JAY-Z

Wale Explained How A Bad Touring Experience Pushed Him To Leave Jay-Z’s Roc Nation

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While he spent more than a decade under Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group, Wale, who just released his Folarin II album, has called a few other labels home throughout his career. This includes Interscope, Atlantic, and Warner Records, where he resides today. Another place he called home at one point was Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, which served as his management team since 2009. However, during his 2013 What Dreams May Come Tour with fellow rapper and good friend J. Cole, Wale was pushed to leave Roc Nation after he came to a shocking realization during the string of shows, something he revealed during an appearance on the Drink Champs podcast.

“What happened was, I was in the Hov cycle for a long time,” he said on the podcast. “There was a time that I was on tour with J. Cole. At the time, I was opening for him. They said it was a co-headlining tour, but whatever, I was opening for him, and it was an elaborate stage and this that and the third.”

He continued, “And somebody in my circle told me, ‘You’re losing 5 grand every time you get on stage. Not only are you’re not breaking even, you’re losing money.’ Me, at that point in my life, I forget what city we was in but I was on the bus and I got an offer to do a tour with two other artists. And I wanted to go with Cole because that’s my brother and we just did the Hov tour.”

At this point, Wale knew a decision had to be made between staying or exiting the tour. “I could literally be hosting clubs and making this a night,” he noted. “I just had a meltdown for real and I remember whatever city I was in, there were three days left and I just quit the tour. I just quit.” Wale added, “If I was touring by myself, I could be bussin’ it crazy every night. So I kinda just had a meltdown and I didn’t know who to call, my lawyer or my accountant. The next day, called somebody there and they gave me this option or that option.”

Despite his frustrations, Wale maintains that it’s been nothing but love between him and Jay-Z since the touring incident. “It’s been all love ever since but I wasn’t privy to this f*ckin’ music industry sh*t,” Wale admitted. ” I just knew, this many people in the room, we can make something happen. Jay’s still my idol, still my favorite rapper. I still got all the love for all of them. I was just a little bit early in this sh*t though.”

You can watch the full Drink Champs video

Barack Obama And Dave Chappelle Inducted Jay-Z Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

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Jay-Z was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame last night, becoming one of the few solo rappers who has received the honor so far. LL Cool J and Tina Turner were other notable additions to the hall this year, though early nominations indicate other rappers and R&B legends might be added soon, too.

For Jay’s induction, hip-hop magnates like Eminem, Pharrell, Beyonce and Rihanna, and many more were all part of a tribute video acknowledging the vast impact of his words and rhymes on culture at large, and Black culture in particular. Appearances just kept pouring in, with cameos from LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Blue Ivy, John Legend, Questlove, P. Diddy and so many others. With induction speeches from both former President Barack Obama and comedian Dave Chappelle, it’s hard to understate the breadth of Jay’s influence.

Here’s some clips from the tribute video:

Barack Obama’s induction speech included references to how much Jay’s music has helped him personally over the years, and praised the way he’s brought up so many other people along with him. “I’ve turned to Jay Z’s words at different points in my life, whether I was brushing dirt off my shoulder on the campaign trail,” Obama said. “Or sampling his lyrics on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the 50th anniversary of the Selma march to Montgomery. Today Jay-Z is one of the most renowned artists in history and an embodiment of the American dream, a dream he has helped make real for other young people like him.”

And Dave Chappelle let the Rock Hall know that even though they’re honoring Jay, he’s still “ours,” referring to the Black community:

For his acceptance speech, Jay talked about the impact of hip-hop and the “heroes” in it:

And actually took to Twitter himself to thank everyone who was involved:

Hopefully full-length copies of these speeches and tributes will be available soon, for now enjoy the social media clips above.

Jay-Z Was An Impatient Witness During His Testimony For An Ongoing Lawsuit With Parlux Fragrances

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Parlux Fragrances and Jay-Z are embroiled in an ongoing legal battle. Jay-Z testified today in Manhattan Supreme Court as part of a suit filed against him by the perfume company, who claim he didn’t hold up his end up the bargain when it came to promoting the Gold Jay-Z cologne line. According to a report by Rolling Stone Jay-Z was adamant that he had fulfilled his obligations properly, stating: “You have me on trial from something I didn’t do.”

The opposition’s counsel pointed to a specific part of his contract that required “promotional tie-ins” and asked if the rapper had made any appearances for the Gold Jay-Z launch. “I did a lot for the Gold Jay-Z launch,” Jay-Z said. “I had a year to complete these [obligations], correct? I don’t know if you answered my question,” Jay-Z said. “I had a year to complete these right?” After more tense exchanges in which the lawyer tried to prove Jay-Z hadn’t read the contract he signed with the company, and therefore didn’t know what his obligations were, more of Jay’s personal feelings about the company came to light from some email exchanges where he wrote that they “suck.”

“I wanted great products and these guys didn’t understand,” he said. “It was so frustrating working with them.” According to the suit, which Parlux first filed in 2016, Jay-Z earned $2 million in royalties for the perfume, but they lost $18 million on the launch. They stated that Jay was supposed to make several appearances in support of the launch but never came through. After the suit was filed, Jay and his team countersued, alleging that they gave him with “inadequate accounting reports and promotional resources,” and still owe him $27 million in royalties.

A jury will decide the verdict for the trial, but proceedings are still underway.

Jay-Z And Kid Cudi’s ‘Guns Go Bang’ Collaboration Is A Standout On ‘The Harder They Fall’ Soundtrack

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Jay-Z has been flexing his artistic talents in all kinds of directions of late, and his latest project is a Western film called The Harder They Fall. Jay-Z co-produced the film alongside James Lassiter. It was directed and written by Jeymes Samuel and stars a massive roster of talent including Idris Elba, Jonathan Majors, Regina King, Delroy Lindo and LaKeith Stanfield. And what’s one of the best perks when Jay-Z produces your film? He can help out with the soundtrack, too, no problem.

The film is in theaters now, but will be heading to Netflix next week, on November 3, so tonight was the perfect time to drop the soundtrack. The tracklist is packed with appearances from Jay himself and other hip-hop royalty like Lauryn Hill, Jadakiss, Seal, Kid Cudi and Koffee — and, unfortunately, CeeLo Green also appears. But the high points are worth it, like Cudi and Jay together on “Guns Go Bang,” and Jay-Z, Jadakiss, Conway The Machine and BackRoad Gee connecting on “King Kong Riddim.” The contribution from Koffee, which amounts to the title track, is also a stunning addition to the packed roster.

Check out the full soundtrack below and hear Kid Cudi and Jay-Z’s collaboration up top.

Jay-Z Grants The World Another Meme-Worthy Moment After His Drink Got Spilled On Him

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For the third consecutive game, Jay-Z could be found courtside at a Brooklyn Nets game, attending the team’s matchup against the Miami Heat, which they lost 93-106. His appearance shouldn’t be a surprise: He’s there often, and he’s also a co-owner of the team. But a funny moment involving him occurred during the game, and thankfully it was caught on camera.

Jay was speaking to someone to the right of him when a woman sat beside him and accidentally spilled his drink on him. A surprised look can be found on his face as he dries himself while the woman celebrates what seemed to be an exciting moment in the game. It turns out the woman in question is Clara Wu Tsai, who is also a co-owner of the Brooklyn Nets as well as a businesswoman, philanthropist, criminal justice activist, and member of Jay’s REFORM Alliance, which he formed with Meek Mill, who was also sitting with them at the game.

Recently Jay-Z and his team Roc organization recently helped raise $1 million to look into a wrongful conviction in Kansas County. He’s also preparing for the release of The Harder We Fall, a film that he executive produced. The soundtrack to the movie will also feature a collaboration between him and Kid Cudi entitled “My Guns Go Bang.”

Jeezy Says Jay-Z, A Native New Yorker, Has Never Been To Central Park

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Rappers have a reputation for telling some pretty big fish tales, but every so often, they’ll share a true story so outrageous that it sounds like a whopper. In a new promo clip for TV One’s Uncensored series shared by Complex, Atlanta rapper Jeezy relates a story from his longtime friend and mentor Jay-Z that falls into the latter category.

As Jeezy describes the impact of his relationship with Jay, he recalls a time that he and the Brooklyn rapper went for a drive through New York. As they passed by Central Park, Jay — a native New Yorker — admitted that he’d never visited the Big Apple landmark. “We was riding by Central Park,” Jeezy remembers. “And he was like, ‘You know what? I’ve been here my whole life and I’ve never been to that place.’ What I took from that is he’s so focused on doing and being what he is that something as peaceful as a park, he never took a minute to go over there and just enjoy that peace of mind. That meant a lot to me because that’s something I strive for.”

Jeezy also describes how Jay-Z has always had his back, even in a fistfight that took place in Las Vegas. “Some things popped off in Vegas, and I gotta say, Hov got hands!” he chuckles. “‘Cause me and him was getting down!”

You can watch the full clip above.