Kanye West Teams Up With Jay Z’s Roc Nation
In a move that will surprise no one self-proclaimed fashionista Kanye West has decided to partner up with good friend Jay Z’s company Roc Nation for a new business endeavor. For years now West has been making moves to have his print on anything he takes on. From his album Yeezus to his tour and odd promotional tour, West has uniquely branded all facets of his career with an original aesthetic and sometimes avant-garde approach.
The “New Slaves” rapper currently owns a content house named after his late mother Donda. Now it’s been announced that he’s entering a partnership deal with Jay Z’s Roc Nation for a focus on West’s international recording brand and touring ventures.
West who has given Jay Z credit for being his mentor in the hip hop industry, and has worked with Jay Z musically in every sense of the word, is now moving to take over the design world. In addition Jay Z has been successful with his Roc Nation company for over a decade, so this move to partner with the Blueprint rapper is an extremely smart move.
Although West is clearly educated, he doesn’t have the reputation of being a good business man like Jay Z does. In terms of branding, West is still very much seen as a loose cannon, so this partnering could mellow his image a bit.
Roc Nation released a statement on the official website about the new business venture. Donda was launched in 2009 by West in order to flesh out a footwear campaign he was involved with for Louis Vuitton. Following that a joint venture occurred when West went on tour with Jay Z for the Watch the Throne tour which saw the company push on with branding.
The company also acts in West’s design relationships as Donda designed two versions of Kanye’s Nike Air Yeezy sneakers, which became a popular item for Nike. In addition Donda is working on the Adidas line that the rapper signed up for.
In terms of a visual packaging, the company was involved in the Cannes Film Festival in 2012 when it presented a visual component to West’s “Cruel Summer” compilation album. This allowed the company to take charge of the look and marketing for West’s unconventional album Yeezus. West’s first single was marketed by projecting the music video on buildings all over the United States.
With outside of the box thinking and Jay Z’s smart business minded attack, this may be a partnership worth looking out for in the near future.
[Image Via YouTube]
