Originally published March 5, 2021.

Front Seat

This is what's driving hip-hop this week….

JAY-Z ONCE RAPPED he’s a cash cow and, well, he just cashed out. In less than a month’s time, he’s announced two separate deals where he’s sold off either a majority (Tidal) or a 50 percent stake (Ace of Spades) in companies he owned. Both were splashy transactions, the former saw him return to Twitter (with a cleaned-up @) for the first time in three years and the latter found the Brooklyn mogul appearing on CNBC to talk shop. The question remains: why is he going liquid right now? That’s an inquiry for another day. For now, like most things Hov does, his moves serve as a bellwether test. Should we be celebrating his business prowess? (Despite one deal not being like the other.) Or should there be some mourning for what these sales mean on a cultural level? Heavy is the head that wears the crown.

Back Seat

Respect my mind or die from lead shower.

WHEN JAY-Z PARTNERED WITH SAMSUNG in 2013 for the release of his Magna Carta… Holy Grail album, he delivered a television spot during the NBA Finals touting #NewRules as a means to describe the campaign between the rap legend and the telecommunications firm. The deal was notable for Hov’s magnanimous efforts to resolve the music industry’s piracy problem while also securing himself a bag in the process. On its surface, the idea wasn’t bad. In fact, smartphones and apps are how we access music nowadays. That Jay would tout the strategy in such an audacious manner (“We need to write the new rules”) only to later execute it less than ideal to the people’s liking (on release day, users suffered through many a glitch), however, would prove to be more memorable than his original intentions. Yet, even in failure, he succeeds: the album earned him another chart topper.

While most would determine they can’t win for losing, rather than looking at the activation as a lesson, Jay-Z, it seems, viewed it as a blueprint.

Charity via capitalism. (I did say magnanimous.)

To most moguls these aren’t mutually exclusive, of course. They’re often one in the same—a tax strategy designed as a means to keep the rich richer.

For Jay-Z, who harbors larger ambitions beyond merely being wealthy (Watch The Throne, natch.), it’s his Robin Hood Theory...remixed. Become the rich to give to the poor. From a distance, though, it becomes hard to see who is who.

It’s his Robin Hood Theory remixed: become the rich to give to the poor.

Take Tidal, for example. By definition, the $297 million acquisition by Square is a success story. He built up a company to sell it for a profit. Considering the investment Jay-Z put into purchasing the streaming service (reportedly $56 million) versus what it eventually sold for, his portfolio and partners should be thankful. (Especially considering exclusive material was a strategy the streamer hoped to bank on before that got torpedoed after UMG chief Lucian Grainge put the kibosh on those following Frank Ocean’s foray with Apple Music.)

And just two weeks ago, in my newsletter, I included news of Jay-Z selling half of his champagne brand to a French luxury company. (My bars: I imagine Fabolous is gonna say something like, Gave shorty half a bottle of Spade, like Jay-Z did to LVMH.) He also scored a pretty penny in that deal. Terms of the sale weren’t disclosed, but Jay has rapped about his ownership stake in Armand de Brignac: “I’m 50 percent of D’Ussé and it’s debt-free/ 100 percent of Ace of Spades, worth half a B.”

In both cases, from strictly a business standpoint, Jay should be applauded. But despite him billing himself as a business, man (so let him handle his business, damn), Hov is also a cultural icon. He's tapped into that cache more often during his later years, as well. He’s raised his voice in regards to issues affecting the community. Whether it’s voting, social justice or prison reform, the Brooklyn MC has put time, money, effort and his words toward these causes. Although Diddy has run with it, Jay first popularized the phrase Black Excellence in rhyme on The Throne album.

Gave shorty half a bottle of Spade, like Jay-Z did to LVMH

Those actions bring props and also expectations. To subscribe to Tidal, for some, was an experience to eschew more popular competitors like Spotify and Apple, in order to support a Black-owned company. And even Jay himself has said, “there’s much bigger problems in the world I know/but first I got to take care of the world I know” — so while it may be silly for some to latch onto Ace of Spade so emphatically, the Cristal hip-hop boycott meant something to a selection of folks. Principality over profits.

Jay-Z wants to have it both ways and also talk out of both sides of his mouth. There’s nothing wrong with that, by any means. But he also wants to be insulated from criticism and that’s where he can fall short.

For his venture with the NFL, in support of social justice as a partnership between the league and Roc Nation, he appeared dismissive of Colin Kaepernick when Hov said it was time to move on to the next phase. The high-profile quarterback put his career on the line for his cause. Jay-Z, on the other hand, was attempting to take the cause to another level using his power to pursue a philanthropic agenda. From a distance, it was just hard to figure out who he was trying to help if not Kaep and what the deal was for beyond entertainment programming.

Shawn Carter isn’t one who is without ambition. He took on the music industry and its penchant for stiffing artists and its short-career spans only to dominate the rap game summer after summer. After a spell as Def Jam’s president, he was transformed and aimed for bigger targets, armed with more ammo. And a lot of people have benefitted. If he owns a company in its entirety or not, he ultimately employs many of us to make a living, often doing things we love.

What Jay-Z is attempting to do now, threading such a fine needle, by way of pursuing the old rules of capitalism to become something of a new-age activist, will be his biggest challenge.

The risk is real.

Here’s to hoping he can become the exception that proves to be the new rule.

[Editor’s note: a previous edition of this post that went out as an email to subscribers noted at the end of the first paragraph that Jay-Z’s chart topper was courtesy of pre-purchased albums by Samsung delivered to its customers as a part of the deal, those sales numbers, however, weren’t entirely accepted by Billboard at the time, according to the magazine.]

Trunk

Music, reads, podcasts and videos (music and more) I'm checking for.

• Drake says he’s still chef’n up CLB, but he let three appetizers go last night as a part of the Scary Hours 2 pack. He always wins when he uses the flow he does on “What’s Next.” “Wants and Needs” is gonna make Covid cases go up in Atlanta this weekend during All-Star weekend. It’s not too late for YOLO, Rozay and Drizzy. Drake also relaunched OVO Sound Radio as Sound 42 as a part of his Pandora/SiriusXM deal. [Listen]

• YNW Melly and Kodak Black (this pairing don’t violate probation or something?!) pull off a nice flip of Trick Daddy’s “I’m a Thug” for “Thugged Out.” [Listen]

• Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak better hope this vaccine rollout is smooth because these brothers want to get us back outside. The duo, as Silk Sonic, unleash their first offering, “Leave The Door Open.” [Listen]

• Young Dolph and Key Glock announce their joint LP Dum & Dummer 2 arrives March 26; the duo drop off “Aspen” in the meantime. Yes, please. [Listen]

• Baby Keem might excite me one day. I’m still paying attention, though. New one, “no sense,” for your ears…where he’s debating existentialism or something. [Listen]

• Some full plays to listen to over the weekend, including the “Boogie” soundtrack, Lil Durk’s Only the Family compilation and Denzel & Kenny Beats’ joint jawn. The “Boogie” movie reviews have been uneven, but a high point to the overall project…there’s a Pop Smoke/Polo G record on the soundtrack. Backseat Freestyle is always in favor of more Durk. This Denzel/Kenny collab is hard. [Listen] [Listen] [Listen]

• “Coming 2 America” weekend. There’s a hip-hop soundtrack. And a Zamunda-influenced project that pays respect to the Diaspora. [Listen] [Listen]

• First look at LeBron and the new “Space Jam.” [Read]

• The most fun read of the week over at OkayPlayer, taking stock of all those MP3s we downloaded during the Blog Era before streaming’s rise. I have a hard drive full of some classic rap tunes that I can’t easily click to listen to. Do check this one out. [Read]

• The OG Nelson George says R&B has gangsta backings too, it ain’t just hip-hop. [Read]

• Big Sean tells Michael Eric Dyson (via Facebook Watch lol; I linked to Complex instead) he contemplated suicide multiple times in the past. During a small listening session for Detroit 2, I remember Sean telling a group of us from Vevo about his challenges. He even made mention of a project he wanted to do (outside of music) to address it. I appreciate how deep he digs. [Read]

• Young Money back? Lil Wayne said expect a new compilation soon. [Read]

• My brother Tuma Basa speaks to New York magazine; at one point, he says he tries to be the best version of himself he can be when he speaks. I think that’s what he delivered. Talks about YouTube, the global influence of Black music and tools artist have to break out. [Read]

• Bonsu Thompson builds with Bun B on what’s happening down in Texas. [Read]

• CyHi The Prynce visits the No Jumper podcast. The brother got a lot on his mine. Hope he puts out the album he says he’s sitting on. Interviewed him a couple times back in the day, always liked him. [Listen]

• Chance The Rapper notches first solo directing job courtesy of his new music video “The Heart + The Tongue.” [Watch]

• Funk Flex been teasing this video on IG for like three months! “Damn Shame” featuring Jadakiss and Murda Beatz. (Kiss is the last in-person interview I did pre-Covid, a year ago; you can watch that, here. ) [Watch]

• Lil Baby is heating up again. He did a dope interview with RapCaviar where he talked about recording with expectations placed on him. He’s doing OK so far. Peep his “Real As It Gets” clip. [Watch]

• J Balvin SZN about to return. New single, “Ma’ G,” from his forthcoming album. This some fly shit. [Watch]

• Shouts to Bodega Bamz. The Boricua don dropped off his latest video, “The King,” with an ill horn flip that should ring friendly in your ears. This video makes me miss the summer we lost in 2020. [Watch]

• BRS Kash x Mulatto connect for “Kash App.” Heard @Jack wants to invest. Ha. [Watch]

Backseat Freestyle is written and produced by Jayson Rodriguez for Smarty Art, Inc. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, feel free to email me: [email protected]. And follow me elsewhere:

Twitter: @jaysonrodriguez

Instagram: @jaysonrodriguez

YouTube: jaysonrodriguez

YouTube: smartyartllc

Podcast: coming soon

Coffee/beer via Venmo: @jaysonrodriguez

*Photo Credit: Patrick Swirc