You certainly can’t knock the hustle. Rapper and entrepreneur – turned icon and mogul – Shawn “Jay Z†Carter has pulled off a hat trick of his own, in what looks to be a very promising partnership between several of his current and former business ventures. Mr. Carter’s track record, which includes being arguably one of the greatest rappers ever, the former President of Def Jam Recordings – responsible for propelling the careers of artists like Rihanna and Kanye West, being the driving force behind the relocation of the NBA’s Nets franchise to Brooklyn, as well as being a former partial owner of the team is only a part of the story.
[Related: Jay Z’s Tidal Music Streaming App Drops Out of iTunes’ Top 700]
Earlier today, Billboard broke the news that Jay Z’s Roc Nation Music imprint had come to an agreement on a partnership between theand the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. According to the report – “Nearly three
years after becoming the venue’s first performer on Sept. 28, 2012, the rapper’s Roc Nation Music has inked a multi-year deal with the 19,000-capacity venue to create special programming including festivals, artist performances and showcases, Tidal-related events and an annual concert from Shawn Carter himself.â€The rapper who famously uttered the words “I’m not a buisnessman, I’m a business, man†has consistently proved that his business acumen is just as sharp as his flow and penchant for wit.
“This is exciting for us because it goes so much more beyond an artist coming to Barclays as part of a tour†said the Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark, speaking with Billboard. One of Jay Z’s latest ventures, TIDAL, has made headlines since it’s initial stumble out of the gates. The music streaming service, co-owned by the artists it represents, hasn’t quite found the traction with fans since it was unveiled during a star studded press conference, despite offering exclusive materials from many of today’s biggest stars.
Still, the sheer number of artists besides the man Jay Z himself, that are represented between TIDAL and Roc Nation Music – artists like Madonna, Beyonce, Kanye West, Rihanna, Shakira, Haim, Grimes, Capital Cities and Vic Mensa to name just a few – means that things could get very exciting in the Barclays Center very quickly, as Yorkmark and the rest of Barclays Center management are hopeful that the first event under the new partnership will take place “within the next monthâ€.