JAY-Z: CLOSE TO SIGNING $20M DEAL WITH SAMSUNG

Jay-Z attends the 10th anniversary party of Billionaire Boys Club presented by HTC at Tribeca Canvas on June 4, 2013 in New York City

*A rumored partnership between Jay-Z and Samsung, first reported by the New York Post this morning and said to be worth $20 million, would include the launch of a music-streaming service through the electronics company “that would promote his acts and music on mobile devices,” a source familiar with the deal told the Post.

Reps for Jay-Z had yet to comment at press time. Reps for Samsung would only say that the company “does not comment on rumors or speculation.”

The deal would be the latest in a series of creative director-type roles for Jay-Z, following his ongoing collaboration with Anheuser Busch on the Budweiser Made In America music festival (which his wife, Beyonce, will be headlining) and Duracell’s PowerMat, where he is a stakeholder and spokesperson as part of a multi-year agreement.

Also in recent months, Jay-Z was an executive producer of the film “The Great Gatsby” (and oversaw the soundtrack), announced a stadium tour with Justin Timberlake, investigated a renovation of Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum (making it the second arena-sized venue he would have a stake in) and launched a sports management agency with Roc Nation Sports in early April.