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9 Hugely Successful Black People Who Dropped Out of School

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Jay Z and Beyonce Knowles-Carter

Jay Z and his wife Beyonce topped the Forbes list of highest earning couples last year. The Knowles-Carter family has a reported combined net worth of over $600 million.

Jay Z has successfully transitioned from being just a rapper to a bonafide business mogul. He signed a 10-year, $150-million Live Nation deal in 2008, and his “Watch the Throne” world tour brought in $1.4 million per night in the U.S., while Beyonce’s ” The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour” grossed an average $2 million per night, according to Forbes.

Then there are their other interests. Jay Z briefly owned a minority stake in the Brooklyn Nets, but dumped his share because he started his own sports agency: Roc Nation Sports, which represents star athletes like Kevin Durant and Victor Cruz. Beyonce has several fragrance collections and a clothing line, House of Dereon. The couple also manage a handful of lucrative endorsement deals for major companies including L’Oreal, Dell, and Budweiser.

Jay Z attended several schools in Brooklyn and reportedly last attended Trenton Central High School in Trenton, N. J., where he did not graduate. Reports vary on whether Beyonce obtained a high school diploma. Some claim she received a diploma via homeschooling while working with the successful girl group Destiny’s Child.

Two years ago, rumors swirled that Beyonce was getting a GED when she was photographed entering an Alternative Education Complex in New York. Neither has attended college.

school johnson

Magic Johnson

After two years in college at Michigan State University, Magic Johnson was drafted into the NBA.  Johnson never returned to complete his degree, but managed to build a multimillion-dollar company following his departure from professional basketball.

With partnerships with companies like Starbucks, 24 Hour Fitness, T.G.I. Fridays and AMC Theatres, Johnson invested in urban real estate and companies catering to America’s underserved markets via his Canyon-Johnson and Yucaipa-Johnson funds.

He now runs Magic Johnson Enterprises, a company that has a net worth of $700 million.

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