Jay z apartment: Beyonce sells Midtown apartment for $9.95M

What You Never Knew About Beyoncé And Jay-Z’s Homes

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By Jenna Intersimone/Updated: Jan. 13, 2022 10:23 am EDT

When most people think of a celebrity power couple, most think of Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z. After all, how many other people do you know who are regularly referred to as “Queen”? Both stars are undoubtedly talented and have taken the music world by storm, and their net worth reflects that. According to L’Officiel, the couple is worth a combined $1.8 billion, making them one of the world’s richest celeb couples.

It all started three decades ago when the now-married pair started dating. They met when Beyoncé was just 18 years old, per Brides. About eight years later, they tied the knot in a secret ceremony, and three years after that, they grew their family when they welcomed their first child. However, through it all — both before and after the stars aligned for the couple — it seems that real estate has been important to Beyoncé and Jay-Z. They’ve called houses all over the country home, and their real estate portfolio has reflected their growing fortune. Here are the places that the icons have rested their heads through the years.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s New Orleans home used to be a church

Realtor

With its distressed façade, arched windows and doors, and radiant gold finishes, this 100-year-old mansion in the heart of the Garden District of New Orleans doesn’t exactly look like a home from the outside. And that’s because it wasn’t, originally. According to TMZ, Beyoncé purchased a church in 2018 intending to turn it into a plush pad, and that she did. But it wasn’t without some serious work. Although she snagged the 7,500 square foot building for only $850,000, which is significantly less cash than she’s used to spending on real estate, it needed some serious revamping at the time. That is partly why the congregation that gathered here decided to offload it.

However, if anyone could transform this stunning space with 18-foot ceilings into a star-worthy residence, it would be Beyoncé. She converted it into a $2.4 million mansion with six bedrooms, colorful walls, a marble floor, and more one-of-a-kind details. But in 2021, the home was nearly lost, reported New York Post. A fire broke out in its great room, a space that once served as the sanctuary for the Seventh & Camp Church of Christ. Luckily, the suspected arson fire was put out in about an hour, no one was hurt, and the damage was minimal.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z had high-profile neighbors near their island home

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z haven’t been residents in “Billionaire Bunker,” a super-exclusive island in Biscayne Bay, Miami, for more than a decade, but their presence hasn’t been forgotten. This tiny island with only 34 homes may be small, but its residents couldn’t be more elite or safe here, said Insider. Some people who live here include Victoria’s Secret icon Adriana Lima, investor Carl Icahn, and former senior advisor and daughter of Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump. They’re more than protected thanks to constant security and an island police force, which guards the area by air, land, and sea at all times.

Here, Beyoncé and Jay-Z once lived in a stunning Spanish-style mansion with seven bedrooms, but in 2010, a Dutch businessman became the new owner. He paid more than $9 million for 40 Indian Creek Drive, said Forbes. However, Love Property suspects that Beyoncé and Jay-Z were likely tenants here instead of owners. Regardless of who paid the mortgage, this is one stunning yet secretive home. It has a long private driveway, lush foliage surrounding the entire property, and a pool and hot tub backing up into the bay.

The power couple got married at Jay-Z’s former NYC bachelor pad

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Most of us couldn’t imagine getting married at home, especially if “home” means our partner’s former bachelor pad. However, this bachelor pad lacks the usual dated couch and pile of video games. In 2004, Jay-Z purchased a Tribeca penthouse at 195 Hudson St. for $6.85 million, which would be more than $10 million today, per New York Post. About four years of apartment ownership and six years of dating later, the couple said their I do’s here in a ceremony and reception that was kept secret from the public. A tent, a swarm of servers, and tons of flowers eventually tipped off the media.

With 8,000 square feet inside and 3,000 square feet outside, this penthouse has more in common with a wedding venue than most New York City apartments, said Observer. It also wasn’t easy for Jay-Z to find it back in 2004. Before settling on this seventh-floor penthouse in a former warehouse, he toured several celebrity condos, including Robert De Niro’s. In 2015, million-dollar buyers had the opportunity to possibly run into Beyoncé and Jay-Z themselves when another apartment in the building, which has a shared roof deck with the power couple’s unit, went up for sale.

The apartment that Jay-Z mentioned in Empire State of Mind

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It’s been a long time since “Empire State of Mind” first graced the radio in 2009, but 560 State Street, Brooklyn — which is where Jay-Z lived in 1997 — is immortalized thanks to its mention in the hit song. In the song, Jay-Z calls the address his “stash spot.” Thanks to Global Grind, we know that he specifically means unit 10C. About five years after the song came out, the Boerum Hill apartment hit the market to the glee of Jay-Z fans. The 1,045 square foot two-bedroom apartment was listed for $870,000, but judging from the photos, it had been updated since Jay-Z called it home.

It featured a sun-filled open floor plan, 1.5 bathrooms, wood floors, tall ceilings, a kitchen with an island, six tall windows, and even a building courtyard that Jay-Z used to frequent. However, even though Jay-Z is far beyond living anywhere worth less than $1 million, he still sometimes finds himself near his old stomping grounds. That’s because Jay-Z and Beyoncé often catch Brooklyn Nets games at the Barclays Center, which is only a short walk from 560 State Street.

Beyoncé bought this NYC condo the same year that Destiny’s Child broke up

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When Destiny’s Child announced their breakup in 2005, it was likely a frightening time for Beyoncé, as she didn’t yet know that her solo career would skyrocket the way it has. Perhaps she was doing a little real estate therapy when she purchased a condo on the 44^th floor of One Beacon Court for a little more than $5 million, reported Observer. More than a decade later, though, she bid the apartment and her Destiny’s Child days goodbye when she sold the unit — in less than two weeks — for nearly double what she paid for.

The three-bedroom condo encompasses 2,500 square feet and features 11-foot floor-to-ceiling windows. It also has oak floors, top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances, amazing views of the city, an open floorplan, and finishes personally chosen by a celebrity interior designer, said Dirt. Beyoncé loved it so much that her mom, Tina Knowles, had a unit in the building, too, just two floors underneath her daughter. However, as the years went on, it simply didn’t have the same caliber as the other properties that the power couple spends time in. Beyoncé and Jay-Z would usually head to their Tribeca penthouse while in the Big Apple, and visiting family members and friends would stay at this former bachelorette pad instead.

The Malibu summer escape once owned by Madonna

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Most of us are more than happy to head back home after a hospital stay welcoming a new addition, but Beyoncé and Jay-Z one-upped that when they rented a Malibu estate for a few months following the birth of their twins, Rumi and Sir, reported Curbed. However, even this was no ordinary Malibu mansion. What’s also known as La Villa Contenta is a stunning property that hit the market in 2017 for more than $54 million. This six-acre compound at 26880 Pacific Coast Highway cost the new family $400,000 per month to rent.

However, it sounds like it was more than worth it. The estate features beautiful mosaic tiles tenderly laid by hand, an intricately-carved limestone ceiling, a fireplace entirely constructed of marble made by Hermès, and it gets even more star-worthy outside. In case its 12,000 square feet isn’t enough, there are six more bedrooms in the separate guesthouse, as well as another more private guesthouse with one bedroom, reported Variety. The grounds are also home to colorful gardens, an infinity pool, manicured lawns, and an area for playing tennis. In case that isn’t enough, this private property is tucked behind top-of-the-line security and a foreboding gate that offers a birds-eye-view of the ocean beyond.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Bel Air mansion was the priciest county home that year

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There’s a lot of high-priced real estate in Los Angeles County, perhaps the most popular celebrity spot on the planet. But in 2017, Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s new home in Bel-Air topped the charts at a whopping $88 million, making it the most expensive property sold in the county that year, said Nimvo. But that $88 million was a steal — the mansion was estimated to cost $30 million more than that. Considering Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s long search for a Los Angeles home, their colossal purchase wasn’t completely surprising. They spent three years searching for a spot for their family and were outbid twice for other estates in the county.

Finally, though, this modern white mansion on two acres became theirs. Its photos can be deceiving, but the entire property includes a half-dozen separate buildings amounting to 30,000 square feet. Through that colossal space, Beyoncé and Jay-Z have eight bedrooms, a garage that can house 15 cars, four different resort-style swimming pools (including one on the roof), and an area for playing basketball at their disposal. Even more amazingly, it still wasn’t up to Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s standards when they signed on the dotted line. They spent nearly $1 million more on renovations before moving in. This included installing a second generator in case of the first one’s failure, and building additional living space in one section.

Their century-old East Hampton house

Realtor

A place known as the Pond House may sound quaint, but the actual Pond House — which sits on the banks of Georgica Pond in the Hamptons — is anything but quaint. Instead, at nearly $26 million, it’s simply incredible. It features floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room directly facing the pond, carved blonde wood walls, herringbone floors, brick fireplaces, and a cozy country feel that’s perfectly in line with Hamptons living, reported StreetEasy. And that country feel is no façade. An enormous nature preserve spanning 17 acres is right next door to the already-secluded home, ensuring privacy for the A-listers.

Plus, Beyoncé and Jay-Z scored a real deal on this plush pad. It grew stale on the market for eight years, listed at nearly $40 million, but when no buyers came forward, and the price finally dropped, the power couple put in their bid. There’s even another home on the property, too. It includes a guest house with two bedrooms, ideal for visiting family and friends. Also, when Beyoncé and Jay-Z bought it, it had been freshly renovated after being built in 2008. During its renovation, the entire mansion was rotated 90 degrees, ensuring the best views of the lake from the heart of the home.

Jay-Z’s record-setting Time Warner apartment

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Clearly, whatever Jay-Z touches turns to (more) millions. In 2007, the music icon spent some time renting an ultra-luxe penthouse in the Time Warner Building when he was a tenant of Michael Hirtenstein’s, the founder of Westcom Communications. However, about four years later, the apartment was bought by Taek Jho Low, a socialite from Malaysia who was known for being friendly with celebrities like Paris Hilton, Megan Fox, and Lindsay Lohan, per New York Post. But this was no ordinary sell. Low paid $31 million for the 75^th-floor penthouse, the highest price that a pad at 25 Columbus Circle had ever fetched.

The unit has tons of high-end features, like floor-to-ceiling windows offering panoramic views of the city as well as a fish tank suspended in the air (via Insider). But unlike other upscale New York City real estate listings, this apartment was also cozy. It included a plush pink kid’s room with a horse-and-carriage mural on the wall, a marble bathroom and marble-floored kitchen, a private office with mahogany wood details, and pops of color throughout the space. However, it seems to have taken Low some time to finally purchase the apartment. He originally toured the penthouse two years before the sale when it was first listed by then-owner Todd Wagner, an entrepreneur who worked with Mark Cuban.

Their Hamptons home that was once rented by Jennifer Lopez and Madonna

Out East

The Pond House wasn’t the only Hamptons escape that Beyoncé and Jay-Z once stayed in. A decade ago, they rented what’s known as Goose Creek for $500,000 per month, said, Observer. It’s also on the banks of Georgica Pond, not too far from the Pond House, so the couple must have enjoyed their time there. Clearly, other A-listers did, too. Jennifer Lopez and Madonna also once rented Goose Creek, which is in the Hamptons town of Wainscott, for a getaway.

In 2018, the eight-bedroom mansion hit the market for $16 million, giving all of us a chance to glimpse inside. The space includes a private theater with a bar that can host more than 100 people, a heated pool ideal for the sometimes-chilly Hamptons summers, 11.5 bathrooms, and a huge fitness center, said Town & Country. But just like many of Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s homes, it was cozy while being extra-luxe. Its living room is full of plush furniture, the outside is lined with tons of greenery, and the entire home is full of natural light and wood details.

Beyoncé rented this exclusive Beverly Hills estate for her “Black Is King” video

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Beverly Hills is full of famous houses, but the abode where Beyoncé filmed her “Black Is King” video may be one of the most famous in the entire city. Newspaper publisher and founder of Hearst Publications William Randolph Hearst once called this Spanish and Italian-style mansion home, and it’s also been the setting for tons of Hollywood hits, including “The Godfather” and “The Bodyguard. ” So it’s not surprising that Beyoncé chose to rent this iconic spot for her video, reported House Beautiful. The mansion, located on 1011 N. Beverly Drive, gets tons of airtime in the music video, so viewers can see the inside and outside of the compound throughout the song.

Unfortunately, the music video couldn’t get the owners the $195 million they were initially seeking when they put it up for sale, reported Fancy Pants Homes. Instead, after languishing on the market for several years, it sold for just a fraction of that price at $63 million in September of 2021, reported Forbes. But that doesn’t make this estate any less stunning — it features ornate gardens and a resort-style swimming pool, a colossal library towering with books through its two stories, and a flashy living room adorned with a barrel-rolled ceiling.

Beyoncé’s charming brick childhood home in Houston

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Take one look at the charming brick abode that Beyoncé grew up in in Houston, Texas, and it’s clear where the singer’s penchant for beautiful real estate came from. Once the home hit the market in 2018 for $500,000, that was clear to all of her fans, as they got a chance to see where the legend got her start. The 3,000 square foot abode sits on manicured greenery. Inside, it has lots of traditional touches like gleaming wood floors, wood trim on its white walls, a spiral wrought iron staircase, a cozy fireplace next to a grand piano, and an open floorplan, reported PaperCity Magazine.

Beyoncé’s parents, Mathew and Tina Knowles, bought the house for their growing family in 1982 — Beyoncé was born just one year prior — for $64,000. Besides its sensible three bedrooms and three bathrooms, the parents likely appreciated the home’s proximity to Houston’s bustling Museum District and several of the city’s biggest universities. However, about four years later, with the birth of Beyonce’s sister Solange, the Knowles clan moved on from 2414 Rosedale to a new space.

Jay-Z’s childhood home in Brooklyn

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Jay-Z’s childhood wasn’t as idyllic as Beyoncé’s, a point he sometimes mentions in his songs or interviews. According to NYS Music, the music icon has a true rags-to-riches story, having grown up in a public housing complex in Brooklyn that struggled with gun violence and gang involvement. Unfortunately, the complex, which is called the Marcy House, continues to battle some of these issues today due to inefficient public policy or aid, even though Jay-Z has not lived there in decades.

However, the complex is also where Jay-Z got his start as a rapper 30 years ago. Here, he became known as an up-and-coming rapper in his neighborhood in the early ’90s. He eventually grew into a prolific artist that will forever be cemented in music history. Partly thanks to Jay-Z, the Barclays Center, which is home to the Brooklyn Nets, decided to relocate to the borough (via The Undefeated).

an Asian Financier Just Bought Jay-Z’s Former NYC Penthouse for $31 Million

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Courtesy of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate

An Asian financier is in the works to purchase an apartment that Jay-Z once called home for $31 million, according to the New York Post.

Jay-Z lived in the 76th floor penthouse in the Time Warner Building on NYC’s Upper West Side about four years ago when he rented it from telecom mogul Michael Hirtenstein.

If the deal goes through, at $4,600 per square foot, it will be the highest price ever paid for an apartment in the Time Warner Building.

 

The living room area, floor to ceiling windows

Courtesy of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Amazing views, and a fish tank hanging from the ceiling

Courtesy of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate

The dining room area

Courtesy of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate

The office

Courtesy of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate

The bedroom, with balcony access

Courtesy of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Huge bathroom

Courtesy of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate

We’re guessing this is a kid’s room.

..

Courtesy of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate

The spacious kitchen

Courtesy of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Awesome view of NYC and Central Park

Courtesy of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate

But if you prefer the beach

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The House That Hova Built

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Borough pride Jay-Z helped design the Brooklyn Nets’ new logos. Calvin Klein Collection suit, $1,295, and shirt, $195; (212) 292-9000.Credit…Photograph by Cass Bird. Fashion editor: Sara Moonves.

By Zadie Smith

• Sept. 6, 2012

It’s difficult to know what to ask a rapper. It’s not unlike the difficulty (I imagine) of being a rapper. Whatever you say must be considered from at least three angles, and it’s an awkward triangulation. In one corner you have your hard-core hip-hop heads; the type for whom the true Jay-Z will forever be that gifted 25-year-old with rapid-fire flow, trading verses with the visionary teenager Big L — “I’m so ahead of my time, my parents haven’t met yet!” — on a “rare” (easily dug up on YouTube) seven-minute freestyle from 1995. Meanwhile, over here stands the pop-rap fan. She loves the Jiggaman with his passion for the Empire State Building and bold claims to “Run This Town.” Finally, in the crowded third corner, stand the many people who feel rap is not music at all but rather a form of social problem. They have only one question to ask a rapper, and it concerns his choice of vocabulary. (Years pass. The question never changes.) How to speak to these audiences simultaneously? Anyway: I’m at a little table in a homey Italian restaurant on Mulberry Street waiting for Mr. Shawn Carter, who has perfected the art of triangulation. It’s where he likes to eat his chicken parms.

He’s not late. He’s dressed like a kid, in cap and jeans, if he said he was 30 you wouldn’t doubt him. (He’s 42.) He’s overwhelmingly familiar, which is of course a function of his fame ­ — rap superstar, husband of Beyoncé, minority owner of the Nets, whose new home, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, will open this month — but also of the fact he’s been speaking into our ears for so long. No one stares. The self-proclaimed “greatest rapper alive” is treated like a piece of the furniture. Ah, but there’s always one: a preppy white guy discreetly operating his iPhone’s reverse-camera function. It’s an old hustle; it makes Jay chuckle: “They think they’re the first one who’s ever come up with that concept.”

He likes to order for people. Apparently I look like the fish-sandwich type. Asked if he thinks this is a good time for hip-hop, he enthuses about how inclusive hip-hop is: “It provided a gateway to conversations that normally would not be had. ” And now that rap’s reached this unprecedented level of cultural acceptance, maybe we’re finally free to celebrate the form without needing to continually defend it. Say that I’m foolish I only talk about jewels/Do you fools listen to music or do you just skim through it? He’s not so sure: “It’s funny how you can say things like that in plain English and then people still do it.” He is mildly disappointed that after publishing “Decoded,” his 2010 memoir, people still ask the same old questions. The flippancy annoys him, the ease with which some still dismiss rap as “something that’s just this bad language, or guys who degrade women, and they don’t realize the poetry and the art.” This is perhaps one downside to having the “flow of the century.”

With Tupac, you can hear the effort, the artistry. And Biggie’s words first had to struggle free of the sheer bulk of the man himself. When Jay raps, it pours right into your ear like water from a tap.

The fish sandwich arrives. Conversation turns to the schoolboy who was shot to death, Trayvon Martin — “It’s really heartbreaking, that that still can happen in this day and age” — and, soon after, to Obama: “I’ve said the election of Obama has made the hustler less relevant.” When he first made this point, “People took it in a way that I was almost dismissing what I am. And I was like: no, it’s a good thing!” He didn’t have Obama growing up, only the local hustler. “No one came to our neighborhoods, with stand-up jobs, and showed us there’s a different way. Maybe had I seen different role models, maybe I’d’ve turned on to that.” Difficult to keep these two Americas in your mind. Imagine living it — within one lifetime!

In “Decoded,” Jay-Z writes that “rap is built to handle contradictions,” and Hova, as he is nicknamed, is as contradictory as they come. Partly because he’s a generalist. Biggie had better boasts, Tupac dropped more knowledge, Eminem is — as “Renegade” demonstrated — more formally dexterous. But Hova’s the all-rounder. His albums are showrooms of hip-hop, displaying the various possibilities of the form. The persona is cool, calm, almost frustratingly self-controlled: “Yeah, 50 Cent told me that one time. He said: ‘You got me looking like Barksdale’ ” — the hot-blooded drug kingpin from HBO’s “The Wire” — “and you get to be Stringer Bell!” — Barksdale’s levelheaded partner. The rapper Memphis Bleek, who has known Jay-Z since Bleek himself was 14, confirms this impression: “He had a sense of calm way before music. This was Jay’s plan from day one: to take over. I guess that’s why he smiles and is so calm, ’cause he did exactly what he planned in the ’90s.” And now, by virtue of being 42 and not dead, he can claim his own unique selling proposition: he’s an artist as old as his art form. The two have grown up together.

Jay-Z, like rap itself, started out pyrotechnical. Extremely fast, stacked, dense. But time passed and his flow got slower, opened up. Why? “I didn’t have enough life experience, so what I was doing was more technical. I was trying to impress technically. To do things that other people cannot do. Like, you can’t do this” — insert beat-box and simultaneous freestyle here — “you just can’t do that.” Nope. Can’t even think of a notation to demonstrate what he just did. Jay-Z in technician mode is human voice as pure syncopation. On a track like “I Can’t Get With That,” from 1994, the manifest content of the music is never really the words themselves; it’s the rhythm they create. And if you don’t care about beats, he says, “You’ve missed the whole point.”

Plenty did, hearing only a young black man, boasting. I got watches I ain’t seen in months/Apartment at the Trump I only slept in once.

But asking why rappers always talk about their stuff is like asking why Milton is forever listing the attributes of heavenly armies. Because boasting is a formal condition of the epic form. And those taught that they deserve nothing rightly enjoy it when they succeed in terms the culture understands. Then something changed: “As I started getting life experiences, I realized my power was in conveying emotions that people felt.” He compared himself to a comedian whose jokes trigger this reaction: “Yo, that’s so true.” He started storytelling — people were mesmerized. “Friend or Foe” (1996), which concerns a confrontation between two hustlers, is rap in its masterful, full-blown, narrative form. Not just a monologue, but a story, complete with dialogue, scene setting, characterization. Within its comic flow and light touch — free from the relentless sincerity of Tupac — you can hear the seeds of 50, Lil Wayne, Eminem, so many others. “That was the first one where it was so obvious,” Jay noted. He said the song represented an important turning point, the moment when he “realized I was doing it.”

At times he restricts himself formally, like the Oulipo, that experimental French literary group of the 1960s. In the song “22 Two’s,” from 1996, we get 22 delicious plays on the words “too” and “two. ”

Ten years later, the sequel, “44 Fours,” has the same conceit, stepped up a gear. “Like, you know, close the walls in a bit smaller.” Can he explain why? “I think the reason I still make music is because of the challenge.” He doesn’t believe in relying solely on one’s natural gifts. And when it comes to talent, “You just never know — there is no gauge. You don’t see when it’s empty.”

In the years since his masterpiece “Reasonable Doubt,” the rapper has often been accused of running on empty, too distant now from what once made him real. In “Decoded,” he answers existentially: “How distant is the story of your own life ever going to be?” In the lyrics, practically:

Life stories told through rap/Niggas actin’ like I sold you crack/Like I told you sell drugs, no, Hov’ did that/So hopefully you won’t have to go through that. But can’t a rapper insist, like other artists, on a fictional reality, in which he is somehow still on the corner, despite occupying the penthouse suite? Out hustlin’, same clothes for days/I’ll never change, I’m too stuck in my ways. Can’t he still rep his block? For Jay-Z, pride in the block has been essential and he recognized rap’s role in taking “that embarrassment off of you. The first time people were saying: I come from here — and it’s O.K.” He quotes Mobb Deep: “No matter how much money I get, I’m staying in the projects!” But here, too, he sees change: “Before, if you didn’t have that authenticity, your career could be over. Vanilla Ice said he got stabbed or something, they found out he was lying, he was finished.” I suggested to him that many readers of this newspaper would find it bizarre that the reputation of the rapper Rick Ross was damaged when it was revealed a few years ago that he was, at one time, a prison guard. “But again,” Jay says, “I think hip-hop has moved away from that place of everything has to be authentic. Kids are growing up very differently now.”

Sure are. Odd Future. Waka Flocka Flame. Chief Keef. Returning to what appear to be the basic building blocks of rap: shock tactics, obscenity, perversely simplistic language. After the sophistication of Rakim, Q-Tip, Nas, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West and Jay himself, are we back on the corner again? “Yeah, but Tupac was an angel compared to these artists!” He shakes his head, apparently amused at himself. And it’s true: listening to a Tupac record these days feels like listening to a pleasant slice of Sinatra. But Jay-Z does not suffer from nostalgia. He loves Odd Future and their punk rock vibe. He sees their anger as a general “aversion to corporate America,” particularly as far as it has despoiled the planet. “People have a real aversion to what people in power did to the country. So they’re just lashing out, like: ‘This is the son that you made. Look at your son. Look at what you’ve done.’ ”

But surely another thing they’re reacting against, in the Harold Bloom “anxiety of influence” sense, is the gleaming $460 million monument of Hova himself.

Years ago, Martin Amis wrote a funny story, “Career Move,” in which the screenwriters live like poets, starving in garrets, while the poets chillax poolside, fax their verses to agents in Los Angeles and earn millions off a sonnet. Last year’s “Watch the Throne,” a collaboration with Kanye, concerns the coming to pass of that alternative reality. Hundred stack/How you get it? Jay-Z asks Kanye on “Gotta Have It.” The answer seems totally improbable, and yet it’s the truth: Layin’ raps on tracks! Fortunes made from rhyming verse. Which is what makes “Watch the Throne” interesting: it fully expresses black America’s present contradictions. It’s a celebration of black excellence/Black tie, black Maybachs/Black excellence, opulence, decadence. But it’s also a bitter accounting of the losses in a long and unfinished war. Kanye raps: I feel the pain in my city wherever I go/314 soldiers died in Iraq/509 died in Chicago. Written by a couple of millionaire businessmen on the fly (“Like ‘New Day,’ Kanye told me that — the actual rap — last year at the Met Ball, in my ear at dinner”), it really shouldn’t be as good as it is. But somehow their brotherly rivalry creates real energy despite the mammoth production. And in one vital way the process of making it was unusually intimate: “Most people nowadays — because of technology — send music back and forth.” But this was just two men “sitting in a room, and really talking about this.” At its most sublime — the ridiculously enjoyable “Niggas in Paris” — you feel a strong pull in both men toward sheer abandon, pure celebration. Didn’t we earn this? Can’t we sit back and enjoy it? It’s a song that doesn’t want to be responsible, or to be asked the old, painful questions. Who cares if they’re keeping it real? Or even making sense? Check that beat! Then there’s that word. “It’s a lot of pain and a lot of hurt and a lot of things going on beyond, beneath that.” He offers an analogy: “If your kid was acting up, you’d be like, ‘What is wrong with you?’ If they have a bellyache — ‘Oh, you ate all the cotton candy.’ You’d make these comparisons, you’d see a link. You’d psychoanalyze the situation.”

Rappers use language as a form of asymmetrical warfare. How else to explain George W. Bush’s extraordinary contention that a line spoken by a rapper — “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” — was “one of the most disgusting moments in my presidency”? But there have always been these people for whom rap language is more scandalous than the urban deprivation rap describes. On “Who Gon Stop Me,” Jay-Z asks that we “please pardon all the curses” because “when you’re growing up worthless,” well, things come out that way. Black hurt, black self-esteem. It’s the contradictory pull of the “cipher,” rap terminology for the circle that forms around the kind of freestyling kid Jay-Z once was. What a word! Cipher (noun): 1. A secret or disguised way of writing; a code. 2. A key to such a code. 3. A person or thing of no importance. “Watch the Throne” celebrates two men’s escape from that circle of negation. It paints the world black: black bar mitzvahs, black cars, paintings of black girls in the MoMA, all black everything, as if it might be possible in a single album to peel back thousands of years of negative connotation. Black no longer the shadow or the reverse or the opposite of something but now the thing itself. But living this fantasy proves problematic: Only spot a few blacks the higher I go/What’s up to Will? Shout-out to O/That ain’t enough, we gon’ need a million more/Kick in the door, Biggie flow/I’m all dressed up with nowhere to go. You’re 1 percent of the 1 percent. So what now? Power to the people, when you see me, see you! But that just won’t do. It’s Jay-Z who’s in Paris, after all, not the kids in the Marcy Houses, the housing project in Brooklyn where he grew up. Jay-Z knows this. He gets a little agitated when the subject of Zuccotti Park comes up: “What’s the thing on the wall, what are you fighting for?” He says he told Russell Simmons, the rap mogul, the same: “I’m not going to a park and picnic, I have no idea what to do, I don’t know what the fight is about. What do we want, do you know?”

Jay-Z likes clarity: “I think all those things need to really declare themselves a bit more clearly. Because when you just say that ‘the 1 percent is that,’ that’s not true. Yeah, the 1 percent that’s robbing people, and deceiving people, these fixed mortgages and all these things, and then taking their home away from them, that’s criminal, that’s bad. Not being an entrepreneur. This is free enterprise. This is what America is built on.”

It’s so weird watching rappers becoming elder statesmen. I’m out for presidents to represent me. Well, now they do — and not only on dollar bills. Heavy responsibility lands on the shoulders of these unacknowledged legislators whose poetry is only, after all, four decades young. Jay-Z’s ready for it. He has his admirable Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation, putting disadvantaged kids through college. He’s spoken in support of gay rights. He’s curating music festivals and investing in environmental technologies. This October, his beloved Nets take up residence in their new home — the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. And he has some canny, forward-looking political instincts: “I was speaking to my friend James, who’s from London, we were talking about something else, I just stopped and I was like, ‘What’s going to happen in London?’ This was maybe a month before the riots. He was like, ‘What?’ I said: ‘The culture of black people there, they’re not participating in changing the direction of the country. What’s gonna happen there?’ He actually called me when it blew up, he was like, ‘You know, I didn’t really understand your question, or the timing of it, until now.’ ”

But still I think “conscious” rap fans hope for something more from him; to see, perhaps, a final severing of this link, in hip-hop, between material riches and true freedom. (Though why we should expect rappers to do this ahead of the rest of America isn’t clear.) It would take real forward thinking. Of his own ambitions for the future, he says: “I don’t want to do anything that isn’t true.” Maybe the next horizon will stretch beyond philanthropy and Maybach collections.

Meanwhile, back in the rank and file, you still hear the old cry go up: Hip-hop is dead! Which really means that our version of it (the one we knew in our youth) has passed. But nothing could be duller than a ’90s hip-hop bore. Lil Wayne? Give me Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Nicki Minaj? Please. Foxy Brown. Odd Future? WU TANG CLAN 4EVAH. Listening to Jay-Z — still so flexible and enthusiastic, ears wide open — you realize you’re like one of these people who believes jazz died with Dizzy. The check comes. You will be unsurprised to hear the Jiggaman paid. At the last minute, I remembered to ask after his family, “Oh, my family’s amazing.” And the baby? “She’s four months.” Marcy raised me, and whether right or wrong/Streets gave me all I write in the song. But what will TriBeCa give Blue? “I actually thought about that more before she was born. Once she got here I’ve been in shock until maybe last week?” Her childhood won’t be like his, and this fact he takes in his stride. “We would fight each other. My brother would beat me up,” he says, but it was all in preparation for the outside. “I was going to have to fight, I was going to have to go through some things, and they were preparing me.” He smiles: “She doesn’t have to be tough. She has to love herself, she has to know who she is, she has to be respectful, and be a moral person.” It’s a new day.

the hip-hop power couple celebrates their love of Paris — Paris Property Group

A profile this month in Europe 1, le Jdd on the most influential duo in today’s music industry highlights how Beyonce and Jay-Z, who recently shot a music video at the Louvre, have for a long time cultivated a deep appreciation and love for France and its capital.  “Paris is a beautiful, sexy city,” said Beyoncé in an interview with Flaunt magazine in 2013. Five years later, the singer is using the space to show her attachment to Paris and France. Last month, after completing secret rehearsals for their European tour at U Arena in Nanterre, Beyoncé and her husband, Jay-Z, privatized the Louvre for two nights (and for €40,000, rumors say), in order to shoot their new music video, “APES**T”.

The ire of the conservatives upon seeing this video, however carefully crafted it is, was apparent: two symbols of “bling-bling” culture in the sacred temple of European art, appropriating “The Mona Lisa”, “Winged Victory of Samothrace” and “The Wedding at Cana”?  No matter what the critics say, however, it is certain that the video has exposed the museum to the masses, maybe even more so than classic advertising campaigns ever could: the video has more than 60 million views on YouTube, nearly eight times the attendance at the Louvre in 2017. The largest museum of art and art antiquities in the world has of course capitalized on this attention: this month, the Louvre will launch an hour and a half long tour featuring the 17 works shown in the video.

True Francophiles

Behind all the buzz provoked by Mr. and Mrs. Carter, however, there is also a real attachment to France, and Paris in particular. “It’s the city of fashion and the arts, always dreaming and boasting an image of luxury and gratification,” says Stéphane Rolland, French fashion designer and haute couture fashion brand, who has been dressing Beyoncé for the past ten years. Paris is where the couple got engaged, before becoming officially married at a private ceremony in New York in April 2008. It was also in Paris, on a spring evening in 2011, that they conceived their daughter Blue Ivy.

Two years later, on her album “Beyoncé”, the artist still claimed her love for “the city of sensuality”. The music video for her song “Partition” features the singer silhouetted against the coquettish setting of the Crazy Horse Cabaret, with the phrase “Est-ce que tu aimes le sexe?” peppering the bridge.   Jay-Z also celebrated the capital in the hymn “Ni**as in Paris”, a duet with Kanye West, released in 2010. For the cover art of the single, the rappers adopted the French flag.

INGLEWOOD, CA – AUGUST 24: Blue Ivy Carter, Jay-Z and Beyonce onstage during the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on August 24, 2014 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images)

The Parisian In Crowd

In the wonderful universe of the Carters, as for many Americans, Paris is a party, and the couple indeed has their fair share of contacts in the area. Jay-Z is a close friend of Jean Reno, his wife Zofia Borucka being a childhood friend of the New York rapper.  Jay is even the godfather of their 7 year old son Dean.  Jay-Z also has a cordial relationship with Nicola Sirkis, Indochine being one of the shareholders of his music platform, Tidal. A great lover of champagne, Jay-Z owns the Armand de Brignac brand, acquired for $30 million at the Cattier champagne house in 2014. He intends to make it the most expensive champagne in the world. With the cheapest bottle costing €250 and a blanc de noirs at €825 euros, he is well on his way to achieving this goal.

In terms of gastronomy, Beyoncé and Jay-Z frequent the finest trendy establishments, such as the Italian restaurant “Nolita”, that they privatized in July 2016; “L’Acajou”, owned by former Top Chef candidate Jean Imbert; and “Septime”, temple of bistro culture introduced to them by Romain Gavras, their director-friend, and son of Costa Gavras. “The arrival of Beyoncé and Jay-Z has illustrated a cultural shift where smaller gourmet restaurants focusing on fine, beautiful products have overtaken the less eye-catching cuisine of the larger, more-established restaurants,” explained Bertrand Grébaut, head of Septime, in 2014.

Fashion creator Stéphane Rolland emphasizes: “They rely on a team of advisers who know the best places and trends in Paris and elsewhere.  This is where they manage to be leaders.   They have a vision, both broad and detailed at the same time, that allows them to talk to the world.”

Will they invest?

Nevertheless, it is in Paris that the Carters have seriously considered buying a pied-à-terre. It was in 2014, after two concerts at the Stade de France, that a real estate agent took them to visit several penthouses and in particular, an apartment on rue du Cirque, a stone’s throw from l’Elysée, where the clandestine meetings of President Hollande and Julie Gayet took place.  Eventually, the couple, whose fortune is estimated at $810 million, rented a mansion for the tidy sum of €155,000 per month.

If the Carters, however, are still interested in investing long-term, Paris Property Group recommends they consider “La Grande Dame”, the four bedroom, 3 bath exclusive listing on Avenue de la Bourdonnais, right across the street from the Eiffel Tower.  This breath-taking property offers the ideal combination of location, historic charm, and upper level floor for light, has already experienced a touch of fame: the cult film “Le Dîner de Cons” with French heartthrob Thierry Lhermitte was filmed here.

In the meantime however, throughout years of regular visits to Paris, the Carters have explored, under fake names and covert arrivals, almost all of the capital’s most luxurious hotels: Royal-Monceau, George-V, Meurice, and even the Shangri-La, where a suite with a breathtaking view of the Eiffel Tower runs at €17,000 a night. It was in July 2016, in the wake of the attack on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, that Beyoncé posted a photo of a French flag hanging on a luxurious balcony after her concert at the Stade de France, as a sign of solidarity with the country and region so dear to them. It was in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat that the couple vacationed between their two concerts in Paris last weekend, and it is in Nice that they decided to finish their European tour.

French roots

France is where it all began for Beyoncé, whose francophile tendencies have rubbed off on her husband. “Every time I’m in Paris, it’s hard to come back to the United States. I feel at home here,” she said.  And for good reason: although born in Houston, Texas, Queen B has French blood through her mother, a Louisiana Creole, descendant of Acadian leader Joseph Broussard.

It is also in France that Beyoncé first traveled abroad at the age of 16 and experienced her first international successes with Destiny’s Child in the late 1990s.  The group performed in a shopping mall outside of Paris, a concert that was as memorable as it was unlikely. “It was crazy: there were hundreds of people there even though we were still unknown,” she told a magazine in 2004. “I was singing on a small podium and I was afraid the crowd would tip the stage.”

Twenty years later, Beyoncé returns to the city of her heart an absolute queen.  Symbolically so, the first of the duo’s two sold-out concerts fell on July 14th, France’s national holiday, and the second show the next day, took place immediately after the French national team won the World Cup.  On stage at the Stade de France, she appeared in an organza wedding dress specially made by the French duo, On aura tout vu. Already in 2016, for the music video of her single “Formation”,, Beyoncé wore a creation from this tiny Parisian workshop, preferring their fashions to those of larger luxury brands.

“Two months ago, we were contacted by her personal stylist, Zerina Ackers. It was a Sunday night, she needed the dress ready for the following Friday in LA.  She knew we could keep these impossible deadlines.  Twelve people worked tirelessly and the day she received the dress, there was no need for alterations.”

M. et Mme. Carter: future Parisians?

The wedding dress was specifically chosen to celebrate ten years of marriage with Jay-Z.  Is Paris the city where the Carters could see themselves growing old together? In 2014, Beyoncé admitted that she had already daydreamed about one day retiring in Paris and teaching French to her daughter Blue Ivy.

If this is something the Carters are seriously considering, Paris Property Group would suggest they look into this 3 bed / 3 bath residence on Avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie, in the 8th arrondissement.   This impeccable property features massive views and is located in the heart of the Golden Triangle area of Paris. It’s an elegant address that is both quiet and centrally located, the perfect spot to raise their three children.

Contact Paris Property Group to learn more about buying or selling property in Paris.

Fire at Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s New Orleans mansion could be arson

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A huge team of firefighters put out a blaze at Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s New Orleans church conversion

On the evening of 22 July, Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s New Orleans home was set ablaze. Possibly the victim of an arson attack, which is now being investigated, we take a look inside the converted church that is connected to one of the world’s most famous couples. Click or scroll through for more…

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Under investigation

The $2.5 million historic New Orleans mansion owned by the couple reportedly caught fire at around 6:15pm CDT but was fully extinguished by 8:30pm after 22 firefighters attended the scene. This image, taken from NOLA.com’s  YouTube channel, shows the magnificent home surrounded by firefighters.

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s New Orleans church conversion

The cause of the fire has not been determined, however, the New Orleans police are investigating the blaze as ‘simple arson’, which is the offence of causing criminal damage by fire. The department have also “received a report of a suspicious person in the area around the time of the fire,” according to the New York Post. 

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An unusual purchase

Beyoncé and Jay-Z purchased the converted church in 2015. The unusual property, which can be found in the Garden District of New Orleans, went on the market in September 2013 at $2.5 million and sat there until the Carters placed their bid.

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A bargain purchase price

According to city records, Sugarcane Park LLC – a limited company linked to Beyoncé’s mother – acquired the home for just $100.  Managed by Celestine Lawson (the legal name of Beyoncé’s mother, who is better known as Miss Tina), the LLC is registered at a Sherman Oaks address where the singer also has several other companies listed. 

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A stunning living space

The 13,000-square-foot home, which was once a Presbyterian church, is spacious and bright thanks to towering 26-foot ceilings and vast windows. The seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom property was originally built in 1925 and boasts an incredible living green roof.

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Modern touches

Spread over three floors, the converted church blends modern touches with plenty of period features, including hardwood floors, marble accents, original columns and attractive plasterwork. A dramatic staircase sits at the center of the living room, which is zoned into a lounge, kitchen and dining area. Known as La Casa de Castille, the home also provides a loft-style sitting room and a library nook with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.

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A family affair

The master suite is classically styled and comes with a large walk-in closet, as well as a generous bathroom with a wooden vanity, a large antique bathtub and a separate shower. With Beyoncé’s younger sister, Solange, having relocated to New Orleans in 2013, the former church, which is just off the main Mardi Gras parade route, would make the ideal base for family reunions.

Loved this? Read on to see the rest of Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s stunning real estate collection. ..

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READ MORE: Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s incredible property portfolio

Perhaps the ultimate A-list power couple, Beyoncé and Jay-Z have a staggering net worth of over $1 billion. The talented duo have accumulated an eye-watering number of awards between them during their chart-topping music careers, as well as a roster of successful businesses. With some serious cash in their wallets, it’s no surprise that they’ve picked up some pretty incredible real estate along the way too. Click or scroll on to retrace their rise to the top and step inside the spectacular places they’ve called home.

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Where do Beyoncé and Jay-Z live?

Having tied the knot in 2008, the famous duo have built up a star-studded property portfolio over the years, including opulent homes in Los Angeles, the Hamptons and New York City.

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A new family portrait

Following the birth of twins Sir and Rumi in 2017, the Carter family, including nine-year-old daughter Blue Ivy, now reside in an $88 million mega-mansion in Bel Air. Recently captured by Beyoncé’s longtime hairstylist, Neal Farinah, this private family photo was recently shared on Instagram gossip blog, The Shade Room, and shows a sneak peek into the grown-up family of five. However, Beyoncé and Jay-Z have come a long way from where they started…

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The Upshaw Group

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Beyoncé’s childhood home

For Beyoncé Giselle Knowles, born 4 September 1981, it all started in this charming brick house in Houston, Texas.  Records suggest that the Knowles family purchased the home in 1986 and lived here until Beyoncé was five years old. In 2018, it landed on the real estate market for $500,000, giving keen fans a glimpse into the property where the singer spent her early years. 

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The Upshaw Group

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Beyoncé’s childhood home

Offering three bedrooms, two bathrooms and large airy living spaces, the home certainly looks like a comfortable place to grow up. While we’re sure the house has changed a lot since Bey lived here, it’s not hard to imagine the budding singer entertaining family and friends in this elegant sitting room. 

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Beyoncé’s childhood home

Constructed in 1946, the celebrity childhood home encompasses 2,938 square feet and has a quaint backyard. Luxury touches include original hardwood floors, a media room and a large master suite with a raised bed platform. It was in Houston that the legendary girl group Destiny’s Child was formed in 1990 when Knowles was just nine years old. Managed by the star’s father, they were originally known as Girl’s Tyme and would go on to release five successful albums before eventually going their separate ways.

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Beyoncé’s childhood home

It’s clear that Bey still has a lot of affection for her old stomping ground and the place where her music career kicked off. In 2016, the Queen herself visited her old neighborhood, sharing a snap with her loyal Instagram followers. The following year, she returned to take part in volunteer work to help local families affected by Hurricane Harvey, proving that the songstress still holds Houston close to her heart.

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Jay-Z’s Empire State of Mind apartment

In the 2009 hit ‘Empire State of Mind’, Jay-Z immortalized his former Brooklyn apartment. In the song, the iconic musician sings: “Took it to my stash spot, 560 State Street. Catch me in the kitchen, like a Simmons whippin’ pastry”. With these words, Jay-Z made the property as legendary as he is. It’s thought that the rapper lived in apartment 10C at 560 State Street for some years before he got his big break.

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Jay-Z’s Empire State of Mind apartment

Revamped since Jay-Z’s days here, the apartment is modern and bright thanks to a thorough refurbishment in 2005. The rapper and native New Yorker, born Shawn Corey Carter, reportedly moved into the 1900s-era building in the late 1990s, around the same time that he founded music label Roc-A-Fella Records with two friends. His loft found its way back onto the real estate market in 2014 with an asking price of $870,000, although it sold for considerably more.

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Jay-Z’s Empire State of Mind apartment

Spanning just over 1,000 square feet, the sleek space has two bedrooms and an open-plan living area with a small kitchenette and plenty of space for a lounge and dining zone. The home’s biggest selling points, however, are its beautiful oversized windows, elegant hardwood floors and airy 10-foot ceilings. Speaking to Seventeen in 2008, Beyoncé revealed that the notoriously private couple started dating in the early 2000s, so it’s conceivable that Queen Bey herself may have even spent time here.

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Jay-Z’s Empire State of Mind apartment

However, Jay is adamant that the place wasn’t quite so nice when he lived there. In 2012, the musician visited his former apartment and took to the roof to soak up the view. His trip down memory lane was captured by Ron Howard in the 2013 documentary Made in America, excerpts of which were shared on YouTube. The rapper revealed that the building was once seen as an undesirable place to live, though its fortunes have clearly since changed.

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Beyoncé’s former New York City condo

Having released her first solo album, Dangerously in Love, in 2003, Bey purchased a condo in Manhattan for $5 million in 2005, the same year that Destiny’s Child called it quits. Located in the sought-after One Beacon Court skyscraper between Lexington and Third Avenue, the high-altitude home is perched on the 44th floor. The 2,669-square-foot corner apartment benefits from mesmerizing views across Central Park and the towering landscape of New York City.

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Beyoncé’s former New York City condo

When she snapped up the condo, Bey had already racked up an incredible nine Grammy Award wins, so no doubt was in need of extra space to display her accolades. Spacious and filled with natural light, the home boasts floor-to-ceiling windows, towering 11-foot ceilings and state-of-the-art smart home systems. Every room has been finished immaculately thanks to Parisian interior designer Jacques Grange, from the solid panel doors to the contemporary moldings and recessed lighting.

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Beyoncé’s former New York City condo

The incredible skyscraper home offers an eat-in gourmet kitchen, which is kitted out with custom cabinets, Italian Basaltina stone countertops, Brazilian granite floors and professional-grade stainless steel appliances. There are also three ensuite bedrooms, while the master suite includes a steam shower, a bathtub with a view, his-and-hers sinks and large closets – everything the superstar could’ve needed!

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Beyoncé’s former New York City condo

During her time here, Bey would also have had access to private courtyard parking, a 24-hour doorman, personalized concierge service, fitness center, and valet. It’s hardly surprising then that Beyoncé held on to the condo for quite some time, only parting with it in 2017, when she placed the home on the market for $10 million. Unsurprisingly, it sold in just 11 days for the full asking price.

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s wedding venue

Jay-Z’s next New York City real estate purchase in 2004, the year the pair made their red carpet debut together at the MTV VMAs, would turn out to be a pretty important place for the guarded pair. The plush Tribeca penthouse at 195 Hudson Street served as Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s intimate wedding venue when they tied the knot in 2008. A small affair with only close friends and family, phones were reportedly banned to ensure the couple’s special day was kept private.

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Jay-Z’s Manhattan penthouse

A year before their nuptials in 2007, Jay-Z began renting this 76th-floor penthouse in the Time Warner Center on New York’s Upper West Side. His music career was hitting stratospheric heights, with six Grammy Awards under his belt, including two for ‘Crazy in Love’, his collaboration with Beyoncé. He leased the apartment for a number of years at a rumored cost of $40,000 per month, before it was sold by its owner for a mind-boggling $31 million. 

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Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate

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Jay-Z’s Manhattan penthouse

Standing proud at 4,825 square feet, the phenomenal penthouse features everything from panoramic city views to a suspended aquarium in the living room. Every bit as extravagant as you might expect, the pad offers sleek hardwood flooring, recessed lighting, floor-to-ceiling windows, a built-in entertainment center and a jukebox – perfect for hosting star-studded parties.

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Jay-Z’s Manhattan penthouse

The views are without a doubt the home’s pièce de résistance, with 360-degree vistas of the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and the Hudson River. Many of the rooms, including the lounge and master bedroom, also have direct access to private exterior balconies, where Jay-Z no doubt spent many a night soaking up the skyline.

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Jay-Z’s Manhattan penthouse

The master suite is a striking space for unwinding, thanks to its king-sized bed, living area and ensuite bathroom. The apartment also offers a stylish office with stunning river views, and a spacious kitchen with a dining zone and marble finishes. Yet once he was married, Jay-Z decided it was time to purchase something a little more family-friendly…

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Beyoncé’s Malibu maternity rental

2017 was a busy year for the Carters, who decided to expand their family, as well as their property portfolio. Hunting for the perfect place to spend her pregnancy, Beyoncé settled on a jaw-dropping coastal villa on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California. Bey and Jay-Z rented the residence throughout the summer, when they welcomed their twins, Rumi and Sir, into the world, forking out a reported $400,000 a month for the privilege.  

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Beyoncé’s Malibu maternity rental

The breathtaking beach estate comes with everything one might need for a tranquil babymoon, comprising a main house, guest lodgings and six oceanfront acres of landscaped gardens. The luxurious property epitomizes the laid-back Californian lifestyle and boasts a saltwater infinity pool, a tennis court, croquet lawns, plenty of outdoor entertainment lounges, a billiards room, library, wine cellar and a movie theater.

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Beyoncé’s Malibu maternity rental

The 16,000-square-foot luxury residence blends classic European architecture with every luxury amenity under the sun. With enough space to accommodate 18 people, the pad offers 15 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms – some can be found in the main house, while others are located in the guest lodgings. Many fans will remember Beyoncé’s iconic pregnancy photoshoot, some of which took place in the sprawling grounds of the villa.

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Beyoncé’s Malibu maternity rental

The home’s Romanesque pool pavilion is otherworldly. With classical friezes, hand-painted murals, dramatic chandeliers, onyx paneling and archways adorned with glistening seashells, it’s the perfect spot for a soak. We can definitely see why the Carters selected this mesmerizing house for some much-needed family time. In 2018, the villa reportedly sold for $50 million and is now available to rent, with prices starting from $17,500 a night.

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s LA rental

In 2014, the couple began searching for a permanent home but found the process surprisingly hard, despite their big budget. Bey and Jay tried to snap up a handful of different properties but lost out each time. After struggling to purchase a house of their own, they began renting this spectacular mansion for a reported $150,000 a month. 

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s LA rental

Built in 2014, the Holmby Hills estate spans 16,000 square feet and comes with seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms.  The contemporary, three-story home boasts panoramic views of the Hollywood Hills, as well as an interior kitted out with the finest materials and luxurious amenities. 

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s LA rental

Everywhere you look you’ll find jaw-dropping living spaces, decorated with earthy colors, floor-to-ceiling glass and soaring 20-foot ceilings. There’s an infinity pool, a wine cellar, two libraries, a catering kitchen, a 75-foot-long art gallery, a home theater and a tennis court. The mega-mansion also happens to be a short walk away from the Playboy Mansion and even featured in the 1998 movie, The Big Lebowski. 

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s LA rental

Beyoncé and Jay-Z are said to have used the property as their base when not on tour, but in May 2014 the house hit the market for a cool $45 million. At the time, it was one of the most expensive houses for sale in all of Los Angeles and when it sold in 2015, the couple were reportedly given just 60 days to find somewhere else to live.

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s $88 million mansion

The absolute pinnacle of their real estate journey, this spectacular mansion is the Carters’ latest and greatest purchase. After being turned out of their rental, the power couple closed in on this newly-built Bel Air estate, which set them back a staggering $88 million. Comprising six structures, the colossal residence is made from glass, steel and exquisite marbled limestone.

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s $88 million mansion

The sale of the 30,000-square-foot residence was among LA’s most expensive property transactions of 2017. According to the Los Angeles Times, the couple took out a $52.8 million mortgage to buy the pad, which equates to $252,000 a month in repayments, over a 30-year period. The couple is also said to owe over $1 million per year in property taxes on the Bel Air mansion. 

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s $88 million mansion

Bey is evidently stroked with her new jaw-dropping mansion and has posted plenty of candid Instagram shots of the property. The custom-made home has eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, as well as a dramatic architectural staircase made from dark wood and Italian limestone. The windows feature bulletproof glass and there’s also a state-of-the-art security system to ensure the family can relax in complete privacy.

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s $88 million mansion

Expansive patios, numerous sunbathing decks and four swimming pools help make up the home’s almost two-acre garden. There’s also a full basketball court, a spa, and standalone staff quarters, as well as a secure garage for up to 15 vehicles and a media room. Talk about a home fit for the King and Queen of music!

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Hamptons retreat

Around a month after they picked up their Bel Air mega-mansion, the Carters made another big real estate splurge, this time on a $26 million holiday retreat in the Hamptons.  Purchased in September 2017, the pad is located in the coastal town of East Hampton, New York, a celebrity property hotspot celebrated for its pristine beaches and grand mansions. Known as Pond House, the residence sat stagnant on the real estate market for eight years until the power couple laid claim to it.

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Hamptons retreat

Designed by Stanford White over 100 years ago, Pond House sits on an elevated two-acre plot and was extensively renovated over two years by Jeffrey Collé. As part of the works, Collé rotated the entire property 90 degrees in order to improve the views from the living room. The spectacular space now also boasts a soaring double-height ceiling, extensive glazing, dual fireplaces and exquisite parquet floors.  

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Hamptons retreat

Offering a total of seven bedrooms, the home’s master suite is the perfect sanctuary and features an antique French stone fireplace, his-and-hers dressing rooms and bathrooms, walk-in closets and a private terrace. There’s also a screening room, playroom and three-car garage. Outside, you’ll find an infinity-edged pool, a wraparound terrace with an outdoor kitchen and a detached 1,800-square-foot guesthouse.

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Hamptons retreat

The sprawling celebrity holiday home, which spans 12,000 square feet, is clearly a favorite of Beyoncé’s, as not long after buying the property, she took to Instagram to show off the family’s new digs. Pictured here on the mansion’s deck, we have a feeling it’ll be a much-loved family holiday retreat for years to come. 

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Beyoncé music video rental

In 2020, Beyoncé released a musical film and visual album entitled Black Is King in collaboration with Disney+. For the project, the singer decided to rent a property that would do her music justice. For the job, she chose the Beverly House, which can be found just three blocks away from Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.

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Beyoncé music video rental

The Mediterranean Revival-style mansion was built in 1926 and boasts 50,000 square feet of inside space. Every single room is overflowing with mesmerizing design details, such as dramatic arched ceilings, decorative paneled walls and gilded furnishings – so it’s no real wonder that Bey chose the pad as the backdrop for her visual album.

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Beyoncé music video rental

The spectacular spread features 18 bedrooms, 29 bathrooms, a two-story library, two screening rooms, a commercial-grade kitchen, a billiard room with a hand-carved stone fireplace and a formal living room finished with a painted ceiling. There’s also an 82-foot-long hallway, which can be spotted in numerous scenes in the visual album. Elsewhere, there’s an Olympic-sized swimming pool and a floodlit tennis court.

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The pad is one of America’s most expensive homes. In 2016, it made waves when it hit the market for a cool $195 million. After struggling to find a buyer, the property was relisted in 2020 for $125 million, before eventually being reduced to $90 million in 2021. According to the New York Post, there are only 20 families in the world that could actually afford to buy and maintain the property. Watch this space, because maybe Beyoncé and Jay-Z are looking to expand their property portfolio…

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The Luxurious Real Estate Portfolio of Jay-Z and Beyoncé – Bdellium

Jay-Z and Beyoncé are one of the few celebrity couples who exude as much star power. Both have established storied musical careers filled with number one singles and accolades, and their reputations as trailblazers and idols are well-deserved. Together, they are virtually impregnable. When the couple got married in 2008, they pooled their aspirations and focused on, among other things, real estate investing. Since then, they have owned and sold houses in Los Angeles, the Hamptons, New Orleans, Miami Beach, and New York City.

We’ve listed a few of the residences the dynamic couple have held down below.

Although the Brooklyn neighborhood of Boerum Hill was mentioned in Jay-2009 Z’s song “Empire State of Mind” as a “stash place,” the rapper’s first significant real estate purchase was in Lower Manhattan. Jay-Z spent $6.85 million buying a stunning Tribeca apartment several years before he and Beyoncé got married. The 8,000 square foot apartment, which was on the seventh floor of a 1929 brick warehouse building that had been transformed, also included 3,000 square feet of patio space. The apartment later played host to the couple’s intimate 40-person wedding, which allegedly included 70,000 Dendrobium flowers brought in from Thailand. It seems like Jay-Z still owns the property.

For the first few years of their relationship, Beyoncé lived in a $5 million townhouse in midtown Manhattan with a view of Central Park as her bachelorette pad. The ultra-modern location has 11-foot ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, and high-end interior finishes chosen by Parisian designer Jacques Grange. According to reports, Beyoncé mostly used the three-bedroom condo as a place for visitors from her family and friends to stay. After less than a month on the market, the singer sold the 44th-floor corner unit for $9.95 million in 2017. The same building had previously been home to her mother Tina Knowles, who sold it in 2011.

After buying his Tribeca penthouse, Jay-Z eventually moved up to the Time Warner Center in Midtown. The rapper reportedly paid $40,000 per month to rent a 4,825 square foot condo there. The three-bedroom penthouse had interesting features like a fish tank that suspended from the ceiling, floor to ceiling windows, and a view of the metropolitan skyline. It’s unknown how long Jay-Z rented the house, but in 2011, it was sold for a record-breaking $31 million.

The newlyweds purchased a home in Miami on the upscale Indian Creek Island soon after getting married in Jay-Tribeca Z’s penthouse. Neighbors there included Julio Iglesias, billionaire Carl Icahn, and Adriana Lima (more recent residents include Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen, as well as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner). One of just 35 properties on the island, their Mediterranean-style villa was constructed in 1991 and had seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and a private boat dock. The compound was thought to have cost the couple just over $9 million, but they didn’t keep it for very long; in 2010, they sold it for $9.3 million.

The power couple rented a 31,000 square foot property in Bridgehampton, New York, with all the amenities of the ideal summer retreat for a low-key $400,000 per month. The house had a two-lane bowling alley, a climbing wall, a half-pipe for skateboarding, a full bar, a pool, a tennis court, and an outdoor kitchen.

The pair also notably rented a house in the adjacent Wainscott neighborhood just off Georgica Pond for two weekends in July with friend and CEO of Roc-A-Fella Records Damon Dash. At the time, Jay-Z told New York magazine, “I felt like a little kid in a big spooky house there. An small yet star-studded premiere of Jake Gyllenhaal’s End of Watch was held in the 120-seat screening room of the Italianate stucco estate, which was situated on 8.5 acres and had an indoor-outdoor pool. It has also been said that celebrities like Madonna and Jennifer Lopez have rented the house.

The two then started looking for a base of operations in Los Angeles, but they found it unexpectedly difficult to find one. They decided to rent after being outbid on several properties (one by Markus Persson, the inventor of Minecraft). A freshly constructed, modern Holmby Hills residence with floor-to-ceiling glass sliders, an infinity pool, a wine cellar, a 75-foot-long art gallery, and a home theater cost the celebrities $150,000 per month to rent. The couple’s search for the ideal West Coast pad continued after the property sold in 2015. As a result, they were forced to leave the property.

The purchase of a historic mansion in the Garden District by Jay-Z and Beyoncé was the subject of rumors in New Orleans; however, it was later discovered that the couple had actually acquired the property through an LLC connected to the Renaissance singer. Although the 13,300-square-foot, distinctive mansion’s price is unclear, it was on the market for $2.6 million when the couple bought it.

The three-story La Casa de Castille building, constructed in the Spanish Baroque style in the 1920s, has seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms spread out among its three distinct flats and main mansion. Once more making headlines in 2021, the location experienced a fire. A few months later, the couple listed the property for $3.5 million, followed by an even higher asking price of $4.45 million. The house was later taken off the market, so it appears that it didn’t sell.

The happy parents, who also have a 10-year-old daughter named Blue, decided to temporarily relocate to an estate in Malibu one week after birthing twins Rumi and Sir in order to recover and get to know the newest members of the family. La Villa Contenta, a 6.3-acre estate, was rented by the couple for $400,000 per month. The 12,000 square foot Mediterranean-style home was incredibly private and had a movie theater, a wine cellar, many terraces, and unending ocean views (but no direct beach access!). The Malibu mansion was also where Beyoncé famously posted a first photo of the twins the day they became one month old.

Later that summer, the pair finally acquired their West Coast center of operations when they paid $88 million for an ultramodern Bel Air estate. The property, which was recently constructed at the time, consists of six different buildings with a combined square footage of 30,000 and features media rooms, spa and wellness centers, and an astounding four outdoor swimming pools. The house has a 15-car garage, 8 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, and more than 10,000 square feet of outdoor living area. Additionally, all of the windows and bulletproof glass walls are present. The family’s current main residence is this one.

The following month, the couple added to their historic year by purchasing a seven-bedroom, seven-and-a-half-bathroom estate in East Hampton. Stanford White, a renowned architect, created the 12,000 square foot behemoth known as The Pond House, which is located next to Georgica Pond. There, the Carters enjoy the ultimate privacy because to their 203 feet of riverfront land and proximity to a sizable 17-acre meadow preserve. Amazingly, the previous owner even turned the house around 90 degrees so that the living room now faces west toward the pond, giving the family of five vistas of both beautiful sunrises in the east and lovely sunsets in the west.

 

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Inside Jay-Z and Beyonce’s luxury real estate portfolio

Inside Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s luxury real estate portfolio

• September 05, 2022
• Other

Jay-Z and Beyoncé have been married since 2008 and have three children. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Few celebrity couples radiate as much star power as Jay-Z and Beyoncé. Both have created a musical legacy loaded with number one hits and awards, and have a reputation for being trailblazers and icons. Together they are almost unstoppable. When the couple married in 2008, they combined their ambitions and turned their attention to (among other things) investing in real estate. Since then, they have owned and sold homes in New York, Miami Beach, New Orleans, the Hamptons and Los Angeles.

Below we’ve rounded up some of the places the dynamic duo have called home.

2004

Despite Jay-Z’s 2009 hit “Empire State of Mind” mentioning a “stash” at 560 State Street, an address in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, the rapper’s first major real estate purchase was at actually in Lower Manhattan. A few years before he and Beyoncé got married, Jay-Z forked out. $6.85 million for spectacular Tribeca Penthouse. The room on the seventh floor was located in a converted brick warehouse building 1929 years old and was 8,000 square feet with an additional 3,000 square feet of outdoor terraces. Later, the couple will hold their private 40-person wedding at the penthouse where 70,000 Dendrobium orchids reportedly flew in from Thailand. It looks like Jay-Z still owns the device.
Meanwhile, Beyonce’s bachelorette party for the first few years of their relationship was a $5 million apartment in midtown Manhattan overlooking Central Park. The ultra-modern space featured floor-to-ceiling windows and 11-foot ceilings, as well as high-quality interior finishes chosen by Parisian designer Jacques Grange. Beyonce reportedly used the three-bedroom apartment primarily as a place for friends and family to stay while they were in town. The singer sold a corner apartment on the 44th floor for 9.95 million dollars. in 2017 after less than a month on the market. Her mother, Tina Knowles, also previously owned a home in the same building, but sold it in 2011.

2007

A few years after buying his Tribeca penthouse, Jay-Z moved to the Time Warner Center in Midtown. There, the rapper rented a 4,825-square-foot apartment for $40,000 a month. The three-bedroom penthouse boasted floor-to-ceiling windows and panoramic city views, as well as unusual features such as an aquarium hanging from the ceiling. It’s unclear how long Jay-Z rented the residence, but sold it for a record $31 million in 2011.

2008

Aerial view of Indian Creek Island in Miami.

Photo: CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images

Shortly after their wedding at the Jay-Z Tribeca penthouse, the newlyweds purchased property in Miami. the exclusive island of Indian Creek, whose neighbors were Julio Iglesias, billionaire Carl Icahn and Adriana Lima. (recent residents include Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen, as well as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner). Their Mediterranean-style villa (one of 35 houses on the island) was built in 1991 and boasts seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms, as well as its own boat marina. The couple were thought to have paid just over $9 million for the complex, but they didn’t last long, selling it. for $9.3 million in 2010.

2012

A couple of power plants paid a random $400,000 per month in rent. 31,000-square-foot New England-style mansion in Bridgehampton, NY, complete with everything you need for the perfect summer getaway. In addition to a two-lane bowling alley, the house also had a climbing wall, a skateboard half-pipe, a full bar, a swimming pool, a tennis court, and a summer kitchen.

The couple also rented a house in nearby Waynescott, located near Georgica Pond, with friend and Roc-A-Fella Records CEO Damon Dash for two weekends in July. “I felt like a little kid in a big haunted house there.” – Jay-Z New York magazine said at this time. The Italian stucco house spanned 8.5 acres and featured an indoor-outdoor pool and a 120-seat cinema that was used for an intimate but stellar movie premiere. End of Duty starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Celebrities such as Madonna and Jennifer Lopez are also known to have rented out properties.

2014

The couple then began searching for a home base in Los Angeles, but found it surprisingly difficult to lock it up. They were outbid for a number of properties (once by Minecraft creator Markus Persson), so they opted to rent instead. The superstars forked out $150,000 a month for a newly built state-of-the-art Holmby Hills estate with floor-to-ceiling glass sliders, an infinity pool, wine cellar, 75-foot-long art gallery and home theater. When the property was sold in 2015, the couple were forced to vacate the premises, meaning their search for the perfect West Coast apartment continued.

2015

There were rumors in New Orleans that Jay-Z and Beyoncé were behind the purchase of a historic home in the Garden District. it was later revealed that the couple had indeed acquired the former church, which became a ballet school and then a residence, through an LLC associated with renaissance singer. While it is not known how much the couple paid for the unique 13,300-square-foot mansion, it was listed for sale for $2. 6 million at the time of their purchase. Built in 19In the 1920s, the Spanish Baroque three-story building known as La Casa de Castille was divided into a main residence and three separate apartments with seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms between spaces. The place made headlines again in 2021 when a house fire broke out; a few months later, the couple put it up for sale for $3.5 million and then for a more ambitious $4.45 million. The house does not appear to have been for sale, as it was later taken off the market.

2017

La Villa Contenta photographed during an event held there in 2011.

Photo: Brian To/FilmMagic

A week after the birth of twins Rumi and Sir, the jubilant parents (they also have a 10-year-old daughter, Blue) decided to temporarily move to the Malibu estate to bounce back and get to know the latest additions to the family. The couple rented the 6.3-acre complex known as La Villa Contenta for $400,000 per month. The extremely private 12,000-square-foot Mediterranean-style residence had amenities such as a cinema, gym and wine cellar, as well as numerous terraces and endless ocean views (although without direct access to the beach!). The mansion in Malibu was also famous for Beyoncé. shared the first photo of the twins the day they turned one month old.

Later that summer, the couple finally found their West Coast home base with the purchase of a state-of-the-art $88 million Bel Air Mansion. Newly built at that time, the hotel consists of six separate buildings with a total area of ​​30,000 square meters. ft., with amenities such as a spa and wellness center, media room and a whopping four outdoor swimming pools. pools. There are 8 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, a 15 car garage and over 10,000 square feet of open living space. Also of note: all windows and glass walls of the pockets are bulletproof. It is currently the family’s main home.

The couple continued their big year by purchasing a seven-bedroom, seven-and-a-half-bath mansion in East Hampton the following month. The Pond House is a 12,000-square-foot behemoth designed by renowned architect Stanford White located near Georgica Pond. There, the Carters have 203 feet of waterfront property and adjoin a massive 17-acre grassland reserve, giving them maximum privacy. Incredibly, the previous owner even turned the house 90 degrees, so the living room now faces west towards the pond, meaning a family of five can enjoy both stunning sunrises to the east and spectacular sunsets to the west.

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The amount of accommodation available for rent in the Big Apple is huge, so a good platform to find the right property for you can save you a lot of time and hassle. With Nestpick, you simply press a button and you have a list of great furnished apartments in New York. All you have to do is choose the best of the many New York rental apartments on our platform to start your journey towards life in one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world.

New York City is divided into five vast areas, the so-called boroughs, in each of which you can find apartments of all shapes and sizes. Rents tend to get higher the closer you are to midtown Manhattan, where the average rent is around $3,500 (€3,000) per month. But don’t worry: the other four boroughs are full of neighborhoods with monthly rents as low as $1,650 (€1,415)—about half the average monthly rent in parts of Manhattan.

Rooms in New York

The average rent for a room in New York City is $1,240. In Manhattan, the smallest but most populous borough, the average cost of renting a room is $1,350. But you can find cheaper options in the neighborhoods of Washington Heights and Harlem. Other boroughs such as Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island have many cheaper rental options.

Renting a room in New York is an amazing way to save money in an expensive city because the rent is shared between all tenants. In New York, the number of rooms for rent is huge, as there are just as many people looking for roommates or tenants as there are people looking for a room or landlord.

Room rentals in New York allow low-income people to live in trendy and popular neighborhoods where they can’t afford to rent an entire apartment.

New York City Apartments by Area

When moving to New York, it is undeniably necessary to assess your budget sensibly. In addition to rent, the purchase of food and various things, as well as (night) rest will have a significant impact on your finances. Students moving to New York should definitely consider these factors when looking for a furnished apartment for long-term rentals.

If you’re looking for budget accommodation, New York has plenty of great affordable rental apartments. Moreover, transport and utilities are much cheaper here than in other large cities. If you can live in the city that never sleeps and stay within your budget, then you will have an incredible, deeply satisfying experience. If you can live in New York, you can live in any city.

Manhattan

If you’re looking for an affordable furnished apartment in Manhattan, you certainly need to be prepared for its small footprint, as real estate prices in this borough are very high. However, the small area of ​​the apartment, of course, is compensated by the incredibly convenient location and proximity to all social infrastructure facilities. A relatively inexpensive neighborhood with trendy bars, concert halls, and gourmet eateries is the East Village. True, it is still in the process of gentrification. The average monthly rent here is $2,500 (€2,140), which is quite inexpensive considering that rents in parts of Lower Manhattan can exceed $4,000 (€3,420).

The cheapest furnished apartments for rent in Manhattan are to be found in the northern parts of the island. To begin with, it is worth paying attention to the neighborhoods of East Harlem and Washington Heights, which are greatly influenced by Hispanic culture. Rent here can be as low as $1,800 (€1,540). With an average borough rent of $3,500 (€3,000)! These promising neighborhoods are excellent proof that you can rent a furnished apartment at a good price in Manhattan!

Brooklyn

With a combination of moderate rents, a vibrant art scene, and a vibrant community, Brooklyn is a frequent choice for young professionals moving to New York. This lively area is diverse and defies stereotypes. Brooklyn neighborhoods like Park Slope and Prospect Park are perfect for building a peaceful family life.

The trendy and up-and-coming Bushwick area is also popular with young professionals and students. The area owes its popularity to the relative low cost of living, cheap vintage shops, great bars and art galleries. Also excellent areas for renting apartments in Brooklyn are Bedford – Stuyvesant (Bed Sty), where Jay-Z previously worked, and multicultural Flatbush. Both of these areas are distinguished by a wide variety of rental housing and vibrant communities.

The cost of renting various furnished apartments in Brooklyn varies significantly depending on the area, the size and design of the apartment, and the proximity of social infrastructure. Renting a one bedroom apartment can range from $1,500 (€1,290) to $3,200 (€2,750).

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Midtown Apartments

Midtown is the central business district of New York. It is home to some of Manhattan’s most iconic landmarks – the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden and Times Square. Midtown is one of the busiest parts of Manhattan, so if you want to immerse yourself in the busy New York city life, then this is the place for you. Renting an apartment in Midtown ranges from $2,500 to $5,000 (€2,130 to €4,260) depending on the size of the apartment, year the building was built, and location.

New York Student Housing

New York is home to some of the most important universities, libraries and research centers in the world and, not surprisingly, many US and international students visit the city each year. If you’re going to study in New York—whether it’s Columbia, New York University, Fordham, or another established institution—you’re probably looking forward to becoming a New Yorker.

Before heading to the city that never sleeps, it is highly advisable to choose accommodation that will allow you to fully enjoy life in the Big Apple. When choosing a property in New York on the Nestpick platform, be sure to consider factors such as the cost of rent, area, proximity to the subway, and the reputation of the area.

The headquarters of the secret Illuminati may be in these American cities

culture

The Illuminati is a secret age-old society that controls the entire world, or so the story goes. Its members are said to include political and corporate leaders as well as artists. There are suggestions that it includes Jay-Z (see page 5) , Barack Obama, Lady Gaga and even Pope Francis and President Donald Trump.

Where could such a group, also called the New World Order, meet to plot world domination? It could be right under your nose. Here are 15 places in America that are likely the headquarters of the Illuminati, say theorists. You won’t believe what random city in the Midwest could be the epicenter of an organization. (p. 9) .

1. Disney World

Obviously, the happiest place on earth can also be home to the Illuminati. | David Roark / Disneyland via Getty Images

• Location: Lake Buena Vista, Florida

While Disney World is teeming with supposedly happy families, it has a dark side: secret tunnels Illuminati. human programming rooms, according to the Internet. Encased in a golf ball, Epcot’s “Experimental Prototype of the Community of Tomorrow” is “an extension of Disneyland’s massive mind control,” according to an essay titled “Disney’s Pedigree. ”

Mysteriously or not, the essay’s webpage was taken down and the author’s claims were never verified.

Next: The number is a dead sale.

2. The Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty was built by Freemasons. | Brian R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images

• Location: New York

Arguably the world’s most recognizable symbol of freedom, the Statue of Liberty was designed and built by Freemasons and donated to the United States. Lady Liberty’s origins have led conspiracy theorists to believe that she is one of the many Illuminati headquarters in the country. Its base is in the shape of an 11-point star; and (ready for this?) the Illuminati have a penchant for the number 11.

Next: Creepy Gothic structure

3. Mormon Temple

It certainly looks the part. | AndreyKrav / iStock / Getty Images

when Jordan Spieth gets married

• Location: Salt Lake City

For anyone who believes in the Illuminati (or even in their possibility), this structure may be the group’s most obvious meeting point. Its Mason’s all-seeing eye, towering spiers, gothic façade, and ominous lighting all point to the presence of evil masterminds bent on ruling the world.

Next: Obvious place

4. Illuminati Dance Club

The dance club is closed. | szgaga / iStock / Getty Images

• Location: Chicago

With that name, nothing is more obvious than this nightclub in the heart of Chicago’s North Side. “Discover a nightclub like no other in Chicago! You will remember the night you experienced the Illuminati,” read one description. Indeed, indeed.

Alas, as so many of these establishments come and go, the Illuminati dance club is no more. Maybe the leaders thought it was all too obvious?

Next: Mystery Sports Agency

5. Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Headquarters

He fueled the rumors. | Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

• Location: New York

Although rappers often turn to the Illuminati in their music, one person who is said to have been the most involved is Jay-Z. In fact, he fueled the rumors when asked about it. in a 2010 interview, “It’s a secret society that everyone knows about,” he said, laughing.

A rap mogul’s sports agency could be the perfect headquarters for the Illuminati. Located in Times Square, it has been described as mysterious by The Washington Post. There’s a lot no one outside really knows about the company. Hmm…

Next: Main Government Building

6. The Pentagon

Some people think that the entire government is run by the Illuminati. | Digital Vision / iStock / Getty Images

• Location: Washington.

Many conspiracy theorists have called the US government an elaborate Illuminati front. If this were true, the obvious base for this secret society is the Pentagon. Some note that the mysterious five-sided building is shaped like an occult symbol. And the creepy Pentagon $22 million UFO program just adds fuel to the fire.

Next: Storage in the capital

7. White House

If the Pentagon is the headquarters of the Illuminati, maybe the White House is too. | Alex Wong/Getty Images

• Location: Washington.

This is not far from the Pentagon to the White House – also the target of the theories of the Illuminati. The streets of the US capital form an inverted pentagram pointing straight at the White House. Coincidence or insidious evil planning?

Pentagram also intersects with other landmarks. But occult planning aside, anyone plodding their way through D.C. traffic during the summer has effectively compared the environment to hell on earth. | Tim1337/Wikimedia Commons

• Location: Lincoln County, Nevada

Area 51 houses of UFOs and space creatures have been gathering for years, according to conspiracy theorists. Scientists there are rumored to be reverse-engineering futuristic spacecraft technology and conducting lab tests on aliens.

But since no one really knows what’s going on there, isn’t it too much to suggest that this is where the evil masterminds congregate to plot world domination over coffee?

Next: Seemingly harmless Midwestern city

9. Sandusky, Ohio

The city’s streets form the shape of an Illuminati seal. | Ken Winters, US Army Corps of Engineers / Wikimedia Commons

As random as it sounds, Sandusky, Ohio could be the true epicenter of the New World Order. The city’s streets are aligned, forming an Illuminati seal, according to French cartographer Jacques Itsch.

This is due to some of the diagonal streets that make up the standard grid. Why else would the city add useless streets? Now it all seems painfully obvious.

Next: Another National Treasure

10. Independence Hall.

It may be more than it seems. | Sean Pavon / iStock / Getty Images

• Location: Philadelphia

Tourists flock to the famous Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were born. But like the movie , National Treasure suggests that many sinister conspiracies may have originated here.

Theorists have associated this landmark with the Freemasons, known for their dark, deceptive, Illuminati-like practices. Therefore, we would not be surprised if this is a popular place for the bigwigs of the New World Order as well.

Next: A place under millions of people

11. Near Brooklyn, New York

Something might be happening under your feet. | Moussa81 / iStock / Getty Images

Far below the streets of New York lies a maze of hidden tunnels, material of legend. Crypts hidden deep under the harbor of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the remains of the dead. In the 1800s, workers led cows through underground passages to the slaughterhouse.

Many of these now lonely tunnels are hidden from human access – maybe if you’re not Illuminati? What secretive powerful group wouldn’t want to meet deep underground, out of sight?

Next: Horrifying Illuminati statue?

12. Denver International Airport

There are secret tunnels under the airport. | arinahabich/Getty Images

• Location: Denver

Denver International Airport may be the main headquarters of the Illuminati. Some say the clues are everywhere: from above, the runways resemble the shape of a swastika. Secret tunnels stretch for miles below.

On the main level, the frescoes depict the end of the world, and the walls are decorated with gargoyles. Perhaps the most terrifying element is the formidable 32-foot-tall statue of a blue horse nicknamed “Bluefiker” with glowing eyes, which killed its creator when it fell on top of it.

Next: Stonehenge in the USA.

13. Georgia Waystones

The cause of the plates is a mystery. | Dina Eric / Wikimedia Commons

• Location: Near Elberton, Georgia

A field in rural Georgia turned into a tourist attraction when six granite slabs were installed in 1980 with 10 manuals written in eight languages. They read the following:

• Keep humanity less than 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
• Manage reproduction wisely – improve fitness and diversity.
• Unite humanity with a living new language.
• Manage passion, faith, tradition and everything else with a moderate mind.
• Protect people and nations with just laws and fair courts.
• Let all nations rule within the country, resolving external disputes in the world court.
• Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
• Balance personal rights and social obligations.
• Appreciate truth – beauty – love – look for harmony with the infinite.
• Don’t be a cancer on earth – Leave room for nature – Leave room for nature.

Other than the artist listed as “R.C. Christian”, who funded the project and why is a mystery. Is this a warning or something worse? Illuminati threat?

Next: Centuries-old tomb

14. Tomb at Yale University.

Headquarters of the Skull and Bones Society in New Haven. | Wikimedia Commons

how many rings does Andre Iguodala have

• Location: New Haven, Connecticut

The tomb is the headquarters of Yale University’s Secret Skull and Bones Society. The members founded the society in 1856 when the construction of the Tomb began. Now it consists of two medieval towers and a courtyard. It is said to hold the remains of the Apache warrior Geronimo, who died over 100 years ago. It is also reported to be a secret meeting place for the Illuminati.

Next: The tallest obelisk in the world

15. Washington Monument

The architect was reportedly a member of the Illuminati. | Sean Pavon / iStock / Getty Images

• Location: Washington.

Architect Pierre L’Enfant, who designed much of Washington DC, was reportedly a member of the Illuminati. We have already mentioned theories related to the White House and the Pentagon. Well, supposedly L’Enfant designed the Washington Monument using ancient Egyptian technology to protect the city from being destroyed by things like bad weather.

The monument is the tallest obelisk in the world. Obelisks are traditionally erected at places of financial, spiritual or political power.

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Jay Z – The Story of O.J.

[Intro: Nina Simone]

[Intro: Nina Simone]

Skin is, skin is,

Skin black, my skin is black,

My black, my skin is yellow.

My skin is black, my skin is yellow.

[Chorus:]

[Chorus:]

Light n**ga, dark n**ga, faux n**ga, real n**ga,

Light n**ga, dark n**ga, fake n**ga, real n**ga,

Rich n**ga, poor n**ga, house n**ga, field n**ga,

Nigga, field nigga,

Still n**ga, still n**ga.

Still nigga, still nigga.

I like that second one.

I like the second one.

Light n**ga, dark n**ga, faux n**ga, real n**ga,

Rich n**ga, poor n**ga, house n**ga, field n**ga,

Rich n**ga, poor n**ga, home n**ga, field n**ga,

Still n**ga, still n**ga.

Still nigga, still nigga.

[Verse 1:]

[Verse 1:]

O.J. like, “I’m not black, I’m O.J.” OK.

OJ is like, “I’m not black, I’m O.J…” Well, okay.

House n**ga, don’t fuck with me,

I’m a field n**ga with shined cutlery,

glittering fixtures,

Gold-plated quarters where the butlers be,

Gold-plated quarters where the butlers be,

I’ma play the corners where the hustlers be.

And I play on the corners, where the hucksters are.

I told him, “Please, don’t die over the neighborhood

I told him, “Please don’t die over the neighborhood0009

That your momma rentin’,

Take your drug money and buy the neighborhood,

Take your drug money and buy the neighborhood,

That’s how you rinse it. ”

That’s how you rinse it.”

I bought every V12 engine

I bought every V12 engine

Wish I could take it back to the beginning

0009

I could buy an apartment in DUMBO before it became DUMBO,

For like two million,

That same building today is worth 25 million.

The same building today is worth twenty-five million.

Guess how I’m feelin’? Dumbo.

Guess who I feel like? chump.

[Chorus:]

[Chorus:]

Light n**ga, dark n**ga, faux n**ga, real n**ga,

Light n**ga, dark n**ga, fake nigga, real nigga0009

Rich n**ga, poor n**ga, house n**ga, field n**ga,

Still n**ga, still n**ga.

Still nigga, still nigga.

Light n**ga, dark n**ga, faux n**ga, real n**ga,

Rich n**ga, poor n**ga, house n**ga, field n**ga,

Rich n**ga, poor n**ga, home n**ga, field n**ga0009

Still n**ga, still n**ga.

Still nigga, still nigga.

[Verse 2:]

[Verse 2:]

You wanna know what’s more important than throwin’ away money at a strip club? credit.

You know what’s more important than throwing money at a strip club? Confidence.

You ever wonder why Jewish people own all the property in America? This how they did it.

Have you ever wondered why Jews own everything in America? That’s why.

Financial freedom my only hope,

Financial freedom my only hope,

Fuck livin’ rich and dyin’ broke.

Fuck living rich and dying poor.

I bought some artwork for one million,

Two years later, that shit worth two million,

, that shit worth eight million,

0009

I can’t wait to give this shit to my children.

I can’t wait to pass this shit on to my kids.

Y’all think it’s bougie, I’m like, “It’s fine,

I’m like, “Okay,

But I’m tryna give you a million dollars worth of game for $9.99.”

But I’m trying to give you millions of dollars of work for nine ninety-nine.”

I turned that two to a four, four to an eight,

I turned two to four, four to eight0009

I turned my life into a nice first week release date.

I turned my life into a good date for the first week of release.

Y’all out here still takin’ advances, huh?

You still get advances around here, don’t you?

Me and my n**gas takin’ real chances, uh,

Y’all on the ‘Gram holdin’ money to your ear,

hoo on Instagram,

There’s a disconnect, we don’t call that money over here, yeah!

It’s a disconnect, we don’t call that kind of money here, yeah!

[Chorus:]

[Chorus:]

Light n**ga, dark n**ga, faux n**ga, real n**ga,

Light n**ga, dark n**ga, fake n**ga, real n**ga,

Rich n**ga, poor n**ga, house n**ga, field n**ga,

Nigga, field nigga,

Still n**ga, still n**ga.

Still nigga, still nigga.

Light n**ga, dark n**ga, faux n**ga, real n**ga,

Light n**ga, dark n**ga, fake n**ga, real n**ga,

Rich n**ga, poor n**ga, house n**ga, field n**ga,

Rich nigga, poor nigga, home nigga, field nigga,

Still n**ga, still n**ga.

Still nigga, still nigga.

How celebrities live. Singer Roshin Murphy in her apartment in London

T

KULTURA
•
PERSONALITY

TEXT:
Ksenia Krushinskaya

Singer Roshin Murphy and her apartment full of artifacts

photo: turkina faso

interview: Yulia Tsezar

style:
Lilia Toncheva O”Rourke

hairstyle and makeup: Emil Zed

due to the coronavirus pandemic 90 countries are going into self-isolation. We spend more and more time at home, and thanks to social networks we find out how the apartments of acquaintances and strangers, from colleagues to celebrities, look like. Here’s how indie pop diva Roshin Murphy lives (don’t worry, we visited her in her London apartment before the British prime minister urged locals to comply with the quarantine).

photographer’s assistant :
stanislav ivanov

The golden egg at the top is Roshin’s boyfriend’s gift to her for her birthday. The singer admits that images of eggs are her fetish.

Roshin meets us at the door. She is wearing a bright pink long robe, and a bizarre headdress is thrown over her shoulders – also fuchsia. It turns out that she sewed it herself: “I remade it from such a thing, like a beret. Sometimes, out of necessity, I sew my own outfits right before the concert,” Murphy explains. Her life is generally full of creativity. And it’s not only about work, but also, for example, about the manner of raising children (she has two of them: 8-year-old daughter Claude and 6-year-old son Ted) or equipping a home.

Roshin grew up in a family of antique dealers, so she was surrounded by unusual items from childhood. When she was 12, she moved with her parents from her native Ireland to Manchester. There, mother and father, as they say, turned around. “They bought and then resold a lot of items,” Murphy recalls. Most often antique clocks and furniture. I remember dad once bought a cockpit from a World War II fighter jet and then sold it to someone. Another time they sold two whole paintings at Christie’s here in London. Mom had previously been a housewife, but at 39found this new calling and was happy. I really liked going to flea markets with her, I bought all sorts of gizmos from the 60s there, they best reflected my taste – both in clothes and in music.

Roshin was presented with a shining human-length doll on the set of the All My Dreams video clip: “If you take the filler out of this guy, you can crawl into his silvery body like into a latex suit!”.

I had to leave my parents’ house full of quaint old things at the age of 15. On the one hand, the event is tragic: Roshin’s parents divorced, and she flatly refused to leave the city with her mother. On the other hand, it was from this moment that all the most interesting things began. At first, Roshin lived with her best friend, and a year later she moved into her own apartment for the first time. Today she admits that this decision was the best in her life: “I loved my mother, she was wonderful and also loved me. But deep down, I knew that my life should be completely different from hers. I could never become a scientist, professor or teacher. I couldn’t work in a factory. None of this could have happened to me.”

“I bought the piano when Claude was very young, at least a year old, on the advice of my then director, Eddie Stevens. It’s from China and very good. Too bad no one plays it. And this book for piano players… Well, it just looks really cool.”

What happens when you are 16 and completely on your own? Correctly. You rush headlong into the pool. This is exactly what happened to Roshin. In the next few years, she lived between her apartment, where she often had friends visiting (“Nothing like that, we usually just watched Twin Peaks”), and Manchester nightclubs, without missing any more or less significant concert – from MC5 to Sonic Youth. Then she was absolutely happy, but now, as often happens, she recalls that time with a slight shudder: “I have been in very, very dangerous places and sometimes talked with very dubious people. No, I managed to avoid the worst: no one raped me, I don’t know what abuse is. But I know what darkness is: I managed to visit the edge of a black hole…”

This portrait of Roshin was on the cover of her first solo album Ruby Blue. The author of the work is Simon Hanwood, with whom the singer then met. Today she admits that this painting is the most expensive item in the house for her: “We were at the very beginning of the relationship then. And the picture… It turned out just great.”

The rainbow circle is the work of one of Rochin’s favorite artists, the Argentinian Julio Le Parc.

Roshin is a big fan of artist Derrick Thomas, who specializes in drawings based on fairy tales. She has three of his works.

Roshin has two small children, which means she has an incredible amount of toys at home. This teddy bear is the daughter’s property.

As soon as Roshin turned 19, her carefree life ended and everyday life in show business began. She met electronic musician Mark Brydon, who became her boyfriend and with whom she created the trip-hop project Moloko. As they say, the rest is history. Without the song Sing It Back in the late 1990s, not a single more or less fashionable radio station could do the air. Then there was a break with Brydon and a solo career – no less, if not more successful, than working in pairs. Today, Murphy is 45, and she has four independent albums to her credit, and this year she released four drops – a series of EPs with songs recorded in collaboration with various musicians. We already wrote about the Jacuzzi Rollercoaster track and the video of the same name, shot by Roshin herself in the style of raves 1990s. It was co-authored by singer Ali Love. “He is very special,” Roshin says of him. — You know, I don’t like many male performers. They often sing as if they are trying to sound cooler than they are; as if they are deliberately trying to find some hidden meaning where there is none. In any case, they all want to see and describe the world exclusively from their belfry – from the point of view of a white man. We have heard and seen all this so many times! But with Ali, everything is completely different. His voice is very special, very full… One day he came to my studio and I asked him to sing with me. And he suddenly remembered that in Japan there is a Jacuzzi – a whole park with attractions and a spa. In general, the idea is that you sit in a jacuzzi and ride a rollercoaster. That’s how this song was born.”

From his own “roller coaster” (a metaphor, perhaps excessive, but quite accurately characterizes show business) Roshin rests in the very London apartment where he lives with his children and boyfriend, Italian musician Sebastiano Properzi (“He, by the way, is excellent trains!”). Her manner of furnishing the house betrays in her the daughter of her parents. There are strange but very beautiful things everywhere. Here and there flashes of bright colors. Here is a mirror of the Victorian era, here are paintings by her former partner and father of a daughter, artist Simon Hanwood. And over there is a poster with Soviet symbols and a real Cheburashka. Roshin fell in love with this character when she first saw him at the Moscow airport, and has been collecting these “cute animals with big ears” ever since. The cartoon itself, by the way, also loves – primarily because of the music: “She’s great there! You know, it’s the same pop music. It is on such melodic structures that our entire Western pop is built, “Cheburashka” is a kind of basis.”

Roshin starred with Cheburashka in the children’s playroom, but in fact she does not allow children to play with her Cheburashkas, although they love the cartoon. “It seems to me that there is so much subtle irony in this cartoon,” says Roshin. – At first he was an ownerless toy, but then he made friends, and everything worked out. This is such a mockery of the authorities, of the authorities.

Still, Roshin’s favorite place in the apartment is not the living room, which looks like a museum, but the bedroom, or rather, the bed: “My boyfriend usually smokes in the living room, but I quit, so I don’t like to sit where there is a lot of cigarette smoke . So I just go to the bedroom, climb into bed and watch TV … I also love the mezzanine. There was just a terrible old roof, which I completely renovated, which I am very proud of. It would be great to have a big dinner with guests in the kitchen and open up that back under the roof so that there is a lot of space, a lot of light – in general, a classic! .. Too bad there is no time for this at all.

The pink mask is part of a collection of masks created by Belgian artist Christophe Coppens specifically for Roshin’s Hairless Toys Tour.

In Roshin’s favorite London pub, the interiors are as beautiful as her home. True, of course, a little more pompous.

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Jay Z and Beyoncé move to LA

Below are two events taking place in New York this week. I want you, Comrade Gothamite, to tell me what seems more important. Ready? Alright, let’s go:

1) Snow and ice cause sparks in underground power systems, which themselves cause explosions that blast cast-iron manhole covers onto pedestrians’ heads.

2) A middle-aged couple from New York may move to Los Angeles with their young child.

What seems more important in your life, New Yorker? Do not rush; I’ll be waiting.

If you answered something like “Explosion of manholes?! Because of the snow and ice?! But this thing is everywhere! Dear God, on the cronate, we are doomed!”, then congratulations: your priorities are completely set. Call your mom, make peace with your chosen deity, and die brave, New Yorker. If you give even a fraction of a second thought to this predicament, you are either a Jay Z apologist, a Beyonce superfan, or a delusional, star-shaped combination of both. Please find a particularly snowy manhole cover and stand on it, because New York is ashamed of you.

For those of you who can’t keep up with the headlines, let’s go back for a moment. TMZ reports that Jay and Bey are planning to move to the West Coast after enrolling an innocent child with a hint of Blue Ivy nail polish in a private school in Los Angeles. In other words, the closest New York has to a royal residence is abandoning our beloved trash monastery for the empty-headed expanse of our hated rival. We do not care? Should we? Should we?

No no. NO! Good riddance, I say. The King and Queen are only human, no matter how many incredibly memorable lyrics they write that claim otherwise. If they want to buy land under the smog-shrouded Southern California sun, build a spectacular infinity pool, and then build another infinity pool directly adjacent to it, just to be able to tell people they have twin infinity pools. . Take action. That would be the best. Damn, rich people are fun. I wonder… wait, where have I been? Oh right:

None of this will change the fact that they are still human, and there is a time-honored tradition to follow when humans leave New York. That tradition is: avoid them. Like this. It’s in the New York City Code of Civil Conduct, section “Whatever, Article Isn’t Important.”

Turn your back on Jay Z and Beyoncé, honest citizens, because they’ve turned their backs on us.

Too hard, Ty. Right? Not properly. By the looks of it, Jay and Bey are “cautiously eyeing a few houses” in Beverly Hills, where they spent the past summer in a quirky little rented love shack that cost them $200,000… a month. For that matter, Blue’s tuition costs around $15,000 a year, which is a good deal for a college student, but slightly less for the three-year-old that she is. I promise they’ll be fine without us. And we can do just fine without them.

Do I envy Jay and Bey for all their many successes and the fact that they are probably taking them away from our happy little community? Of course I do. I am a small, vicious, terribly insecure creature. Resentment is in my blood along with a lot of cholesterol. I hate our current nasty weather as much as the next guy (although, unlike that guy, I refuse to whine about it). I’m disgusted that if/when they leave, Taylor Swift will in some way become one of our most famous pop bassists. T. Swift is amazing, but she’s too pure and optimistic to present this fat trap to the world.

New York was here before Jay and Bey, and it will be here after they are gone.

But none of that matters. The only important thing is that when the New Yorker leaves the herd, we close in and continue our meager life without pools, as if nothing has changed, because nothing has changed. Let’s say Jay and Bey pack up and go to the mountains where they filmed The Hills. The subway will still run if Cuomo doesn’t derail them. Beer will still flow, albeit for a meaningless amount of money. Your apartment will still be tiny, the restaurants will still be world class, and the dudes on the corner of Broadway and Prince will still try to trick Austrian tourists into paying them money for burnt CDs, even though it’s 2015 and Hans and Franz have forgotten their anti-skip Discmans in the last decade. No matter who says goodbye to us, the city will still be here, because no one – not even the man who made the Yankee hat more famous than the Yankee himself, or his PERFECT wife, or their baby offspring – can surpass – New York New York itself.

Look, everyone is going to leave New York someday. Well, unless you die here and become a ghost that plugs manholes into the heads of pedestrians, in which case stop doing that – it’s very scary. I hope when you’re gone you’ll have the good sense not to write about it, because Joan Didion has already done it better than you (or I) ever could. The reason we don’t mourn the rumors of our once-proud power couple’s exodus is because it might imply, to some extent, that their destination will be better than New York. And today, despite the dirt and slush, the civil mess and everything insanely expensive, and the cast-iron frisbees that break people’s skulls, there is still nothing better than New York.

Jay Z, Beyoncé, Blue – stay or go.