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2013 was another staple year for Jay Z, solidifying his spot in not only the rap game, but across the world. From a platinum album and two world tours to nine Grammy nominations, Jay Z literally had the globe in a choke hold this year. Not to mention, the Brooklyn native's many other business endeavors that lead to him signing the third largest contract in sports history and launching a $58,000 per piece clothing line.

Scroll through and witness the many wins of Jay Z in 2013.

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The Release Of Jay Z's 12th Studio Album

Released on July 4, 2013, Jay Z only gave the world a few weeks' notice with the release of Magna Carta Holy Grail. Dropping the bomb in the midst of his co-headlined tour with Justin Timberlake, Jay Z again managed to hit the hip-hop community with a strike no one saw coming.

Jay's 12th album features guest appearances by Beyoncé Knowles, Justin Timberlake, Nas, Rick Ross and Frank Ocean with Production by Timbaland, Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, Boi-1da, Mike Will Made It, Hit-Boy, Mike Dean, No ID, The-Dream, Swizz Beatz and Pharrell Williams.

The album was certified platinum the day of its release due to the digital sales and additionally sold 528,000 physical copies in the first week.

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Magna Carta Holy Grail Goes Platinum

After only giving the world a few weeks' notice prior to the release of his 12th studio album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, Jay Z's latest LP surely took the world by storm. Jay Z partnered with Samsung for the album's distribution, giving away one million copies of the album, purchased for $5, to one million Samsung Galaxy owners causing the album to literally go platinum upon release.

The deal later even influenced the RIAA to modernize their certification process placing a stronger consideration on the immediate inclusion of digital sales. Additionally, Jay Z moved close to 528,000 physical copies in the first week.

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Nabbing His 15th Platinum Album

Jay Z's 12th studio album also marked his 15th RIAA certified platinum LP, meaning that just about every album the rapper released has sold over 1 million copies.

Check out all Jay Z's platinum albums below:

Reasonable Doubt (1996)
In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997)
Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life (1998)
Vol. 3… Life And Times Of S. Carter (1999)
The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000)
The Blueprint (2001)
The Blueprint2: The Gift & The Curse (2002)
The Best Of Both Worlds (with R. Kelly) (2002)
The Black Album (2003)
Unfinished Business (with R. Kelly) (2004)
Collision Course (with Linkin Park) (2004)
Kingdom Come (2006)
American Gangster (2007)
The Blueprint 3 (2009)
Watch The Throne (with Kanye West) (2011)
Magna Carta Holy Grail (2013)

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9 Grammy Nominations

In 2013 Jay Z also nabbed 9 Grammy nominations, making him the artist with the most Grammy nominations at the 2014 Annual Grammy Awards.

Check out Jay's 9 Grammy Nominations below:

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Best Rap Performance
Best Rap Collaboration (x2)
Best Rap Album
Best Rap Song
Best Music Video (X2)
Best Recording Package

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Signing The Third-Largest Contract In Sports History

After opening the gates of Roc Nation Sports, Jay Z set his sights big and his mule was former Yankees Baseman Robinson Cano. Originally asking for the largest contract in baseball history, seeking  a 10-year $310 million deal for Cano, Jay Z later solidified a 10-year $240 million pact with Robinson inking as a baseman for the Seattle Mariners.

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Covering The November 2013 Issue Of Vanity Fair

In November 2013, Jay Z graced the cover of one of the most prestigious magazines in the world. Opening up about his drug-dealing past, Blue Ivy's musical tastes and his thoughts on Obama winning the election, Jay held nothing back in the cover story.

The highlight however was when Jay spoke on launching Roc Nation Sports in the article giving accreditation to his drug-dealing past explaining, “I know about budgets. I was a drug dealer. To be in a drug deal, you need to know what you can spend, what you need to re-up. Or if you want to start some sort of barbershop or car wash—those were the businesses back then. Things you can get in easily to get out of [that] life. At some point, you have to have an exit strategy, because your window is very small; you’re going to get locked up or you’re going to die.”

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Launching Roc Nation Sports

In June 2013  Jay-Z was officially certified as a sports agent for the NBA and MLB, therefore opening the doors for the sports management division of Roc Nation, Roc Nation Sports. First adding signee Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant on June 24, 2013, and later New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz and WNBA prospect Skylar Diggins, Jay Z as always was in ample view of the throne. 

However, Roc Nation Sports' first major move was to sign New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Canó, inking the All-Star baseball player a 10-year $240 million contract with the Seattle Mariners and third-largest contract in sports history.

 

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Launching Comador Cigars

Partnering with the Cuban brand Cohiba, after two years, Jay Z launched Comador Cigars this year. Comador's website prices a box of seven cigars for $210 and a travel cylinder for $350, making the cigars much more than your average Dutch. Comador has launched official Twitter and Facebook pages as well, so check them out.

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The Magna Carter World Tour

As Jay Z's first solo headlining tour in almost four years, Jay embarked on the Magna Carter World Tour following the release of his 12th studio album. Rumors originally begun of  Jay's solo headlining tour to support the unexpected release of his new album Magna Carta Holy Grail, and on July 26, 2013, the Magna Carter World Tour was officially announced.

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Embarking On The Legends Of Summer Tour

In February 2013, Jay Z and Justin Timberlake announced that they would be co-headlining a tour dubbed Legends of the Summer. The tour was speculated to be in promotion of Timberlake's latest album, The 20/20 Experience, and was said to only entail Jay Z's previous hits. However, in the midst of the tour, Jay Z released his 12th studio album, Magna Carta Holy Grail.

The tour was in response to the overwhelming acclamation of Justin and Jay Z's 2013 collaborations, "Suit & Tie" and "Holy Grail."

Launching The Sean Carter Collection At Barney's

Although Jay Z faced a severe amount of criticism for his partnership with Barneys New York in wake of the store's racial profiling allegations, launching the Sean Carter Collection was a staple move for Jay. Shortly after announcing his luxury line with the store, a petition called for the Brooklyn rapper to drop the collection with the department store due to the severity of the allegations and found Jay Z in a tough spot.

Later deciding to continue his association with the store, Jay Z gave Barney's some firm demands moving forward. The partnership continued on the following terms, that Jay Z "will have a 'leadership role' and a seat on a specifically convened council that will deal with the issue of racial profiling and Jay Z’s charity, The Shawn Carter Foundation, will now receive 100% of the proceeds from all sales of his holiday collection. Previously, the foundation was set to receive to receive a modest 25% of sales from the collection."

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