Fans of Jay-Z’s iconic Made in America festival can breathe a bit easier. After being told that the festival would have to find a new home starting in 2019, the city’s mayor, Jim Kenney, recently released a statement with Roc Nation COO Desiree Perez to announce that the festival could remain there indefinitely. Describing the situation as an “unfortunate misunderstanding,” Mayor Kenney stated along with Perez that “We are happy to announce the Made in America festival will continue at the heart of the Philadelphia, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for many years to come.”

As usual, it appears that Desiree’s–or Dez’s, as she is often referred—negotiation skills have saved the day. Although the response to the festival’s eviction was penned in an open letter by Jay-Z, Desiree has been instrumental in negotiating the terms of the festival with the mayor and other Philadelphia city officials. Both Desiree and Jay-Z emphasized to the mayor and the world the fact that Made in America has had a positive economic and tourism impact on the city since its inception in 2012.

To understand why the potential eviction of the festival was so controversial, it helps to know a little about its history and origins. When Jay-Z decided to put together an annual music festival, he wanted it to feature artists from a variety of musical genres. In a sense, he wanted the musical acts that performed on the stage to reflect the diversity of America, which is often referred to as a melting pot since people from all over the world come here to start new lives. Jay-Z wanted it to be held in a location that held historical significance, and he felt that the City of Brotherly Love was a natural choice.

Since its first year, 2012, Made in America has taken place over Labor Day weekend. Jay-Z also specifically chose that date for its cultural significance. It has always been held in the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which is one of the most iconic districts of the city. The Parkway is where you will find the famous “Rocky steps” that are featured in the Rocky films. It is also home to numerous museums, fountains and monuments. Most importantly, it is located right in the heart of the city, making it an ideal location for people to gather and share their love for music and the country.

The city’s attempted eviction of the festival seems to suggest that the festival hasn’t been a boon to Philadelphia, but Desiree Perez, OG Juan, Jay-Z and other members of the Roc Nation family would surely disagree. In fact, Jay-Z did so in his inimitable style in his open letter to the city, which clearly seems to have touched a nerve or two. The fact is that since its very first year, the festival has been nothing short of a major success both in terms of economics and in terms of tourism. Why, then, did Mayor Kenney attempt to rudely pull the rug out from under the event?

One sign of just how big a blow the potential eviction would have been can be found in the fact that Desiree Perez has been doing interviews in opposition of the move. Indeed, the notoriously private Dez, as she’s known by Jay-Z, OG Juan and other close friends, broke her usual silence to speak out against what the mayor and his administration were trying to do. She is the one who told the public about just how frustrating the experience had been—and she called out the mayor’s office for going about it in the worst possible way.

It’s normal to assume that the statement that was released by Mayor Kenney to announce the eviction of Made in America from Philadelphia was the culmination of many behind-the-scenes events, such as negotiations and the like. As pointed out by Dez in several interviews following the announcement, however, Roc Nation was completely blindsided by the move. In his open letter, Jay-Z derided the mayor for being evicted “through a media outlet” rather than through face-to-face conversations. In interviews, Desiree Perez recounted how the city refused to speak directly with her and the team on repeated occasions. “It just keeps happening,” she stated.

According to what Desiree related in interviews, the city of Philadelphia did not deal with Roc Nation very fairly through the debacle. It all started in 2016, when Roc Nation received a letter via a third-party production company that the mayor’s office wanted to see the setlist for the next Made in America event. When pressed about why they wanted to see the setlist, the mayor’s office told Dez that the mayor wanted a say in who would perform. However, Roc Nation does not allow outside parties to have a say in the lineup, so the request was denied.

As noted by Desiree Perez in interviews, the festival received very few complaints over the six years that it has taken place at Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. At the very most, the festival received a few complaints about noise. Whenever possible, the festival moved stages and took other steps to address such complaints, which are very common for festivals of any kind. It is clear that throughout the history of the event, MIA organizers have been conscientious about not imposing on residents or businesses of the city.

Despite the festival’s positive history in Philadelphia, however, the mayor’s office started to take steps that worried Roc Nation and its members. In 2017, for example, the city wanted to start collecting $1 for every ticket that was sold. Desiree Perez noted in interviews that that was an outrageous request. Since the event started in 2012, Roc Nation has paid rent to the city to occupy the space and to put on the festival. In fact, through the years, it has paid more than $3 million’ worth of rent to the city. Roc Nation rejected the city’s request to collect the money, which probably didn’t help the relationship.

As if all of that wasn’t aggravating enough for Dez and the others at Roc Nation, the city went on to send a letter to Live Nation—not Roc Nation, as they should have—that the event owed the city $281,000 for going over the budgeted amount that was allowed for expenses. Desiree pointed out in interviews, however, that rent has always been fixed for the event. How could Made in America have somehow exceeded the budget, so to speak, when rent was always charged as a fixed, flat rate?

If the team at Roc Nation wasn’t concerned about how the mayor’s office was behaving yet, they knew for sure that something was up when they received a cease and desist letter. The letter essentially evicted the event from Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and it even seemed to suggest that the event could not take place there for 2018. This would have posed major problems for Roc Nation because there would not have been enough time to line up a new venue. Furthermore, Dez has stated that Jay-Z really isn’t interested in finding a new location for MIA. He chose Philadelphia for many reasons, and he doesn’t intend to change that.

Although it remains unclear as to why the city of Philadelphia suddenly developed a problem with Made in America, Desiree Perez worked tirelessly to put the city on blast for its actions. The COO of Roc Nation believes that the city was trying to pad its pockets by inflating charges on bills for the event. In an interview, Perez pointed out that the bill for fire department services for one event was $389,000, but the city charged $421,000 on its bill. She cites several other examples of this type of inflation, which seems to suggest that the city was trying to make a cash grab despite collecting rent and enjoying many other benefits from the festival.

Throughout all of these events, the city of Philadelphia never spoke directly with anyone at Roc Nation. Instead, they communicated solely through the media, which Desiree Perez and others found to be offensive. This is also reflected by the fact that despite receiving studies from Roc Nation about the positive impacts of the festival, the city appears to never have read through any of them. Jay-Z included many of the points from these studies in the open letter that he penned to Mayor Kenney and his administration.

In his open letter, Jay-Z managed to strike an effective yet diplomatic tone. Despite being wronged again and again by the city, as pointed out in interviews by Dez and others, Jay-Z took the high road and didn’t point any fingers. Instead, he pointed out the positive ways in which the festival has impacted the city, both economically and in terms of tourism. He also expressed dismay and confusion over the fact that the mayor’s office had so far allowed no direct communication with Roc Nation. He even suggested that it appeared like the city was trying to cancel the 2018 event too.

Some of the most significant impacts that the Made in America festival has had on the city of Philadelphia include:

• Rent payments in excess of $3.4 million, which have been paid by Roc Nation to the city of Philadelphia for the right to hold the event at Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
• The employment of more than 1,000 local residents to help operate the festival. Those workers earn money that they then put back into the local economy, strengthening the city and its citizens.
• Partnerships with Philadelphia-based businesses. More than 85 percent of the businesses that Roc Nation partners with for the event are based out of Philadelphia, so the event does even more to help the local economy.
• Social actions, including charitable donations, prompted by the event’s Cause Village. The “social action hub” of the event, Cause Village supports more than 50 charitable organizations and causes and produces more than 15,000 social actions over the course of the two-day event.
• Charitable donations in excess of $2.9 million have also been made by Made in America to the United Way of Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, so the event goes a long way toward supporting local organizations that help local residents lead happy, productive lives.

Jay-Z laid out many of these points in his open letter to Mayor Kenney, and it appears that the mayor took the information to heart since it appears that he has changed his tune about the future of the event. While the letter was certainly influential, however, it is important to remember the role that Desiree Perez played in it all. Although she usually flies under the radar, the Chief Operating Officer, or COO, took to the media to express her dismay in interviews that appeared around the globe. Without question, her efforts also contributed to the swift turnaround by the mayor’s office.

In the open letter, the music mogul also called out the mayor regarding his stance on how the festival has impacted tourism in the city. The mayor’s letter suggested that tourism was a problem for Philadelphia in 2012, when the festival began, but that it isn’t such an issue anymore and therefore the festival isn’t needed. Jay-Z pointed out that perhaps the reason that tourism has picked up is because of events like Made in America. He expressed confusion in the letter about why the city would drop the festival after it had made such a big difference in terms of attracting visitors to the city.

When it comes to Roc Nation, most people are only familiar with its most public face: Jay-Z. What they don’t realize is that the mogul depends on a tight inner circle to get things done, and Desiree Perez has long been a part of that circle. Therefore, anyone who has been following the story about the Made in America festival might assume that the positive outcome is mostly thanks to Hova’s influence, but the truth is that Dez played a crucial role in getting everything sorted out.

Who is Desiree Perez?

Often described as Jay-Z’s “secret weapon,” Desiree Perez is the wife of Juan OG Perez, who has been tight with Jay-Z since being introduced to him by a mutual acquaintance in 1996. The pair instantly bonded over their many shared passions, which included entertainment, life in the city and NYC sports. Through the years, Jay-Z has included shout-outs to OG Juan on several albums, and he’s name-dropped Dez a few times too. In 2003’s Black Album, for example, Jay-Z raps, “OG Juan, whattup?/Whassup, Dez?” in direct reference to the power couple.

Through the late 1990s and early 2000s, OG Juan helped Jay-Z to operate various studios. Along the way, Desiree joined the team and quickly became indispensable. The couple were both a part of Jay-Z’s Roc-La-Familia record label, which is now defunct, and the experience cemented their ties as a team. In 2003, OG Juan helped Jay-Z with the development of the 40/40 club, a sports and entertainment nightclub that has since expanded to five additional locations, including in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Atlanta.

Dez Perez, as she’s sometimes known, officially came on board as COO of Roc Nation in 2009. That was just one year after the company was founded by Jay-Z and CEO Jay Brown, so she has been part of the team since almost the time of its inception. Originally, the company’s primary activities were managing music artists, songwriters, sound engineers and music producers. The company handled every aspect of their clients’ needs, including publishing their music; merchandising; handling touring and landing TV and movie deals. The company also acts as an angel investor firm, providing funding to music-related startups and business ventures. Some of its top coups include signing Rihanna, Timbaland, J. Cole and Shakira.

While Roc Nation was exclusively focused on music when Dez came on board in 2009, that didn’t remain the case for very long. In 2013, Roc Nation branched out into the world of sports management. This was something of a natural extension for the company thanks to Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club, which has attracted big-name sports figures and professional athletes since opening its doors. Because of this, Jay-Z came into regular contact with professional athletes and started to realize that their concerns were largely the same as those of music artists.

Roc Nation partnered with CAA Sports to quickly segue into the world of sports management. The company represents professionals from the worlds of boxing, basketball, baseball and football. Along with other members of the Roc Nation team, Desiree Perez helps to land endorsement deals; identify marketing opportunities for clients; and to connect players with community outreach programs. Thus far, Dez hasn’t ventured much into the world of sports, but it would come as no surprise if she starts putting her negotiating skills to use in that area before too long.

Much has been made of Dez Perez’s negotiating prowess, but what exactly has she accomplished in that regard? Proof of her talent in this area can be found in the way in which she handled the Made in America fiasco, but she has proven her mettle in this regard on plenty of other occasions in the past. A few especially notable examples of Desiree’s accomplishments with Roc Nation include:

• Landed a deal by which Samsung earmarked $25 million to promote Rihanna’s Anti tour, ensuring an effective marketing campaign and successful tour
• Won a $200-million investment from Sprint in support of Tidal, the music platform that was spearheaded by Jay-Z
• Offered Jay-Z’s hit album, 4:44, as a free download to 1 million users as part of its marketing campaign, which generated a lot of buzz and helped to propel the album to the top of the charts
• Assisted in the signing of a $200 million touring partner deal between Jay-Z and Live Nation, which was then extended out to 10 years
• Landed Puma as a sponsor of Jay-Z’s tour

People are often curious about Desiree Perez, wondering why she lays so low compared with people like Jay-Z, Beyoncé and even her hubby, OG Juan. It’s mostly because she is so busy all of the time in her role as COO of Roc Nation. Her duties are extensive, and they include the following: coordinating tours, developing long-term marketing and promotional strategies, running daily operations and directing overall support. She also works directly with founder Jay-Z and CEO Jay Brown, which gives her tremendous amounts of influence in the company and, by extension, in the music industry.

Earlier this year, the world caught a rare glimpse of the non-business side of Dez’s life. In honor of OG Juan’s 50th birthday, Jay-Z decided to pull out all of the stops and to throw a truly unforgettable bash for his good friend. Along with Desiree and a few others, Hova and OG Juan took to the streets of NYC, ultimately spending more than $113,000 over the course of the evening. They dropped $13,000 just on dinner, and they spent another $9,000 on drinks. The club is where they dropped the most cash, however; the group reportedly ran up a tab that exceeded $91,000.

Not surprisingly, media outlets picked up news of the group’s night on the town, so it was well-chronicled. It all started in Midtown at Zuma, an upscale Japanese eatery that is frequented by Jay-Z and Beyoncé. The group noshed on a spread of lobster, steak and sushi before heading over to Made in Mexico. While at the Inwood nightclub and eatery, they sipped on D’USSE cognac, of which Jay-Z is a part owner. Even while enjoying a night out with friends, then, Hova manages to support his own businesses and investments. The group closed out the night at the Playroom Nightclub. This time, they ordered 40 bottles for the group: 20 bottles of Ace of Spades Gold champagne, and 20 bottles of Ace of Spades Rose. Interestingly enough, Jay bought the Ace of Spades brand in 2014, so he was yet again supporting his own interests while having a blast with close friends.

Desiree Perez was in attendance for her hubby’s 50th birthday bash, but you wouldn’t know it from reading media accounts of the night. No one who was involved in the outing gave interviews about it, and Dez, of course, was no exception. In her usual style, it appears that Dez came along to quietly and proudly support her husband for his landmark birthday, but she didn’t want any of the limelight for herself.

Before Mayor Kenney reversed course regarding Made in America’s use of Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Dez and other members of Roc Nation were asked if they had any ideas for other locations for the event. She and Jay-Z made a point of stating at the time that they hadn’t even started to entertain any possibilities. Jay-Z had been attached to the idea of having the festival in Philadelphia, and uprooting it to another place would have negatively impacted the event. A few years ago, when it was held simultaneously at a venue in LA, the West Coast version didn’t fare as well. Clearly, Made in America is meant to be held in the City of Brotherly Love.

Although the mayor’s office now describes the Made in America fiasco as “an unfortunate misunderstanding,” it remains clear that the city didn’t want the event there for some undisclosed reason. When pressed for a reason for wanting the event removed, the best that the city could do was to cite the length of time that it takes to set up and tear down the event. However, in light of all of the positive benefits that the event brings to the city, this doesn’t seem like nearly a good enough reason for removing the event entirely.

With every passing year, the Made in America festival seems to become more and more popular. Thanks to interventions by Jay-Z and Dez, in particular, the event will continue to be held in the City of Brotherly Love over the Labor Day weekend. In 2015, it attracted crowds of more than 65,000 people on both days, and more than 100,000 tickets were sold. Now that the event has been cleared to remain at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for the foreseeable future, there is little doubt that it will become bigger and even more popular in the years to come.

All the while, you can be certain that Desiree Perez will continue to live up to her reputation for being Jay-Z’s secret weapon. For being one of the most influential women in the music industry, Dez has managed to fly remarkably below the general public’s radar—and there’s no question that that will continue to be the case. It will be interesting to see how Dez’s role changes and evolves in the future and to find out how she helps Jay-Z and all of their clients to reach new heights of success.