During a recent interview with the BBC1’s Newsbeat, Jay-Z ran off a list of some of the country’s top singles, and they all had one thing in common: Roc Nation. While going through the UK’s current top singles, Jay-Z explained his business connection to each artist.
“It comes at a great time, because if you look at the UK charts at this time the number one record is Rihanna, and we manage her,” he explained. “The producers of the record are Stargate, and we manage them. Number two is Alexis Jordan, and she’s on Roc Nation. Number four is Cee-Lo; we publish the writer. Number five is Bruno Mars; we publish the writer. So I’m just looking forward to building the best entertainment company ever made.”
There’s some differentiation with the numbers, depending on which week you view any given chart. For example, during the week beginning October 31, Alexis Jordan does not appear in the top ten of the BBC Radio Top 40 nor Billboard magazine’s Top UK song’s chart. Additionally, Cheryl Cole’s “Promise This” has topped Rihanna’s “Only Girl (In the World)” for the number one spot. Discrepancies aside, Bruno Mars, Rihanna and Cee-Lo all appear in the top five spots.
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And while some stateside Hip Hop fans are eagerly anticipating the full-length debut of J.Cole, the head of Roc Nation says he has his eyes on a different newcomer to possibly the label’s cash cow.
“I know who I’m looking out for next,” he added. “Willow. She’s a phenom. [‘Whip My Hair’
] just debuted number four on iTunes and she’s nine. I wish I had debuted number four on iTunes when I was nine. And she just completed this Ellen performance that’s breath taking…[Will and Jada] are so involved. You understand why they’re so successful, because they’re so dedicated.”
