The rivalry between hip-hop moguls Nas (Nasir Jones) and Jay-Z (Shawn Carter) has spilled over into the high-stakes worlds of New York real estate and gambling. Rapper Nas, who is worth between $75 million and $120 million, is celebrating a big economic win that comes at the expense of Jay-Z, the world’s richest musician, who is worth an estimated $2.5 billion.
Nas Gets Queens Casino Expansion
The New York City board overwhelmingly approved a $5 billion plan to expand a casino in Queens on Thursday. Nas is a significant partner in the project and is helping to pay for it. Resorts World, a Las Vegas-based casino and hospitality business, is working with the proposal to create a huge resort next to the existing Resorts World casino in Queens. The approval means that the project will be the biggest casino in New York, giving Nas a big financial opportunity in his home borough.
Jay-Z’s bid for Times Square was turned down.
The good news for Nas came barely a week after his long-time adversary Jay-Z had a big problem. Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s organization, made a big offer to establish a casino at 1515 Broadway in Times Square. The city board, however, turned down the bid, putting an end to the rapper’s intentions to bring a huge gambling and entertainment complex to one of the city’s most iconic areas. Local people in Times Square had already spoken out against the plan.
The Mogul Showdown
This win at the casino gives Nas a strong chapter in the renewed rivalry, showing how his quiet success is different from Jay-Z’s public failure in the same arena. Nas is much less wealthy than Jay-Z, but his financial power has increased since he co-founded Mass Appeal Records and his venture business, Queens bridge Venture Partners, which has early-stage holdings in big digital companies like Coinbase, Ring, and Dropbox.
Jay-Z is still the richest musician in the world. He has a huge business empire that includes Rocawear (fashion), D’Ussé (spirits), Tidal (streaming), and Roc Nation Sports (sports agency). He also has shares in companies like Uber and Block. Even though he was very successful, the fact that his casino venture was turned down has given his erstwhile opponent an unexpected win.