Win-Win? Behind The Book of HOV, a savvy Roc Nation CEO whose Trump pardon (for long-past drug convictions) may have been strategic.

Yesterday, I mentioned that the chairs for the big Jay-Z gala at the Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library Oct. 3 include library CEO Linda Johnson and her husband, the developer Bruce Ratner (who built the Barclays Center), as well as Joe and Clara Wu Tsai, who currently own the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, and the arena operating company.

Photos: Norman Oder

But let's not skip over the other co-chair Desiree Perez, CEO of Jay-Z's company Roc Nation, who--as a reader pointed out--has an interesting backstory, involving a drug conviction (for some serious weight), a bold gambit to wear a wire, and, much later, a pardon by President Donald Trump which prompted speculation.

After all, if Perez could get the Brooklyn Public Library to install essentially a Jay-Z Hall of Fame in its public spaces, put a Lexus on its lawn, and cover its facade with visually striking but mostly forgettable Jay-Z lyrics--after all, most are hardly hits--she's got to be an operator and hustler worthy of her business partner.

Surely the library sees turning over significant public space to the Roc Nation-produced Book of HOV tribute as a win-win--maybe a little "ethical pickle" (see below), but, hey, there are new visitors and some big charitable donations. Overall, though, I'm sure Perez and Jay-Z are cackling at the hustle.

Win-Win?

One of The Book of HOV's sections is titled Win-Win, suggesting that Jay-Z's efforts at social reform and his business/artistic successes build on each other. 

The exhibit offers significant evidence of that--but it of course ignores periodic criticism, as in Dave Zirin's 8/19/19 commentary in The Nation, distilled as "He’s a billionaire who wants to be an NFL team owner, and erasing Colin Kaepernick is the price of admission."

The Win-Win section states:

JAY-Z is an artist, CEO, and entrepreneur, but his most influential role may be as a leader who fearlessly swims upstream to achieve his goals and fulfill his dreams. JAY-Z doesn’t just challenge police misconduct in his song “99 Problems”—he employs his platform to battle social injustice. JAY-Z used his pen to condemn the war on drugs and corruption in the bail bond industry. 

The tribute exhibition, of course, doesn't address what Sam Anderson put it in his New York magazine review of Jay-Z's memoir Decoded:

Which brings us to the ethical pickle at the core of the Jay-Z myth. He moves very quickly, in Decoded, from lamenting the tragedy of the crack epidemic to profiting from it as a dealer—and he never quite makes clear the moral steps that justify that transition. When pushed about his contradictory image, he falls back on “I’m complex.”

The Perez backstory

Roc Nation's website salutes Perez for being being named in Entrepreneur’s "100 Women of Influence in 2022", her 2022 Community Quarterback award from United Way NYC, and Leading Roc Nation and Changing the World, which links to a 4/21/21 profile from Hispanic Executive with that headline. She's one of five co-founders of the company.

Her backstory, in that article, goes no deeper than this:

Launching Roc Nation was in many ways a natural extension of Perez’s early career. She had spent more than fifteen years managing and operating nightclubs, including one that she helped to pull out of bankruptcy. “My experience in live entertainment and in micromanaging all aspects of a business—every dollar that comes in and out—translates to a lot of what touring entails,” she explains. “Touring is basically a nightclub on wheels.”

But there's more to it. Why Did Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez Receive a Trump Pardon?, Variety's Jem Aswad and Shirley Halperin reported 1/21/21, suggesting it was a surprise:

“President Trump granted a full pardon to Desiree Perez,” the relevant section of the Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grants of Clemency reads. “Ms. Perez was involved in a conspiracy to distribute narcotics. Since her conviction, Ms. Perez has taken full accountability for her actions and has turned her life around. She has been gainfully employed and has been an advocate for criminal justice reform in her community.”

Indeed, Perez runs a highly successful entertainment and sports conglomerate:

“I’m grateful to have received a pardon and to have formally closed that chapter of my life in the eyes of the law,” Perez, now 52, said in a statement Wednesday morning. “I have taken full accountability for my mistakes from 25 years ago, but I also take tremendous pride in my personal growth, perseverance and accomplishments since then. This pardon reinforces my lifelong commitment to advocate for criminal justice reform and social justice initiatives.”

Fair enough, but it should be noted that Perez wasn't dealing a little weed on the corner. As the New York Daily News reported in May 2014, she was arrested at 26 in 1994 for possession with intent to distribute 35 kilograms of cocaine, part of a drug conspiracy alleged to encompass New York, Florida, and Puerto Rico.

Avoiding a ten-year minimum sentence, Perez went undercover with a wire at least four times as a cooperating witness, taking some big risks.

Instead, she got 30 months in a military-style boot camp program. After working at nightclubs in Miami Beach, she went on the lam for nine months, and, after being charged with grand larceny, criminal use of drug paraphernalia and criminal possession of a firearm, she was sentenced--on what convictions is unclear--to nine months in prison and three years of supervised release.

Perez, according to that article, began helping manage Jay-Z's 40/40 Club in Las Vegas in 2002.

The strategy

Variety reported that Perez’s pardon "spurred some questions" about "why so few Roc Nation artists campaigned on behalf of the Democratic ticket, both in the Presidential race and in Georgia, where two Senate seats were hotly contested."

Remember, Beyonce and Jay-Z publicly boosted Barack Obama's presidential run.

But why would Perez want a pardon?

Varietyy quoted "insiders" as saying it might help Roc Nation move into the cannabis and liquor business, as well as help it go public. “As a convicted felon, there are certain things you can’t do, like run a public company,” the source told Variety. “That may have been holding [Roc Nation] back.”

Presumably putting on a tribute exhibition at the Brooklyn Public Library, and raising funds for the host(age) also helps not only Roc Nation and its leading co-founder, but also its CEO and co-founder.