I almost deleted my first book long before I ever wrote it. Allow me to explain. Three years ago I found myself at home on a steamy summer day, contending with a head cold as I sifted through a virtual mountain of unread email. As my finger descended upon the delete key to banish yet another message, I re-read the subject line, “Book Project Opportunity.” The email turned out to be from an editor at Penguin, asking if I’d be …

Less than three weeks after the birth of Blue Ivy Carter last January, Jay-Z and Beyoncé did something that might only occur to two world-famous, business-savvy music stars: they filed an application to trademark the name of their first child. Their application lists a Delaware-based limited liability company called BGK Trademark Holdings—a likely nod to Beyonce’s initials—as the owner. The filing contains an exhaustive catalog of potential uses for the Blue Ivy name, including but not limited to fragrances, hair spray, baby …

The paperback edition of Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner To Corner Office will hit stores on June 26th. Updated with the latest additions to Jay-Z’s empire, the business-focused biography of hip-hop’s biggest star by Forbes staffer Zack O’Malley Greenburg will feature a bevy of previously-unreleased material, including: * a brand-new foreword by Steve Forbes, drawing on his interviews with Jay-Z and Warren Buffett * an investigative chapter revealing Jay-Z’s financial relationship with a notable Swiss watchmaker * full …

Jay-Z ranks second on the list with a fortune of $460 million.