Jay-Z Gives Dame Props For Rocawear

Jigga Man tells Women’s Wear Daily about his race to a billie and his biggest regret with the Rocawear line.

“Dame did a great job when he was here,” Carter said. “I just feel that I have a different way of running things, which I think is working out well. I let people make mistakes, and push them to be creative. I let a design team design. When they feel good about something they have created, it makes them want to do more. It makes them want to do their best. People are happy here. I’m not a controlling manager and I have a great team that makes me confident that things can run well when I’m on the road, and I’m proud of that.”

So, in April 2007, Jay agreed to partner with Iconix Brand Group, which acquired the Rocawear brand for $204 million in cash. In the deal, Neil Cole, Iconix’s CEO, became Carter’s partner and in turn, Carter was going to help Cole with future Iconix deals.

“I got to know Neil, and we now have the same mission: Our goal is to make Rocawear a $1 billion company,” he said. “It may take us more time than we would like since the economy is in the shape that it’s in, but I’m confident that we will get there.”

One of his biggest mistakes? “We really should have done some Rihanna Rocawear umbrellas when that song became a hit. We could have made a load of money on those. I’m still kicking myself.”

Missinfo

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  1. iCandy says:

    I have no idea who would have bought Rocawear Riri umbrella.. what they need to do is innovate and set trends not fall into gimmicks. but when was the last time I mad ea multi-million dollar deal.. lol

    Also Dame might be good at greed, but he’s also an asshole. “You don’t know shit about my culture” control-freak. I could never last under someone like that, nobody with passion for their job could last under a boss like Dame who belitteles and patrnoizes you despite you being TRAINED in your field he still thinks he knows everything. This is how great people leave, bad bosses.

    Glad Jay-Z realizes it’s the people that make great companies, not the asshole with the CEO baseball cap.

  2. Datniggareggie says:

    lmao this nigga Dame left and immediately Rocawear fell off the map of urban clothing….Jay don’t even where that shit

  3. Smartenupnas says:

    ^
    Both of you guys are stupid!!
    Jay always wear rocawear, and since dame left the boat the company became a 800 million dollars company…Get your info right!

  4. VerseCutta says:

    urkle glass with every pair of jeans ,for a limited time only

  5. Wale says:

    @ Datniggareggie

    2008 = $800 Mill in revenue for Rocawear
    ——

    since u think it fell off… please let us know how much ur brand grossed in the same year?

  6. YO says:

    DATNIGGAREGGIE

    Your an idiot. And Jay needs to stop playing nice, Dame left the brand in a hole and Jay been flippin it ever since. Dame’s CEO Clothing line is where?

  7. Interscope Employee says:

    Who wear Rocawear??? its no longer 02…FUCK OUTTA HERE WITH THAT SHIT JAY!!!!!!

  8. joe camel fan says:

    Ooops! joe camel at the safari zoo in south africa.i know he had a good time with his fellow camel at the game reserve

  9. mac DIESEL says:

    U DUMB FUCKS NEED TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS!!! JUST CUZ SHIT AIN’T POPPIN’ OFF HERE DON’T MEAN IT AIN’T POPPIN’ EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD!!! NARROW MINDED MONKEYS!!! GET OFF THAT IDIOT BOX AND LEARN SOMETHIN’!!!FUCKIN’ SIMPLETONS!!!!

    DON’T HATE ON MY OPINION!!!!

  10. B.Dot says:

    Who wear Rocawear??? its no longer 02…FUCK OUTTA HERE WITH THAT SHIT JAY!!!!!!

    ^
    I mean, 800 million in sales. Hey, someone’s buying it.

  11. Chairman says:

    800 million in sales? It may not be ’02 but apparently a lot of people are copping Rocawear. Might have to see if the price dips a bit and buy stock in Iconix. If they’re pushing for a billie I want IN on some of that action.

  12. Nathaniel says:

    yea, those 13-18 (and even 19-21) yr old girls woulda been eating that rihanna rocawear umbrella shit up. my God. i’d be kicking myself too, lol.

    well you live and you learn. he otta partner with new era and do a line of Empire State of Mind Rocawear Yankee fitteds or some shit. 1st #1 single, i’d be milking that shit for all its worth.

    oh, and those series of campaigns he did to highlight Katrina survivors n shit through Rocawear jump started the brand. that was clever indeed. and touched a true spot in the black community. props on that.

  13. YO says:

    Interscope Employee gonna say ROCAWEAR buys their own clothes too huh? LOL, HI HATER

  14. MR.ASTRONAUTMAN says:

    NICLY PUT JAZ IM PROUD TO SEE YOU DEALING WITH EVERYTHING THE WAY YOU ARE YOU MACK THE STATMENT BLEAVEABEL THAT A ROSE CAN GROW OUT OF THE WERST CONDITION.GOD BLESS YOU THERE TRULY IS HOPE THANK THE LORD KEEPING YOU STRATE.

  15. Jimbo Slice says:

    Well this was the right thing to do. Dame may have been alot of things, but stupid wasnt one of them (all the time) lol. But he was devout about the brand even in his haste. Remi And Jay-Z remind me of eachother in their thought process. http://www.reverbnation.com/blastmusicconcepts And the caretaker of the Blast Music Concepts logo, I could only hope to have that level of adoration for all things BMC.

  16. cat says:

    ^ astonautman Ummmmm….okay. Weird

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