*Jay-Z’s annual Made in America festival may no longer be held at its usual spot in Philadelphia after the city’s mayor announced Tuesday that it was too expensive and created too much congestion, a reason that prompted an immediate op-ed response from the rap mogul himself.
Philly’s Mayor Jim Kenney said Tuesday that the festival, which has taken place on the city’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway every year since 2012, will have to be held elsewhere in the city next year due to the costs — approximately half of which have been covered by Jay’s Roc Nation company — and congestion associated with the event, according to a report in the local publication Billy Penn.
Jay-Z countered with a fiery op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer that began, “We are disappointed that the mayor of the city of Philadelphia would evict us from the heart of the city, through a media outlet, without a sit-down meeting, notice, dialogue, or proper communication” and cited that the minority-owned fest that’s included Rihanna, Kanye West and Pearl Jam in the past, has brought $102.8 million to the city, paid $3.4 million in rent and employed thousands.
Jay Z’s statement also revealed that the mayor’s office tried to cancel this year’s fest as well — which will feature Meek Mill, Nicki Minaj and Post Malone, Sept. 1 and 2.
The mayor responded several hours after the op-ed was published with a statement of his own that calls the situation an “unfortunate misunderstanding” that they are “working to resolve.”
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“The City of Philadelphia supports the Made in America festival and is greatly appreciative of all that it has done for Philadelphia,” the statement reads. “We are committed to its continued success and thank them for their partnership. We hope to be able to resolve what has been an unfortunate misunderstanding. We are working with Roc Nation and Live Nation to resolve this issue and we are committed to continuing our partnership with the Made in America festival.”
A rep for the mayor told Philly.com: “When the festival first started, it was intended to provide a unique attraction to the city on the otherwise quiet Labor Day weekend… Over the years, tourism has grown… and the need for an event of this scale at this location may no longer be necessary.”
Jay Z asked in his statement, which he released as an op-ed to the website, “How does an administration merely discard an event that generates millions … and employs the city’s people as if we are disposable now that we have served our purpose?”
Roc Nation COO Desiree Perez exclusively told Page Six that she’d previously tried to reach out to the mayor’s office and never heard back before the city publicly said the fest would move. “I’d love to have a conversation,” she said. “We’re shocked. We couldn’t believe it. We don’t have a clue about the hostility we’ve received.”
Meanwhile, fans believe that the festival’s hip ho- heavy lineup, not costs and congestion issues, are the real reason for the mayor’s move to nix the festival.
“Roc Nation got a call that the administration wanted to see this year’s lineup,” which Roc Nation refused, a source told Page Six. “What does that have to do with the city?”
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