MC Hammer vs. Jay-Z — the 2010 East Coast/West Coast reboot delivered as a viral video response. The case study in second-act digital-marketing virality from a legacy artist who reinvented his distribution playbook.
The publicist who lied about Jay-Z and Beyoncé — the cautionary case study of source credibility in celebrity coverage, and how false publicist quotes turn into reputational damage for the celebrity, the publicist, and the publication.
Jay-Z's public tribute to Colin Kaepernick during the 2017 NFL protests — the celebrity-as-political-cover case study, and what the tribute documented about hip-hop's role in mainstreaming social-justice messaging.
Explore how Jay-Z mastered PR strategy through restraint and smart brand management to build his billion-dollar empire from Marcy Projects to cultural mogul status