Looks like Jay Z's 2004 single, "99 Problems," was released a few years too early. The more he tries to innovate, the more people work to take a slice of his ever-growing pie. Last week, everyone was mad at Jay for not taking a stance against Barney's. Calls for him to remove his fashion line from being sold in the high-end store came after black customers filed suit claiming they were "stopped and frisked" by officers called by Barney's employees.
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This week, he's got more drama. On the music front, Hov was hit with a lawsuit alleging he used a funk sample from Eddie Bo's "Hook & Sling" on "Run This Town" with Rihanna and Kanye West. It's the third such suit Roc-a-Fella Records has been served with this year alone. And honestly, it'd be a tough sell to the average person to convince them that Jay stole a sample, as the songs don't sound anything alike. Perhaps the real in-depth music-heads can differentiate exactly where the theft occurs. But lawsuits like these only serve to earn a bit of cash and take away from the creativity of today's artists.
Adding to what appears to be a trend of weekly drama, Jay Z's venture into sports is being met with opposition at nearly every turn. Within a few months of his declaration that Roc Nation would expand to Roc Nation Sports and begin representing athletes, he was investigated by the NFL. Geno Smith and Jadeveon Clowney, were sweating when the NFL and NCAA took a look at their eligibility. And some speculate that the Football League might attempt to change its rules to keep the rapper out.
This hasn't come to fruition, thus far. But that might come to an end after one of Jay's first clients, Robinson Cano, Instagrammed a photo of his birthday present from Roc Nation Sports: A custom $33,000 Shawn Carter Hublot.
Since Cano thanked Roc Nation Sports in the caption, it's going to be a bit difficult to wriggle out of the MLB rules that make it illegal for agents to give gifts to those they represent.
Of course, it probably happens all the time. Apparently no one told Cano not to Instagram it. But it shouldn't be much of a problem now that Cano is a free agent. The New York Yankees made their first offer for the All-Star second baseman to the tune of $165 million over seven years. That'll be plenty of dough for Jay Z to pay off whatever fine MLB throws his way. And now that it is online, everyone knows how Roc Nation Sports gets down, which will likely trigger one thing – more contracts, more money, and more problems headed to the world of Jay Z.
At least he still has Queen Bey.
