Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
Years ago, Jay-Z established himself as the ultimate hip hop entrepreneur. He built his Roc-A-Fella empire fourteen years ago and dominated hip hop for years. But, in 2004, Jay-Z ran into a disagreement with his partners, Damon Dash and Kareem Burke. The disagreeement led to them handing the Roc over to Hov.
In addition to becoming the sole owner of Roc-A-Fella, Jay-Z was also hired on to become the CEO of Def Jam. He kept this role until the end of 2007. Surprisingly, Jay-Z resigned from his position as the head of the biggest rap label. But, a few months later, he partnered with Live Nation to create Roc Nation.
Now, Jay-Z has built an even bigger empire. Recently, he sat down with BBC to discuss this. The number one spot on the UK charts belongs to Rihanna, who is managed by Roc Nation. The producer for her song is Stargate, who is an in-house Roc Nation producer. Number two is Alexis Jordan, who is signed to Roc Nation and Cee Lo's writer is published by Roc Nation, as well as Bruno Mars'.
When he was asked about the future of the Roc Nation label, Jay-Z said the focus was on Willow Smith because she is so talented. He was astonished by how talented she is at only the age of nine years old and he said he wishes he was in her shoes at only nine. Jay-Z said he has already sat down with Will and Jada Smith and they have discussed the numbers. He credits Willow's success to her determination and to the support of her parents because they are very active in the business side of her career.
Outside of his Roc Nation ventures, Jay-Z has a collaboration album with Kanye West coming up. During his interview, he also spoke about his chemistry with West. Jay-Z said he thinks of Kanye as his little brother, but he respects him as his equal. The two have been recording together since 2001 and Kanye West is always trying to prove himself to his "Big Brother." Jay-Z said their recording chemistry and their relationship will help make their Watch the Throne collaboration a classic.