Jay-Z’s Former Partner Kareem ‘Biggs’ Burke Plots An Empire Of His Own

Biggs’ Plans: Kareem Burke, the ‘silent partner’ who cofounded Roc-A-Fella Records with Jay-Z and Damon Dash, is carving a niche for himself with the help of the brands he helped create in the mid-1990s–via collaborations like the Nike Air Force 1s shown here.

Kareem Burke is sitting in the sky lobby of the W Hotel in Times Square, and he’s not happy with his Diet Coke. “This is disgusting,” he declares. “Super-flat. It’s … syrupy.”

Taste has always been a calling card for Burke, better known...