History
Roc Nation was founded in 2008 by Jay-Z with the intent of signing pop and hip hop artists, succeeding his previous label, Roc-A-Fella Records. [4] Unlike Roc-A-Fella, Jay-Z served as the company's sole proprietor. Roc Nation's first signed artist was rapper J. Cole. [4]
In 2009, Roc Nation signed a distribution deal with Sony. [5]
Made in America festival
In September 2012, Roc Nation held the first Made in America festival in Philadelphia. Inaugural performances included artists across different genres, such as Jay-Z, Pearl Jam, Miike Snow, The Hives, Odd Future, and Passion Pit. [6] [7] Over the following years, artists such as Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Imagine Dragons, Nine Inch Nails, The Weeknd, Rihanna, Coldplay, J. Cole, and Bad Bunny performed at the festival. [8] [9] [10]
Roc Nation Sports
The next year, Roc Nation formed a new sports management division, Roc Nation Sports, a subsidiary dedicated to sports representation for professional athletes. [11] Shortly thereafter, Roc Nation Sports also launched a boxing promotion division. [12]
In 2019, Roc Nation Sports launched its international division, Roc Nation International, with the opening of an office in London. [13] The sports division later launched Roc Nation Sports Brazil in 2023. [14] Other sports ventures have included collaborations with South African rugby club, The Sharks, [15] AC Milan [16] , United Rugby Championships, [17] a marketing effort with Italian soccer agency, Serie A, [18] and active collaborations with SAILGP [19] and the Mamelodi Sundowns. [20]
Roc Nation Management
The company's management division, Roc Nation Management, and Three Six Zero Group announced the formation of Three Six Zero Entertainment, a management subsidiary that represents clients in film, television, and the literary arts in February 2015. [21]
Roc Nation Latin
The company's previous Latin venture, Roc Nation Latin, was launched in 2016, with Romeo Santos named as chief executive officer. [22] Santos signed Mozart La Para as the first artist to the label, along with other artists such as Victoria "La Mala," Yandel, and American Idol alum, Karen Rodriguez. [23] [24] [25]
Paper Planes
In 2018, [26] the company trademarked its streetwear clothing brand, Paper Planes. [27]
Partnerships
Roc Nation and management company Philymack partnered in 2015. Philymack brought its current clients, such as the Jonas Brothers (as a group), Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas (and his group, DNCE), Kevin Jones, and Demi Lovato, to Roc Nation. [28]
Roc Nation partnered with event production companies ESM Productions and DPS (Diversified Production Services) in 2016. [29] The partnership focused on large-scale productions such as concerts and live-streamed festivals. [30]
In July 2017, Roc Nation collaborated with MSFTS, an art collective featuring siblings Willow and Jaden Smith, and Harry Hudson. Within this partnership, all three artists were scheduled to release new music. [31]
The following year, Roc Nation entered a partnership with S10 Entertainment, which included management and a record label. [32] IN 2023, the venture signed Puerto Rican rapper Myke Towers. [33]
Roc Nation announced a long-term partnership with the National Football League in August 2019. The company became the live-music entertainment strategist for the league, executive producing all Super Bowl Halftime Shows since 2019. [34] The collaboration augmented social justice efforts through the Inspire Change initiative. [35] That December, Desiree Perez was named CEO of the company, succeeding Jay Brown, who was named vice-chairman. [36] Perez formerly served as chief operating officer since 2009. As CEO, Perez assumed responsibility for the oversight of all 14 Roc Nation verticles. [37]
In December 2020, it was announced that Roc Nation and Random House had teamed up to launch a new publishing imprint, Roc Lit 101. [38]
In 2021, Roc Nation teamed up with American Greetings to create custom greeting cards. [39] Roc Nation also announced plans to launch a new brand and multimedia platform named EDITION in partnership with Modern Luxury Media. [40]
In 2022, the company announced a partnership with realty company SL Green and Caesars Entertainment to propose building the first casino in Times Square. [41] [42]
