LaRussell Signs a Deal With Jay-Z’s Roc Nation

LaRussell has officially signed with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. The Vallejo rapper and entrepreneur made the announcement during this morning’s episode of Power 105.1’s podcast and radio show The Breakfast Club.

“It means I now have support beyond just my homies,” LaRussell told the show’s hosts. He and his Good Compenny team have had success independently, he explained, but he now needs support and guidance from a higher level within the music industry.

“Hov has been here and done it,” LaRussell says of Jay-Z, the rapper and Roc Nation CEO. “So it just gives us a different level of infrastructure.”

While details of the deal were not publicly shared, LaRussell stated during the interview that he will retain his publishing rights and ownership of his masters — a rare concession in the music industry, and proof of the leverage he’s built as an independent artist.

LaRussell had previously declined a deal with Def Jam in 2023, and has alluded to other major labels and companies expressing interest since.

Last month, LaRussell announced his signing of a “project deal” with San Francisco label EMPIRE, one of the music industry’s largest and most powerful independent labels and distributors. In 2023, he announced a deal with Live Nation for select concert dates. Both deals, LaRussell indicated, allowed him to make decisions on his own terms.

The Roc Nation announcement comes after images of a late January meeting between LaRussell and Jay-Z were shared online. Shortly afterward, LaRussell announced that he and his live band and choir will perform as part of the NFL’s official Tailgate Party on Sunday, Feb. 8. (Jay-Z’s Roc Nation curates the entertainment for the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime and pregame events.)

During his conversation with The Breakfast Club, LaRussell also promoted his album Something’s in The Water, which officially releases to streaming platforms this week.

Over the past 30 days the album has garnered attention with LaRussell’s attempt to sell 100,000 hard copies in one month. Though he fell short of his initial goal, the campaign received the support of rap legend Snoop Dogg, NBA star Kyrie Irving, Oakland-raised musician Raphael Saadiq and CEO of VaynerMedia Gary Vaynerchuk, who all paid thousands of dollars for the album.

The first single from the project, “I’m From The Bay,” has received airplay on local radio, and the numerous videos of LaRussell performing the song at various high schools and middle schools around the Bay Area have been widely circulated.

With the Jay-Z cosign and Roc Nation deal, the proud Bay Area representative — who turned a backyard in Vallejo into a full performance venue — has the backing of one of the biggest companies in music.