Maxy

At a two-day company-wide retreat at the Tribeca Grand Hotel in Manhattan, Jay gave an opening address, then played the 1984 Def Jam sales presentation tape to remind them of the passion that?d pulsed through the company when it was small, independent, and revolutionary. Then, because most of the staff knew little about their co-workers, Jay had everyone talk a little about themselves and why they got into the record business in the first place, to remind them of their early passion for the business. ?We got people to go back to that inner kid and the joy of being in the record business,? he said. ?I wanted them to be alive again.? (When it came Jay?s turn to talk about why he got into the business he said, ?For me it was security.? He knew that by remaining on the street death or jail were inevitable.) The retreat reinvigorated the troops. ?There were employees that came back and said, wow, I feel proud to work at Def Jam,? said Tracy Waples, the label?s Senior VP of Marketing. ?I think within the company people just found it hard to believe a guy who?s that successful and wealthy is gonna really work.?

Jay has most definitely been working. He?s started two labels: Roc La Familia, focusing on reggae, reggaeton, calypso, tribal, and West Indian music as well as hiphop, and Def Jam Left, a label offering low-advance record deals, meaning artists won?t be pressured to sell as much in their first weeks to keep themselves employed. That?s part of his desire to make Def Jam an artist-friendly label. He says they won?t force artists to complete albums by a certain date so the profits can contribute to the bottom line of a particular fiscal quarter. ?If your sh!t ain?t ready,? he said, ?we might push your release date back and tell the corporation, Look man, it ain?t ready.? But, he?s learning that making a corporate commitment to artistry isn?t easy. ?You have to be artistically and financially responsible,? he said. ?That?s not a juggling act, that?s damn near an oxymoron. You want to spend as much money as possible to get the right artist, but you don?t wanna spend too much money where you?re lookin crazy to the corporation. That?s a constant juggling act. And there comes a point where you have to make a decision like, damn, I know it?s not really artistic, but the quarter comin to an end. I need this [album] for the books.?

He?s signed some experienced artists?the Roots and Foxy Brown?and a horde of new artists from a broad spectrum of genres?hardcore Southern rapper Young Jeezy, New York rapper Tru Life, R&B singer Teairra Mari, pop-reggae singer Rihanna, and British grime star Lady Sovereign. ?I would love to find a hot ass rock & roll act,? he says. ?We gotta have a Kurt Cobain on the label. A rock band that rocks in the hood.? Jay?s success at getting deals done has earned him a new nickname, The Closer. ?If I really want you I?ll close it like Mariano [Rivera, the Yankees? legendary relief pitcher].?

Of course, being an artist/businessman is a double-edged sword. Jay still retains the too-cool posture he had as an artist. ?I?m not gonna chase anyone,? he says. ?I?ll convince you that this is the best place for you. I?ll give you a million reasons why you should be here, but I?m not chasing. I?m not gonna call a hundred times. I?ll make two phone calls and feel a way, like, sh!t, I?m playin myself.? He laughs. ?I?m not messin up my best suit.? In a world where many others with recording contracts to give are more than willing to ruin their best suit in pursuit of new talent, surely this will be a liability at some point. Jay knows that. ?It hasn?t hurt me yet,? he says. ?I?m sure it will. I?m sure I?ll lose somebody real important and major in music but it hasn?t hurt me yet.?

This year two of Jay?s artists had tremendous success?Kanye has sold over two million copies of Late Registration and Jeezy has sold over one million of Let?s Get It and they?ve become two of the most talked-about, most culturally significant artists of the year?but several others did not fare so well. ?It?s been a little rough with the first three releases,? Dash sneered. ?What did Memphis Bleek sell? [534 sold less than 200,000.] What did the Young Gunz sell? [Brothers From Another sold just over 100,000.] What did Teairra sell? [Rocafella Presents Teairra Mari sold less than 200,000.] At Rocafella, those are not great numbers. So, know that it?s not as easy as it appears to be. I think he?ll be able to turn it around. Eventually. But I think he just has to learn the game a little more.? Rihanna had a hit single, ?Pon De Replay,? but her album Music of the Sun sold just over 200,000 and Beanie Sigel?s The B. Coming moved less than 400,000.

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