With his controversial appearance at Glastonbury still ringing in Noel Gallagher's ears, Jay-Z is looking to pull off the biggest deal in hip-hop by launching his own record label, StarRoc.
For the label, which will be part of Jay-Z's massive $150 million 360 deal with Live Nation, the rapper is teaming with the Norwegian production duo Stargate, and according to sources, superstars are already in talks to jump on board.
Jay-Z is apparently deep in discussions with his wife, Beyonce Knowles (big surprise there), 50 Cent and Janet Jackson.
"Jay-Z is probably the only person in music that could put together the financing to make signing talent of that calibre possible," said a source. "It seems like a difficult task to get so many big artists under one roof, but I wouldn't put anything past Jay-Z.
The new label will make its headquarters at Hova's Roc The Mic recording studio in Manhattan, and will both release new Jay-Z albums as well as develop new talent. Under the terms of StarRoc, the label is a 50/50 partnership between Jay-Z and Stargate.
But what about solo Noel Gallagher? And what of Ojayzis? Surely they deserve a home, don't they? Stay tuned.
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Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar World, Guitar Player, MusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.
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