author, “3 Kings: Diddy, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z and Hip-Hop’s Multibillion-Dollar Rise”
Senior editor at Forbes; author of Michael Jackson, Inc. and 3 Kings: Diddy, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z and
Hip-Hop’s Multibillion-Dollar Rise
PROFILE
Zack O'Malley Greenburg
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FROM Zack O'Malley Greenburg
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
How hip-hop became a rich man's game Diddy, Dr. Dre, and Jay-Z are the three richest American musicians in any genre, according to the latest Forbes ranking. Their fortunes have little to do with their music, fashion, or vodka. They’ve overseen vast empires with broad investments in real estate, Silicon Valley startups, designer water companies. Jay-Z even owns a sports management firm that represents big athletes like Kevin Durant and Dez Bryant. A new book looks at these moguls. Author Zack O’Malley Greenburg. Photo by Remi Adetiba.
The Business
‘Michael Jackson, Inc.’ Michael Jackson is best known as a music icon, but he also built a business empire that included merchandise, video games, a record label, and famously, his purchase of the entire Beatles’ catalogue of music. But there was still one other major area he longed to conquer: the movies. Zack O’Malley Greenburg, author of Michael Jackson, Inc., tells Kim Masters that Jackson longed to be a Hollywood leading man, someone who would be remembered not just for his music, but live forever through his movies. His best shot at film immortality came with the 1986 movie Captain EO, a 17-minute, 4-D movie packed with special effects that he made with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola as an attraction for the Disney theme parks.
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