Jay-Z has officially entered the cannabis industry, taking on a leading role with a Californian weed company.
The billionaire rapper will act as the chief brand strategist for privately-owned company Caliva as part of a new multi-year partnership.
In his new job, the 49-year-old will focus on outreach and creative direction, furthering his social justice efforts by increasing job training for former prisoners and fostering quality and fairness in the development of the legal marijuana industry.
The 99 Problems star expressed his excitement for the project in a statement, saying: "We want to create something amazing, have fun in the process, do good and bring people along the way."
Earlier this year, Jay-Z assisted in launching a criminal justice group named Reform Alliance, which hopes to remove one million people from the criminal justice system within five years, as well as cut in half the number of people on probation.
These ventures are only a few of the celebrated rapper's ongoing projects. Last month, he was named the first hip-hop artist to become a billionaire by Forbes thanks to his investments in clothing, champagne, the ride-hailing service Uber and his Roc Nation entertainment company.
The 99 Problems rapper, who has been married to songstress Beyoncé for 11 years, sold his clothing line, Rocawear, for $204 million to Iconix in 2007, owns cognac D’Ussé with Barardi and also boasts Tidal, a subscription-based music, podcast and video streaming service.
The father-of-three started his own label, Roc-A-Fella Records to release his debut album Reasonable Doubt in 1996.
Since then he's amassed 14 No. 1 albums, 22 Grammy awards and over $500 million in pre-tax earnings in a decade.
