Roc Nation joins Blackstone

 

Blackstone is acquiring the Certified Collectibles Group in a transaction valuing the company at more than $500 million. Jay-Z's Roc Nation is also an investor in the transaction.

Megan Thee Stallion Offering A Full Scholarship To One Lucky Student

 

Megan Thee Stallion will be serving as a lecturer at NYC’s Long Island University while simultaneously offering a full scholarship to one lucky student of Roc Nation’s School of Music, Sports, and Entertainment.

Jay-Z’s management firm Roc Nation, who manages Megan, announced the partnership will begin in the fall of this year, but Megan is now offering a free ride to one lucky student in the program.

Why Did Mariah Carey Leave Roc Nation Management?

 

Roc Nation has various artists under their belt that they represent, including Meek Mill, Tinashe, Megan Thee Stallion, Rihanna, Snoh Aalegra, Moneybagg Yo, and more. Reports that surfaced say the split occurred after Mariah Carey and Roc Nation got into a heated argument about the direction of her career.

Jay-Z Announces The Return Of Made In America Festival

 

The Made In America Festival is returning to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this Labor Day Weekend. The 2021 edition of the Roc Nation-produced musical event is scheduled for Saturday, September 4 and Sunday, September 5.

Made In America was founded by Roc Nation leader/Hip Hop icon Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter in 2012. Last year’s MIA was rescheduled due to safety concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest in America at the time.

The Evolution Of Jay-Z

 

Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z (stylized as JAY-Z) is an American rapper and businessman. He is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, having sold more than 100 million records, while receiving 21 Grammy Awards for his music. 

MTV ranked him the "Greatest MC of all time" in 2006.

Jay-Z Invest $19 Million Into NFT

 

Hov’s Marcy Venture Partners has officially backed NFT marketplace Bitski. Bitski revealed that the JAY-Z’s company was amongst the backers who invested $19 million USD into the San Francisco-based startup, including Roc nation co-founder Jay Brown, Endeavor CEO Ari Amanuel, Troy Carter and 3LAU. 

Bitski’s new investors also include other YouTuber MrBeast, tennis legend Serena Williams and many other senior executives across TikTok, Twitter and Snapchat. The news arrives shortly after Bitski’s recent partnership with adidas to launch No. 1 NFL draft pick Trevor Lawrence’s NFT collection.

Square adds Jay-Z on Board of Directors

 

Square Inc. disclosed late Friday that it has officially added Shawn Carter as a board member of the credit-card payments processing company after closing a deal with the music-streaming service Tidal.

Jay-Z is co-founder and majority owner of entertainment company Roc Nation LLC, from which Square will sublease nearly 16,000 square feet of office space in New York City for $1.5 million a year, with an option to extend the sublease for two additional six-month terms, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Roc Nation and Square also reached a marketing agreement between Square and Carter that will lead to a $200,000 commission for Roc Nation.

How a Hustler From Brooklyn Became a Billionaire

 

Jay-Z has long been known as one of the greatest rappers of all time, but now he’s known even more for his business acumen and massive wealth. Forbes recently named him Hip-Hop’s first billionaire, and with his diverse portfolio of investments, business ventures, and personal assets, it’s not hard to believe.

Despite the fact that it may seem like Jay-Z earned all of his wealth overnight, it was actually a long process that was decades in the making. Many people know the man, but few know the story.

Lawsuit Dismissed Against Jay-Z & Meek Mill

 

Jay-Z and Meek Mill have reportedly settled a lawsuit with a Philadelphia police officer who sued both of them along with Roc Nation after a depiction of her in the 2019 Amazon original doc ‘Free Meek.’

The documentary spoke on Meek’s incarceration, and how the rapper shifted his focus on calling out the injustices of the U.S. prison system and criminal justice system in Philadelphia. Crooked police officers in Philly were highlighted as well, but it was revealed that one of the officers—Saqueta Williams, was reportedly proven to be innocent of any wrongdoing as a cop. Williams ultimately sued Roc Nation, Jay-Z, and Meek for invasion of privacy and defamation as a result after she was labeled as a crooked police officer.

Man sent to prison for faking ties to Wu-Tang Clan and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation

A Florida man is facing hard-knock time for pretending to be associated with famous hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation company.

Aaron Barnes-Burpo, 29, of Crestview, Fla., was sentenced to seven years in federal prison Monday after his guilty plea for committing wire fraud, according to David H. Estes, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

Barnes-Burpo and co-conspirator Walker Washington, 52, who is awaiting sentencing, ran their scam for several weeks, Estes said.

Jay-Z Sells Off One Bottle Of D’usse

 

Jay-Z’s auction of a rare bottle of his D’usse Cognac raked in mid-five figures during an auction with Sotheby’s.

The Roc Nation honcho sold off a luxury D’usse 1969 Anniversaire Limited Edition bottle for $52,500 to raise funds to support professional advancement and entrepreneurship workshops for students.

The decades-old cognac has a 24-karat gold foil around the neck, a diamond decanter design encased in a leather box. This particular bottle of D’usse was even rarer because it was engraved with Jay-Z’s signature.

Square Purchases Stake in Jay's Tidal

 

Square, the mobile payments company led by Mr. Dorsey, announced on Thursday its plan to acquire a “significant majority” of Tidal, the streaming music service owned by Jay-Z and other artists — including Beyoncé, Jay-Z’s wife, and Rihanna, who is a client of Jay-Z’s entertainment management company, Roc Nation.

Square will pay $297 million in stock and cash for the stake in Tidal. Jay-Z will join Square’s board.

How Jay-Z created a hip-hop path to luxury

 

This past Monday, rapper Jay-Z unveiled a deal with LVMH to expand his Armand de Brignac champagne globally. The next day, Oatly, the Swedish vegan-milk group in which he has invested, took its first step towards a $10bn initial public offering.

Jay-Z has further tasks to occupy him, apart from his own music. He still heads Roc Nation, a music and sports talent agency that includes Rihanna among its clients. He is also “chief visionary officer” of a special-purpose company backed by Roc Nation that acquired two Californian cannabis groups in November. And so on.

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This year is the 25th anniversary of Jay-Z’s first album Reasonable Doubt, released on his own Roc-A-Fella Records label. Some have lasted and some not, but Jay-Z was ahead of his time in business in a way that is only now clear. “Put me anywhere on God’s green Earth, I triple my worth,” he once rapped. The deal with LVMH, under which the world’s leading luxury group has taken 50 per cent of Armand de Brignac — the “Ace of Spades” champagne praised in his lyrics — is proof of that.

Brodie Wagenen Named Chief Operating Officer of Roc Nation Sports

 

Former Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen is joining Jay-Z's  Sports as the company's chief operating officer, Van Wagenen announced.

Van Wagenen worked with Roc Nation when he was the co-head of Creative Arts Agency's baseball division. Van Wagenen took the Mets job in October 2018 and left the agency.

"We believed in the vision Jay and [Juan Perez] had back in 2013," Van Wagenen told ESPN's Jeff Passan. "We've stayed in constant contact with them. It was a natural homecoming."

Did Jay-Z Cut a Deal with Trump for Desiree Perez's pardon?

 

Funk Flex and Jay-Z's feud extends years, but the DJ added a new chapter by consigning a report accusing the Hip Hop mogul of cutting a deal with former President Donald Trump in exchange for Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez's pardon.

Funk Flex announced on Instagram that he has "a story to tell" in relation to the report. He posted a photo of a tabloid story covering Perez being accused of wearing wiretaps for the feds after her arrest. 

South Africa’s Sharks Team Up With Roc Nation

 

The Sharks’ ground-breaking deal with American consortium MVM Holdings has been consolidated by a partnership announcement with Roc Nation, one of the world’s leading marketing companies that promotes the likes of massive singing sensations in Rihanna and Shakira.

The company was founded in 2008 by rapper legend Jay-Z and has offices in New York City, London, Nashville and Los Angeles, and it clearly has the expertise and marketing muscle to grow the Sharks into a global brand.

In the deal formalized a fortnight ago between MVM and the Sharks, New York lawyer Marco Masotti showed he has the financial clout to take the Sharks to a new level and in Roc Nation he has the tool to exhibit the Sharks on the international stage.

Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez Pardoned By Trump

As one of his final acts as president of the United States, Donald Trump issued more than 140 pardons and commutations on Tuesday night (Jan. 19). Among those granted clemency were Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez, early Death Row Records backer Michael "Harry-O" Harris and rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, according to the White House.

Perez was granted a full pardon for being involved in a conspiracy to distribute narcotics, the White House said, a conviction that is more than 25 years old. "Since her conviction, Ms. Perez has taken full accountability for her actions and has turned her life around," the White House said in a statement. "She has been gainfully employed and has been an advocate for criminal justice reform in her community."

"I'm grateful to have received a pardon and to have formally closed that chapter of my life in the eyes of the law," Perez said in a statement provided to Billboard. "I have taken full accountability for my mistakes from 25 years ago, but I also take tremendous pride in my personal growth, perseverance and accomplishments since then. This pardon reinforces my lifelong commitment to advocate for criminal justice reform and social justice initiatives."

Jay-Z or 50 Cent?

 

Another round of Celebrity Match Up's is back. This time they hit these scene with New York rappers Jay-Z of Roc Nation and 50 Cent of G-Unit.

Both rappers has made there mark in the industry. 50 Cent recently released his book, Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter, in which the rapper speaks on the alleged rift between JAY-Z and Kanye West and why he believes Hov has become "disappointed" with his friend Ye. 50 Cent says his relationship with Jay-Z is purely ''business'' and insists the pair will never be friends.

50 and Jay-Z were involved in a rap ‘beef’ with each other in early 2009, but while neither has said anything publicly to settle their differences, they met backstage when Jay-Z played a huge concert with 50’s mentor, Eminem, at Detroit’s Comerica Park last year, although 50 refuses to say what happened between them.

J. Prince Talks Roc Nation and Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Thee Stallion found herself in controversy with her record label 1501 Records after inking a management deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation last year.

1501 Records simultaneously inked a deal with Houston legend, J. Prince. “Carl is from my hood better known as 5th Ward and I’m proud to be his new partner moving forward,” Prince wrote at the time.

Months later, Meg accused 1501 of not allowing her to drop new music because she requested a negotiation of her contract. She also fired off a $1 million lawsuit and a temporary restraining order, which allowed her to drop all the music we heard since.

Roc Nation Enters Book Publishing Company

A decade after publishing his memoir “Decoded,” Jay-Z is forming a more lasting partnership with the book industry. Upcoming book releases are set to include a “fantastical illustrated fiction” from Lil Uzi Vert and memoirs from Yo Gotti and Fat Joe.

Roc Nation, the entertainment company founded by the rapper, is starting an imprint with Random House called Roc Lit 101. In a joint announcement Tuesday, Random House and Roc Nation promised “books at the dynamic intersection of entertainment and genre-defying literature.” Among the initial releases for next summer: “Till the End,” a memoir by the retired pitching star CC Sabathia; and music journalist Danyel Smith’s “Shine Bright,” a story of Black women in music that combines memoir, criticism and biography.