Jay-Z Wants Out of Partnership With Bacardi [UPDATED]

Updated as of 10/21/2022 at 11:30 a.m. ET:

Jay-Z is following in Kanye West’s footsteps and wants to get out of a relationship with one of the largest family-owned spirits companies in the world.

The “99 Problems” rapper is looking to get rid of one more and wants to sell his stake in D’Ussé to Bacardi, who are both currently 50-50 co-owners of the cognac brand, according to TMZ.

Court documents say that Hov suspects Bacardi’s subsidiary, Empire Investments Inc., is blocking his efforts to get more financial information on the value of D’Ussé, according to TMZ.

Most likely so he gets proper compensation if and when he sells his stake in the company.

See the original story below:

We all know that Jay-Z has always prided himself on his plethora of business ventures and a diverse portfolio that has made him one of the only Black billionaires in the United States. “I’m not a businessman, I’m a BUSINESS man.” So it’s no surprise that Hov makes sure he gets paid what he’s owed.

Jay-Z is suing his partners at Bacardi for not being totally honest about how finances are being handled at the company, according to TMZ. If you didn’t know, the Brooklyn rap mogul and Bacardi are 50-50 co-owners of the cognac brand D’Ussé, and have been so since 2011.

According to TMZ, Jay’s company, SC Liquor, filed a lawsuit to demand financial clarity from Bacardi when it comes to the D’Ussé brand. Hov has always been one to shout out and promote his brands in his music and any other things he’s involved in.

After he won three Grammys in 2013, he took a page from Drake’s book and used shots of D’Usse to promote his cognac brand.

In the lawsuit, Jay-Z says he needs all of the records, books and the location of the warehouses where D’Usse barrels, bottles and accessories are being stored. He also says in the lawsuit he needs all of the information regarding Bacardi’s inventory and their inventory process, according to TMZ.

Clearly, there’s some distrust between the partners and it could lead to the two sides splitting.

This comes nearly a month after controversy erupted on social media when Jay likened being called a capitalist to the N-word. While on Twitter Spaces he said, “All these lies that America told us our whole life and then when we start getting it, they try to lock us out of it. They start inventing words like ‘capitalist.’ We’ve been called ‘n—ers’ and ‘monkeys’ and s–t. I don’t care what words y’all come up with. Y’all gotta come with stronger words.”

To be fair, this lawsuit is a clear example that you are indeed a capitalist, Jay, and that’s fine. It’s part of the reason you’re a billionaire now.