I guess you could say the monkey is off Def Jam’s back. After 3 years of wasteful spending and lackluster sales performance, Jay Z has resigned his position at Def Jam. Of course I told you this months ago. Word is LA Reid is not far behind him.
Both albums released by Jay Z on Def Jam have performed poorly and the rapper himself said numbers don’t lie. The writing was on the wall after Jay Z was exposed as a deadbeat dad who refused to acknowledge his own son Isa who was born to a video extra.
Jay Z was credited with bringing producer-turned-rapper Kanye West to Def Jam and introducing pop princess Rihanna to the masses. But Jay Z’s personal success has been disappointing. Jay Z said his album “Kingdom Come” was “too sophisticated” for his fans. But his concept album “American Gangster” also failed to catch on with fans selling only about 784,000 albums after 6 on the charts.
The 40-year-old rapper hasn’t revealed his future plans. “It’s time for me to take on new challenges,” he said in a statement. Jay Z still owes Def Jam 2 more albums but if he signs with another label, the remainder of his contract with Def Jam could be bought out.