The Grammy-winning pop singer has parted ways with manager Marc Jordan and is now being managed by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Management
So with the worldwide promotion of her upcoming album ‘Loud’ becoming a success, Rihanna has been making some serious future decisions in regards to her career.
According to The Associated Press, It looks like Riri is back in the arms (Beyoncé‘s place) or should we say under the wings of the one and only Jay-Z. And why? Because she has decided to join Willow Smith and others under Roc Nation management!
Rihanna is now under Jay-Z’s umbrella
Rihanna told The Associated Press in a statement Wednesday (Oct.20) that she’s “so excited to take this next step in my career.”
The 22-year-old is also launching a new company called, Rihanna Entertainment. She says it will “merge all of her businesses, including music, film, fragrance fashion and book ventures.”
Jay-Z signed Rihanna to Def Jam in 2005. The two won a Grammy in 2008 for the hit song “Umbrella.” Earlier this year, the pair picked up two Grammys for the rap song “Run This Town,” which also featured Kanye West.
Talking about the first time he met Rihanna, Jay-Z say he signed her only hours after seeing her audition:
“We signed her that night — 3 in the morning was when that contract got signed. We wouldn’t let her leave the office. From meeting her at 4 [p.m.] in the office till 3 in the morning, I was absolutely certain. That doesn’t happen too often.”
Rihanna however remembers the meeting a little bit differently saying she was super nervous:
“When we first got there, I was shaking. I had never met a celebrity, and to have to audition for one and meet him at the same time … I was hysterical. But the minute I went in the office, it was totally different. He was so welcoming; the environment was so warm and friendly. The jitters just went away immediately.”
So Jay-Z has always had a hand in Rihanna’s career and he rhymed on her biggest hit “Umbrella.” So it looks like the Roc fam is sticking together beyond Def Jam.
She’s released four albums and plans to release her fifth CD, “Loud,” on Nov. 16.
Jay-Z and Kanye West are working on a full album together.
The pair previously announced they were to collaborate for an EP called ‘Watch the Throne’, but Kanye has since revealed this will now become an album.
He told MTV:
“We’re putting out a whole album now. We had done five songs so far, but then a few of them kind of were out there – and I put them on my album. Sorry, Jay!”
Although Kanye used some of their initial ideas for his forthcoming ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ album – including the track “Monster”, a version of which featuring Jay-Z has been released – he added the pair have set a date to record again, and he doesn’t expect Jay to have any problems coming up with lyrics.
He added:
“We’re going to the South of France at the end of this month just to record new ideas. We’ll probably be done with the album in like a day or whatever. If you think about it, it’s really easy for Jay: He only has to think of, like, 10 verses!”
Kanye has a long association with Jay, working with the star as a producer on his breakthrough album ‘The Blueprint’ in 2001.
Jay-Z to Stump for Obama Again in 2012
During the 2008 presidential election, Jay-Z made it known that he was rooting for now-President Barack Obama. The rap superstar appeared at campaign rallies with Obama and even sang his praises during (typically sold-out) shows.
Jay-Z hasn’t been involved in the upcoming mid-term elections, but that doesn’t mean he’s done with politics. While speaking with the New York Post, Deputy White House Press Secretary William Burton made it sound like the Obama camp is expecting Jay-Z to help out in 2012.
Burton joked about the rapper taking over a key economic post before admitting his appeal to the Democratic party.
“In all seriousness, keep in mind he was pretty active during the 2008 election, so I don’t think it’d surprise anyone that he would be involved again,” Burton said. “But it’s a little premature.”
I’m A Business, Man! Jay-Z’s 10 Smartest Business Decisions According to Vibe Magazine
Guess who’s bizzack? Less than a month before the release of “Decoded”, a book that breaks down the meanings behind many of his most complicated lyrics, Jay-Z is proving once again why he landed atop of the Forbes “Hip-Hop Cash Kings” list late last summer.
Last week, Hov teamed up with Microsoft‘s search engine Bing to launch an advertisement campaign that will see pages from his upcoming book plastered to billboards throughout the country as well as surfaces like the bottom of a pool and the top of a pool table. Jay-Z fans are encouraged to use Bing to find and locate these pages, and the first fan that locates all of them and “decodes” them properly will win a chance
to catch a Jay-Z concert in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve.
It’s already proven to be an incredibly deft business move by Jay-Z. The promotion has given the book a ton of free press and a good chance of moving off bookshelves quickly on Nov. 16.
In honor of Hov‘s latest deal, VIBE looks back at 10 of his smartest business decisions. If you’ve ever wondered how he managed to take his life from Marcy to Madison Square, look no further.
“I think the list is a bit bogus. Nothing against VIBE by all means they are a great magazine. I just feel the list could have been put together more for his Business/Investment ventures, rather than what kind of champagne he prefers, but that’s just me.”
Here’s one from wikipedia.org:
Jay-Z has also established himself as an entrepreneur like his fellow hip hop moguls and friends, Russell Simmons, Dr. Dre and Sean “Diddy” Combs, who also have business holdings such as record companies and clothing lines. In an interview, he stated that “my brands are an extension of me. They’re close to me. It’s not like running GM, where there’s no emotional attachment.” He is the founder of the urban clothing brand Rocawear along with Damon Dash. Rocawear has clothing lines and accessories for men, women and children. The line was taken over by Jay-Z in early 2006 following a falling out with Dash. In March 2007, Jay-Z sold the rights to the Rocawear brand to Iconix Brand Group, for $204 million. Jay-Z will retain his stake in the company and will continue to oversee the marketing, licensing and product development.He also co-owns The 40/40 Club, an upscale sports bar that started in New York City and has since expanded to Atlantic City and Chicago. In 2008, the 40/40 club in Las Vegas was closed down and bought back by the hotel after attendance steadily declined. Future plans will see 40/40 Clubs in Tokyo and Singapore. In 2005, Jay-Z became an investor in Carol’s Daughter, a line of beauty products, including products for hair, skin, and hands, as well as fragrances.
Jay-Z serves as co-brand director for Budweiser Select and collaborates with the company on strategic marketing programs and creative ad development. He provides direction on brand programs and ads that appear on TV, radio, print, and high-profile events. He is a part-owner of the New Jersey Nets NBA team paying a reported $4.5 million for his share. He is interested in relocating the team to Brooklyn. In October 2005, he was reported in English media as considering buying a stake of Arsenal F.C., an English soccer team. He has also invested in a real estate development venture called J Hotels which recently acquired a $66 million mid-block parcel in Chelsea, New York. Jay-Z and his partners are contemplating constructing a high-end hotel or an art gallery building on the newly acquired site which has the potential to go up about twelve stories. Through his company Gain Global Investments Network LLC, had an interest estimated between 2 and 7% in the Aqueduct Entertainment Group (AEG) consortium which in January 2010 was awarded a contract to operate a 4,500 slot machine racino at the Aqueduct Race Track. Jay-Z became interested in the project after New York Governor David Paterson who awarded the contract said there had to be an affirmative action component to the ownership. Jay-Z initially approached Steve Wynn who was also bidding on the contract. On March 9, 2010, Jay-Z and Flake withdrew from the project and Paterson recused himself from further involvement.
Jay-Z’s Interview With The Wall Street Journal
Here are excerpts from an interview from The Wall Street Journal with Jay-Z in his office.
WSJ: This book puts a frame around your career. When did you really start thinking about how you wanted to present your legacy?
Jay-Z: You think about legacy before you even start. When a kid is practicing on the basketball court, it’s “5-4-3-2-1 and the crowd goes crazy!”
As you start realizing your dreams and it’s tangible, you think about it in a real way. But I think that emotion happens from the beginning, from record one.
The legacy, I think about that as I make the music, all the time. How can I make the best album of all time? You always fail. But every time I go up to bat, I’m thinking how can I make an album better than “Thriller.”
WSJ: I’ve talked to some of your friends who say that when you guys make personal career decisions, you’re taking into account how the decisions will move hip-hop culture forward overall. Can you give me an example?
Jay-Z: For us, this is the music that saved a generation. So there’s a big responsibility for those who it saved to make sure that thing is intact for the next generation. We’re the first generation that really took advantage of it, starting with Puff [Daddy] and Master P, guys who really made a name and became successful as entrepreneurs.
Even more than that, when you’re under attack so much as a genre [as hip hop is], you’re forced to come together. But probably the last time we really came together on something was working for Obama, lending our voice and the people we had toward that campaign. Whether he does a great job or not is almost secondary to what it did for the dreams and the hopes of an entire race. Just based on that alone, it’s a success, the biggest we’ve had. Period. To date. It’s Martin Luther King’s dream realized. Tangible. In the flesh. You can shake his hand.
WSJ: What would you change about hip-hop if you could?
Jay-Z: We have to find our way back to true emotion. This is going to sound so sappy, but love is the only thing that stands the test of time. “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” was all about love. Andre 3000, “The Love Below.” Even NWA, at its core, that was about love for a neighborhood.
We’re chasing a lot of sounds now, but I’m not hearing anyone’s real voice. The emotion of where you are in your life. The mortgage scandal. People losing their jobs. I want to hear about that.
WSJ: What’s the most important decision you made along the way to help keep your career in your own hands?
Jay-Z: We got lucky. In the beginning we couldn’t get a deal. We had to work our own records in the beginning. It gave us a different way to negotiate when we came to the table. Most people get excited and take the first deal they’re offered. We had a little bit of success already, so we were stubborn enough to think that we could really do it at that point. They offered us a deal and we asked for a co-venture. That pretty much ensured that we’d have control from the beginning, from album one.
WSJ: You don’t hand out awards. Are there other things you say no to automatically?
Jay-Z: That doesn’t have anything to do with building the myth. I’m just uncomfortable speaking. I can do a stadium show for two hours and I’m in my comfort zone. But if you look at any of my acceptance speeches they’re maybe seven seconds. I want to get off the stage.
Check out a video below of an exclusive Amazon.com interview with Jay-Z about his book “Decoded”
Jay drops some book knowledge in this exclusive interview for Amazon.com. He gives more detail about what we can expect from “Decoded” when it hits stores on November 16th.
Well, Mariah Carey still hasn’t really confirmed that she’s carrying a baby, but I think at this point, most of us are in agreement – Mariah is knocked up. How far along she is, and the gender of the baby is still in question. Fortunately, there is a very talkative “insider” who ran to Hollywood Life to dish about babies and due dates. Allegedly, Mariah is expecting a boy, and she’s due in March:
Congrats, Mariah! An insider tells HollyBaby.com that the diva and her husband, Nick Cannon, are expecting a son in March next year and are set to announce their happy news very soon!
Mariah Carey is four months pregnant with her first child — a boy! — a source close to the star tells HollyBaby.com. The Grammy award-winning singer and her husband, Nick Cannon, have been tight-lipped about her pregnancy, but she is expected to make an official announcement in the next couple of weeks when she begins promoting her new holiday album, ‘Merry Christmas II You’ (which is being released on Nov. 2).
“She’s having a boy, but the reason that Mariah didn’t want to say anything is because she is 40, and she’s superstitious,” the insider says. “But she’s going to appear on Oprah and The View, so she’s planning on making the announcement soon.”
The insider says that the couple are over the moon about their impending arrival but “they haven’t decided whether they’ll raise the baby in New York or Los Angeles.” They are currently living in Nick’s LA home while renovations are being done on the former Bel Air home of Farrah Fawcett that Mariah bought last year for $7 million. The 11,750 square feet home has five bedrooms — plenty of room for a nursery and a giant closet for Mariah!
Mariah took fertility drugs to get pregnant, according to the insider, who says, “the fertility drugs were the reason for her weight gain earlier this year.” She has also given up drinking alcohol — “she stopped drinking back in March or April this year,” the source says.
While we would have loved to see the Hello Kitty wardrobe that Mariah’s daughter would wear, we’re excited that she’s expecting a little boy — and can’t wait to see her little lamb!
“Congratulations Mariah and Nick!”
P.S. Don’t forget to let Oprah know the true facts.
Mariah Carey teamed up with her mom, opera singer Patricia Carey on the holiday classic, “O Come All Ye Faithful”. The song is off of Mariah ’s new album, ‘Merry Christmas II You,’ in stores November 2.
“We discussed doing a duet and I really wanted to make sure it happened on this Christmas album,” Mariah has said. “So I feel really blessed to be able to have this opportunity to have this on record forever – a song with my mom. She’s the one who really got me into being so festive at Christmas.
The song consists of a gospel choir and Patricia Carey’s towering vocals, this interpretation of “O Come All Ye Faithful” is built to get obsessed fans and worshippers on their feet come the holidays.
JNEL & J. Magazine 