is famous for his apt lyrics and is known as the king of flow. She is universally praised for her unequalled voice, impressive dance skills, and intense performances.
The number of albums sold and songs streamed must be in the billions by now, and they have a jaw-dropping 43 Grammys and 137 Grammy nominations between the two of them. Not to mention all the other awards they’ve won.
Bey also performed twice at the prestigious Super Bowl Halftime show and was the first African American, female headliner at Coachella festival. This turned out to be such a special performance that the festival was widely referred to as ‘Beychella’ after it finished.
Business Empire
Not only are they on top of the musical world, they have also built up an impressive business empire over the past few decades. This includes everything from their own record labels, streaming service Tidal, management companies and clubs, to clothing lines, a beauty company, perfume lines, and many other ventures. Jay and Bey have a fortune of around $1.16 billion to their names.
Mr. and Mrs. Carter have also contributed their fair share politically. They raised $4 million through fundraisers for Barack Obama, performed during his inauguration, and later supported Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
During his acceptance speech at the Grammys this past year, fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar proclaimed: ‘Jay for President’– who knows, maybe it’ll really happen someday!
Still, the biggest impact that the couple has had can be found on a personal level; on the (self) images of entire generations of Americans and on music lovers all over the world.
Jay-Z is the personification of the American Dream, from living out his childhood in the ghetto, to becoming a pioneer of West Coast hip hop, and eventually growing into one of the most successful American businessmen of all time.
Bey was already inspiring many young women to be ‘Independent Women’ as the teenage frontwoman of Destiny’s Child. At the beginning of her solo career, she went a step further by showcasing her alter-ego, Sasha Fierce, a strong, independent, worldly woman. Her most recent album Lemonade has proven her to be a powerful Black Lives Matter activist.
‘Credible’ music usually only reaches certain niches of music lovers, and the messages behind mainstream music usually aren’t picked up on by the masses. King and Queen Carter overcome this by packaging their meaningful messages in a credible manner, still reaching and inspiring a large audience; a unicum.
But who are Jay and Bey exactly? And what message do they want to convey? It’s all written in the lyrics! A portrait of the King and Queen of the current music world in 5 songs.
