Jay-Z and Roc Nation Invest in Michael Rubin's Fanatics Now Valued at $18 Billion

Jay-Z and Roc Nation have invested in Fanatics, Michael Rubin's organization which closed on a $325 million funding and is now valued at a whopping $18 billion.

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Jay-Z and Roc Nation have invested in Fanatics, Michael Rubin’s organization which is now valued at a whopping $18 billion.

The massive investment comes as Fanatics completes its transformation from an e-commerce company into a full-blown global digital sports platform, with businesses focused on everything from gaming and sports betting to NFTs and media. With this massive vision came a more integrated company behind Fanatics, with Rubin transitioning from Executive chairman to the CEO. Major investments from Jay, Roc Nation, the MLB, SoftBank, Silver Lake, Eldridge, TWG Sports Media & Entertainment, and Insight Partners have tripled the companies enterprise this past year, raking in a whopping additional $325 million, which in and of itself demonstrates how the company maintained impressive strategic power throughout the pandemic.

Aside from making smart investments, Jay-Z also had another reason to celebrate the other day, as Watch The Throne, his legendary collaborative album with Kanye West, turned ten this past Sunday. Complex recently caught up with filmmaker Robert Lopuski, who filmed a now iconic behind-the-scenes documentary of the album’s recording process.

“I flew in, and got driven to some kind of private mansion. I came into a literal dream-type moment. You hear somebody quite loud in the distance and you’re like, ‘I recognize that voice,’” Lopuski recalled. “A door opens up and in the main living room area, I hear Jay booming a verse into a mic. It’s super quiet, because he’s recording. I just very gently enter the space and everybody’s there quietly as Jay is recording a verse for the album. It was one of those surreal moments, where you just stand there, like, ‘Oh, wow.’ You both hear and feel the power of somebody who is just great at this, doing it in a very intimate space.”

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