The strange and ingenious evolution of JAY-Z's approach to selling albums

When JAY-Z made that famous boast on a Kanye West song in 2005, he was in the midst of his "retirement" from rapping and had shifted his focus to the strictly corporate side of music and popular culture.

In his three-year hiatus from music after the release of 2003's "The Black Album," JAY-Z had become the CEO and president of Def Jam Recordings. He had also expanded on the entrepreneurial projects - including his clothing line, Rocawear, and several other ventures - that would go on to make him one of the wealthiest artists in the music industry today.

Jay's experimentation in the business world would soon carry over into his evolving, risk-taking approach to the business of selling albums.

After the traditional release of his commercially successful 2006 comeback album, "Kingdom Come," Jay flipped the script for his 2007 LP "American Gangster" by keeping the album off of the iTunes store.

The move foreshadowed more radical album-release strategies to come from the rap mogul - many of which have focused on exclusivity and increasing profit, both in partnerships with various companies and through his streaming service, Tidal, as we will explore.

Jay's 13th studio album, "4:44," is out Friday as a Tidal and Sprint exclusive.