Thursday, December 06, 2007

JAY-Z LEAVING DEF JAM?

Could Jay-Z be cleaning out his office at Def Jam soon? According to the NY Daily News, contract-renewal negotiations between Universal Music and the rapper-turned-CEO have broken down.


"He wanted big, big money that was way out of sync with the realities of today's record business," a source says.

Island/Def Jam CEO L.A. Reid and his boss, Doug Morris, are said to have found Jay's demands "excessive" in light of the time he's been spending on tour.

"People have lost count of how many times he's come out of retirement," the source says. "Everybody knows he's not around the office much. Everybody at Universal loves him, but they can't justify paying him the money he wants when so many people have been laid off."

His contract is said to expire at the end of this month. Friends of the rapper, who last night was celebrating his 38th birthday in Paris, scoffed at claims that Reid and Morris had thrown in the towel.

"They are still actively negotiating," one friend insisted.

According to another: "The talks will continue when he returns to New York. They still have a ways to go before a decision."

Only time will tell, but I can't see Hov being excessive. This job isn't his bread and butter.

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