Rap mogul Jay Z has been forced to lay off half of the workforce at his Rocawear clothing company as a result of the struggling global economy.
The 99 Problems hitmaker sold the rights to his fashion brand to the Iconix Brand Group in 2007 but he remains a shareholder and is still in charge of product development, marketing and licensing.
He and the other bosses at the firm have been feeling the pressure of the market downturn and they had to let 28 of Rocawear's 56 employees go on 6 January (12), the day before Jay Z and his wife Beyonce became first-time parents to Blue Ivy Carter.
According to documents filed with the New York State Department of Labor, the reason for the mass lay off is listed as "economic".