Guys.
guys.
GUYS.
Last night during the Spurs vs. Heat, Jay-Z announced his new album Magna Carta Holy Grail. Officially, the album drops on July 4th. But with Mr. Carter being the mogul that he is, the dude's already gone platinum on this album. Jay-Z signed a deal with Samsung, allowing the first 1 million Samsung users to download the album on June 24th (an album prerelease). Believe me, as a Samsung user I've already made a GCal reminder for this...
But aside from the brilliant marketing scheme, we're seeing Pharrell, Timabaland, Swizz Beats, and Rick Ruben all collaborating with Hov on this album. And if you listened to the video above, you'll know exactly why you need to be excited for this.
And with regards to "New Rules", this is a perfect example of why Hov was essentially THE conclusion to Dan Charnas' book, "The Big Payback" (if you don't know this book, you should know it).
"Focusing on successful marketing strategies—from the branding of hip-hop artists by labels like Profile and Def Jam to the key management choices that broke through the color barrier on radio and MTV—Charnas provides an insider’s analysis of what has allowed hip-hop to not only endure but dominate. Culled from more than three hundred revealing interviews with key industry players like Russell Simmons, Rick Rubin, Warner Records executive Lyor Cohen, and other more, The Big Payback is both a fascinating narrative and a provocative primer on hip-hop’s compelling paradigm for business success in a new, multicultural America."
Jay-Z has largely benefitted from his historical predecessors, and that's exactly why he is able to do what he is doing today. Instead of hawking records to radio stations, hoping for some air time, Jay-Z is ensuring his own success by securing the Samsung deal weeks prior to his actual album debut. He has officially gone platinum and the album isn't even out yet. This, compared to Kanye West's recent marketing efforts for his new album "Yeezus", simply takes the cake. Why bank on performance art and spectacle when you can run one single television commercial during a playoff game, and plant seeds exactly where you need them.