Jay-Z continues to grow his business empire as he announces a new publishing venture called Roc Lit 101, a partnership with Random House which is a division of Penguin Random House.
According to the press release, Roc Lit 101 will be led by Chris Jackson, the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Random House imprint One World and a recent recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Center for Fiction along Jana Fleishman, executive vice president of Roc Nation.
Random House and Roc Nation have promised “books at the dynamic intersection of entertainment and genre-defying literature.” To start off the venture, it will be “Till the End,” a memoir by the retired pitching star CC Sabathia; and music journalist Danyel Smith’s “Shine Bright,” a story of Black women in music that combines memoir, criticism and biography.
Future drops from the new company include a book by Meek Mill on “criminal justice and survival,” memoirs by Yo Gotti and Fat Joe and even a fantasy fiction from Lil Uzi Vert.
“Our aspiration for the imprint is to create books that draw from the best of pop culture— its most imaginative and talented storytellers, innovators, and literary chroniclers — to create beautifully written and produced works that will entertain and enthrall readers, but also illuminate critical issues,” Chris Jackson, who published Jay-Z’s Decoded, said in a statement.
Fleishman added that “There are so many untold stories and we consider it a true privilege to be able to amplify diverse voices while exploring the uncharted worlds that are about to open to us.”
Jay recently launched the first line of products from his Cannabis brand, Monogram.