S. Samuel
Rap mogul Jay Z is going to have to rely on another source to get some industry tips as reports claim he has cut ties with longtime business partner John Meneilly. #OnToTheNextOne
According to reports, the split quietly went down close to Memorial Day Weekend.
Music industry insiders exclusively tell Confidenti@l that Jay Z has cut ties with John Meneilly, who helped build the “Empire State” rapper’s empire. According to one well-placed music industry insider, Meneilly didn’t want to go, “It wasn’t his choice.” Though a second source close to the split described it as “amicable and mutual” and says the agreement was made “a couple months ago.” (NY Daily News)
Media outlets suggest Meneilly played a big role with some of Jigga’s significant business ventures.
For more than a decade Meneilly sat at the center of Jay Z’s notoriously tight inner-circle. The former Provident Financial executive is largely credited for navigating the rise of Rocawear clothing line, which Jay Z sold off for $200 million in 2007 while maintaining marketing and licensing rights. He’s also credited as one of the architects behind Jay Z’s huge deal with Samsung last year, which instantly moved a million copies of the rapper’s “Magna Carta Holy Grail.” Meneilly was also a chief player at Roc Nation, which has grown from a record label to a talent management group that reps Yankee CC Sabathia and former Bronx Bomber Robinson Cano. (NY Daily News)
Earlier this year, Jay’s ex-business partner Dame Dash referenced Meneilly.
“Dash says he was never cut out for that world–he wants to be a Richard Branson-type entrepreneur-cum-magnate, creating companies and then getting other people to run them. He also heaps scorn on the Def Jam team that would later become Jay Z’s inner circle. ‘Those people are corny. You think I’m rolling to a club with Lyor Cohen or John Meneilly?’ he says, referring to the former head of Island Def Jam and Jay’s manager. ‘No disrespect to Jay–but every single person I see hanging around him is making money off him. They all conform so they can eat off him.'” (DETAILS)
