Jay-Z

When Jay Z dropped “Big Pimpin'” in 1999, he thought he had permission to sample its iconic Middle Eastern hook. But years later, the heir of the man who composed the original song is taking Jay Z and producer Timbaland to court.

Today is the release date for “Watch the Throne,” the much anticipated collaborative album between Jay-Z and Kanye West. Dan Charnas, “The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop” and editorial director at Interactive One, joins us.

Forbes estimates that Shawn Carter, better known as Jay-Z, rakes in about $82 million a year. David Wall Rice, professor of psychology at Morehouse College, joins us to put him into a broader context.

Brooklyn-born gangstah rapper Jay-Z as economic trendsetter? Might be. In Jay-Z’s latest music video, the rapper rides in a limo through the streets of Harlem flashing wads of …. well, they’re not dollars. They’re Euros. Host Marco Werman sees it as a reflection of the falling value of the US dollar.