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Report: Jay Z's Brand Suffers From Lack of Trust

Researcher says Hov's Samsung and Barneys deals sunk his street cred.

The streets and the tweets aren't the only ones watching Jay Z's moves. Celebrity branding expert Jeetendr Sehdev conducted a survey and it says he is one of the least influential celebrities on a list that includes Hillary Clinton and Tom Brady.

Hov's brand lacks "authenticity," Sehdev reports, citing the Samsung deal as one of the most hated marketing campaigns of the year, and his quick flip of his Nets/Barclays partnerships for a sports agency is among moves he made that made him 70% less trustworthy than Morgan Freeman and Jennifer Lawrence.

Sehdev's findings are based on a survey of 1,000 Americans aged 13-31, he reports.

"Millennials question the exact nature of Jay Z’s role in the artistic process," Sehdev told Business Insider. "Does he really write his own songs? Is he choosing the artists to collaborate with, or is he just the face of a money-making empire? ... Millennials questions his approach to loyalty, whether it be to a business deal or his fans. His motivations to just make money can be viewed by this audience as self-centered, even if they may be business savvy."

Jay's very personal Vanity Fair interview this year, however, is helping him to regain that trust, Sehdev concluded.

Meanwhile, Jay is probably somewhere like, "Nickles and Dimes."

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(Photo: Hublot/Splash News)

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