--- title: "FBI Warned Jay-Z of ‘Imminent’ Email Hack" description: "Yikes: Complex reports that Jay-Z was warned by the FBI that he was soon to fall victim to an \"imminent hack,\" and urged to delete his emails." date: "2021-11-11" modified: "2021-11-11" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/fbi-warned-jay-z-imminent-email-hack" categories: - "Cybersecurity" - "Future Society" - "Hacking" tags: - "FBI" - "hacking" - "jay-z" - "the digest" --- # FBI Warned Jay-Z of ‘Imminent’ Email Hack ![Yikes: Complex reports that Jay-Z was warned by the FBI that he was soon to fall victim to an "imminent hack," and urged to delete his emails.]() *\Image: Getty Images / Futurism \* ## Feds Watchin' For once, law enforcement is actually helping out a big-name rapper. According to a [report broken by *Complex*](), Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter was warned by the FBI that he was soon to fall victim to an "imminent hack," according to the magazine's source. They then urged the Brooklyn-born rapper to delete his emails as a precaution. It remains unclear exactly what the subject of the apparently-foiled hack would have been, or how the feds found out about it. Futurism has reached out to Jay-Z's label, Roc Nation, for comment. If we can say anything for sure, it's that the incident demonstrates shifting fault lines in the worlds of cybersecurity, law enforcement, and entertainment — and, just maybe, that Carter has once again brushed some [dirt off his shoulder](). ## People's Court The FBI's hacking warning for Hov took place just as [Jay-Z beat a lawsuit lobbed by the Parlux Fragrances perfume company](), which alleged that the rapper breached a 2012 contract when he didn't promote the "Gold Jay Z" cologne released in tandem with the company. Interestingly, a judge in 2020 ruled that [Jay-Z had "destroyed evidence"]() by — wait for it — deleting emails. Was someone trying to sabotage Jay-Z legal position by hacking him? Did he have unreleased demos that will now never see the light of day? It seems the world may never know... unless Roc Nation decides to email us back. **Read more:** "[An NFT of Jay-Z’s first album has sparked a record label lawsuit]()" \[*The Verge*\] **More on Absolute Chaos:** "[Did Zuckerberg Scare Jay-Z Off Instagram?]()" \[*Highsnobiety*\] ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()