Come join the staff at RapGenius.com as they launch the paperback edition of Zack O’Malley Greenburg’s unauthorized biography on rap mogul Jay-Z. The third printing of “Empire State of Mind” was released yesterday and has created quite a buzz in hip-hop circles and college campuses across the country. The event will feature a special guest who contributed to the book as well a free gift.
THE AFTERMATH: At the event Greenburg presented attendees with a copy of the book and rare Jay-Z bumper stickers. His special guest for the night was Branson B, a champagne connoisseur who was responsible for bringing champagne to the rap game when he introduced Cristal, Dom Perignon and a number of other pricey brands to his friends Biggie and Diddy in the late 1980s. He is mentioned on more than 50 rap songs from Diddy to Redman to LL Cool J. Mase also gave him a shout-out on his “Top of the World” song with Brandy at a time when Murda Ma$e was literally on top of the rap world in 1998. Branson’s appearance at the event was quite timely as he is featured in “Empire State of Mind” as a valuable expert that Greenburg relies on for the truth behind Jay-Z’s affiliation with the Armand de Brignac brand that he promoted in his “Show Me What You Got” video. Brandon’s perspective on Jay-Z’s choice of liquor shows how business savvy the leader of Roc Nation truly is but also sheds light on whether quantity was more important than quality in his selection process. When Kanye asks, “What would Hova do?” on his verse from “Otis” Greenburg and Branson provide the answers.