Jay Z built an empire

The argument

Jay Z turned his artistic talent into a brand, and the scale of what he built is itself an argument about the talent. A successful rap career requires an immense amount of intelligence. The best rappers know how to manipulate words and phrases and pair them with rhythms and beats to create complex rhyme schemes, holding meaning, meter and sound in mind at once. Jay Z not only excels at this, but he did it well enough, and for long enough, to convert a body of recorded work into an enterprise. He is also an immensely successful businessman. Jay Z has a net worth of approximately $810 million and a diverse portfolio which includes investments in sports, streaming platforms, liquor, art, and real estate. The range matters as much as the figure. A fortune concentrated in one place can be the product of a single fortunate deal; one spread across that many unrelated industries reflects judgement applied repeatedly, in markets where being a famous rapper is not by itself a qualification. Jay Z is an incredibly gifted rapper and a resourceful and versatile businessman, and the second of those did not replace the first. Furthermore, Jay Z uses his wealth and influence to give back to the rap community by bringing other talented rappers, like Kanye West, into the limelight. This bears on the question of who is the best rapper rather than merely the wealthiest. A rapper who can recognise talent in others, and who has the standing to put that talent in front of an audience, shapes the music beyond his own catalogue; the careers he helps launch become part of what he contributed to the form. Jay Z built an empire by using his skills as an artist, businessman, and philanthropist. Taken together — the craft, the business judgement, and the influence exercised on behalf of other artists — that record is what makes him the best rapper of all time.

Premises

Counter-arguments

While Jay Z is extremely accomplished and successful, his business empire does not make him the best rapper of all time. He may be the most versatile rapper of all time, but in terms of pure musical and lyrical talent, there are better rappers.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Skill with words, rhythm and rhyme is the ground on which every candidate on this question is advanced, so the premise does nothing to distinguish him from the field. [Rejecting P2] Net worth and a portfolio of investments measure business success, a different achievement from rapping and not one from which the conclusion can be built. [Rejecting P3] Elevating other artists speaks to influence within an industry rather than to the craft. As the counter-argument puts it, all of this may make him the most versatile figure in the field without making him the best rapper in it.