What’s better than one billionaire? Jay-Z still thinks the answer is “two.” He and BFF Pharrell Williams teamed up for a new song, “Entrepreneur,” released along with Williams’s Time magazine cover package, “The New American Revolution,” a look at the systemic injustices Black people face in the Unite States. “The intention for a song was all about how tough it is to be an entrepreneur in our country to begin with,” Williams told Time. “Especially as someone of color, there’s a lot of systemic disadvantages and purposeful blockages. How can you get a fire started, or even the hope of an ember to start a fire, when you’re starting at disadvantages with regards to health care, education, and representation?” In the song, Mr. CEO Lives Matter frames economic empowerment as the secret to improving marginalized communities. “When you have successful beehive-type communities where you can circulate money within your community, it makes a huge difference,” he said. “They keep saying the American Dream is about the house and picket fence, the wife and two kids. Come on — let’s be honest. It’s always boiled down to money and an opportunity.” In his verse, Jay-Z calls out the very people who create the hype around all his little ventures and emphasizes support for Black businesses. “Black Twitter, what’s that? When Jack gets paid, do you?” he references Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. “For every one Gucci, support two FUBU’s.” The sheet music for the song is already available online, but “Black Is Business” “Entrepreneur” officially drops Friday, August 21.
