Jay-Z Moves To The Forefront Of The EDM “Revolution”
Billboard Magazine sat down with hip-hop’s billionaire mogul, Jay-Z to discuss his recent business venture with Budweiser’s Made in America Festival and the future of his career following the birth of his daughter. A trendsetter in his own right, Sean Carter has built a career through strategic business choices that have placed him at the forefront of pop and urban culture. Logically, Carter expressed his interest in America’s latest fascination, electronic music.
His label, Roc Nation, teamed up with EDM Management company Three Six Zero Group in July of 2010. This partnership has spawned a number of prolific collaborations including the monstrous Rihanna release, We Found Love and Swedish House Mafia‘s Calling (Lose My Mind) . To date, the company supports a variety of artists and labels – with Fly Eye (Calvin Harris), Refune (Sebastian Ingrosso), Diffused (Michael Woods), and Rising (Chris Lake) all on the roster. Carter described what initially attracted him to the EDM movement,
“I love revolutions. Hip-hop was a revolution. Grunge was a revolution. Electronic dance music feels like a revolution, it feels like the kids’ music. I just wanna be a part of it, we have a huge footprint in it which is great for us.”
While EDM’s commercialization appears imminent, American audiences are embracing the change. Festivals have caught the attention of money-hungry investors and genre-blending releases are becoming a staple. Although this evolution is exposing the music to legions of new fans, Pete Tong warned it will isolate the underground community and “destroy the scene“. No matter whose side you are on one fact is undeniable; Carter’s business venture was the driving force behind some incredible releases.
