It seems rumors of Hov launching a record label have come to a head to be true.
StarRoc, pairs Hov with Norwegian songwriting/production duo Stargate (Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen), the pair who've given us everything from Ne-Yo's "So Sick" to Rihanna's "Unfaithful" and "Take a Bow" to Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable."
According to a spokesperson for Jay, the new venture will be located at the rapper's Roc the Mic recording studio in Manhattan and will develop new talent through the kind of 360 deal — covering everything from touring to record sales and merchandise — that he signed with Live Nation earlier this year for a reported $150 million. The label is a 50/50 partnership between Jay's Roc Nation company and Stargate. The rapper is slated to deliver The Blueprint 3, his 11th and reportedly final album for Def Jam — where he stepped down as president last December — before the end of the year.
A small mention of the deal appeared in The New York Times on Saturday, noting that the new venture will also include a music-publishing arm.
Jay-Z is doing it UP! I ain't mad at him at all! Just making all kinds of money! But that's what keeps you rich. Investments!
What the hell is going to happen to Def Jam? Jay'll be gone after the Blueprint 3, and LL just made his final album under them as well. I guess that label is in its last days.
Gosh, he's my idol! Congrats on his new business venture. His contract with Live Nation is HUGE!! He can do so much with that contract! Beyonce's lucky ass!!!