Meek Mill knows he’s been blessed with a second chance – and he’s doing all he can to maximize it. In addition to having his 11-year probation lifted last week, the rapper and entrepreneur partnered with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation to launch Dream Chasers Records, reported ABC News.
The announcement was made during a small press conference at Roc Nation headquarters in New York. According to a statement on Roc Nation’s website, Meek Mill will serve as president of the label and “build a staff that will spearhead talent acquisition and development, label operations, creative strategy, marketing and legal, among other positions.”
“Creating a record label has always been the next step in my journey as a businessman and I appreciate Roc Nation and JAY-Z’s support on this new venture,” Mill said. “I want to take my experiences in the music industry, use them to find young, hungry talent and open doors for the next generation of artists.”
Despite having other offers on the table, Meek Mill said Roc Nation was a natural home for his label. He heralded Jay-Z and his team’s character.
“Of course I had offers to do a lot of business with other people, but the relationship we’ve built from (Roc Nation) believing in me through my whole career, through my ups and downs and the morals they showed to me and my team when it wasn’t in their best interest to have showed it — I feel comfortable going through this right here at home,” Mill said. “We’re ready to work. We’re just starting the beginning of a new chapter, a new page.”
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Jay-Z echoed Meek Mill’s sentiment, saying they don’t just look for the next hot artist, but rather the overall package.
“His integrity, his honesty, his sense of responsibility,” Jay-Z said of Mill. “Everything that he’s done leading up to this point, it showed that he can carry that weight for the next generation of people. Everybody can sign some artists, make some money and brag about how hot they are for … (but) for us, we look at the big picture. For us, it’s way beyond signing hot artists and having a hot record.”
Music and business aren’t the only things the two hip-hop moguls have collaborated on. Meek Mill and Jay-Z are also a part of Reform Alliance, an organization dedicated to criminal justice reform.
Meek Mill doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Earlier this year, he became co-owner of sports apparel company Lids. Stay tuned, there’s bound to be something else from the Philly native.
