In early February, Jay-Z renewed his contract to endorse Rocawear for another three years, despite major layoffs and a PR hiccup following the release and then reclaiming of Occupy Wall Street-inspired T-shirts. He also said he would appear in a commercial for the brand, which, lo and behold, debuted today. The ad is called “From Marcy to Barclays,” alluding to Brooklyn’s Marcy Projects, where the rapper was raised, and Barclays Center, the soon-to-be arena for the Jay-Z–owned Brooklyn Nets. “My goal was to have one gold album and that was it,” he says in the clip. “And then it became, I want to show that an artist can ascend to the executive ranks.” Well, status of Rocawear aside, you seem to have shown us just that, Jay-Z.
