R.O.C Star

R.O.C. Star Grandaddy of Hip-Hop Jay-Z is all set to pack his bags at Def Jam for a $150m deal with concert giants Live Nation giving the company a stake in every aspect of the rapper’s career. Jigga, whose last album “American Gangster” was released to lukewarm reviews, says the move will make him “The Rolling Stones of Rap music”. With CD sales plunging, this is the latest move by a company to get their mits on artists’ overall revenue. Live Nation has already struck smaller deals with U2 and Madonna. Beyonce’s fiancé,Jay-Z has already “retired” 3 times in the past 5 years and just recently stepped down as CEO of Def Jam following a falling out with Universal Music. This latest deal, a 10-year package, includes $25m upfront for Jay-Z, $10m per album for a minimum of 3 releases and $25 for to finance his personal business venture to be called “Roc Nation”. In exchange, Live Nation get a cut of record, concert ticket and merchandise sales. It is yet to be confirmed if the deal includes the rights to ringtones played by scobies down the back of the 78A.