Jay-Z has 99 problems, and iTunes IS one

I thought Jay-Z had retired from the rap game to indulge his mogul instincts, but you can’t keep a retired rapper retired nowadays, so he’s back with a US chart-topping album, ‘American Gangster’. But like Radiohead and AC/DC, he’s refused to let Apple sell the album on iTunes, because he doesn’t want it to be sold as individual tracks.

(By the way, I’m getting the irresistable mental image/sound of a supergroup consisting of AC/DC, Radiohead and Jay-Z performing a medley of ‘Big Balls’ and ‘Karma Police’. It’s not relevant to the story, but I wanted to share it with you).

Anyway, Jay-Z is portraying it as a simple business disagreement, rather than a full on sulkfest. “Let me make it clear – I don’t have a problem with iTunes. It’s just our interests were not in line,” he said. “No one can dictate to an artist, any artist, how they should express themselves.”

(via New York Post)

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