Jay-Z to be evicted

Hip hop heavyweight Jay-Z is about to be evicted by the owner of his $27m ((€20.8m) luxury New York City apartment.

The rapper - real name Shawn Carter - has been paying $40,000 (€30,700) a month to rent the four-bedroom pad in plush Time Warner Center since September 2005.

However, owner, telecom boss Michael Hirtenstein, is selling up - intending to make a healthy profit on the $15.7 (€12m) he paid for the apartment in 2004 - reports the New York Post.

Jay-Z will struggle to find a new home to match the criteria his current pad boasts - as well as a private terrace and its own library, it has a telescopic view of his girlfriend Beyonce Knowles' apartment across Central Park.

According to reports, the rap boss is planning to move straight into a $6.85m (€5.2m) penthouse he has been renovating for the last two years in the TriBeCa district.