Like many artists, one of the key secrets of Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s ongoing success is their ability to constantly reinvent themselves. With their new collaboration, The Carters, the power duo yet again surprised the world with their most intimate and personal project yet: Everything is Love. As has long been the case with Jay-Z-related projects, the record includes tons of shout-outs to people in he and Beyoncé’s inner circle—and no one was surprised to hear him name drop a few of his besties, OG Juan and Desiree Perez, on the album. Outside of hardcore Hova fans, few people are aware of the couple even though they are and have been a driving force at Roc Nation for decades.
No one was prepared for Everything is Love, which was kept largely under wraps as Beyoncé and Jay-Z worked on tracks for the new album. Indeed, no marketing blitz preceded the release of the record, which happened on June 16. The record was initially exclusively released on Tidal, the streaming music service that is co-owned by Jay-Z. Without question, the savvy way in which buzz was developed for the record was largely the doing of Dez Perez, the wife of OG Juan and a close and longtime friend of both Jay-Z and Beyoncé.
Everything is Love is the debut album for Beyoncé and Jay’s newest collaboration, The Carters. At long last, the pair have joined forces in recognition of their union. As is par for the course for them, they continue to use their music as a way of sharing details about their lives and relationship. This time, however, it isn’t a he-said, she-said type of situation. Instead, the couple is dramatically demonstrating to the world that they are a true team—and they are also making sure to bring their closest and dearest friends along for the ride.
While many might assume that Everything is Love is strictly about the ongoing saga of The Carters, the reality is that it is also a love letter to the couple’s inner circle. Most of these close friends are intimately involved with Roc Nation, and they have enjoyed unparalleled success in life thanks to their association with and loyalty to Jay-Z. On “Friends,” one of the album’s most significant tracks, Jay-Z gives shout-outs to many of these folks. As he emphasizes in the song, the couple’s real friends aren’t celebrities—they are real people like OG Juan and Desiree Perez, and they have been paid time and time again for their ongoing devotion to their friend.
Astute Jay-Z fans will recognize that Everything is Love represents the final chapter of a trilogy of albums that has chronicled the couple’s relationship through the years. While some celebrities share intimate details of their lives in tell-all books and interviews, the Carters decided long ago to use music to share their story. The previous records represented each person’s take on the ongoing drama that they had experienced. With Everything is Love, however, they become a united front in explaining to the world that they can’t be torn apart—and that their friends mean the world to them.
The Carters’ collaborative album is the latest and final edition in an epic trilogy that has unfolded as follows:
- Lemonade – The sixth solo album by Beyoncé, Lemonade debuted in April 2016. When it hit, fans immediately were abuzz with excitement. At long last, Beyoncé was opening up about some of the serious trouble that had been occurring in her relationship with Jay-Z. The overarching theme of the album revolved around Jay’s infidelity—a painful thing for anyone to go through. However, given that they have stayed together and have even collaborated as The Carters, it’s clear that they have overcome that bump in the road.
- 4:44 – About a year after Lemonade dropped, Jay-Z’s 4:44 hit the airwaves in direct response to his wife’s last solo record. Indeed, in 4:44, Jay opened up about the heartache that his infidelity had caused to his family. He admitted to hurting his wife, and he issued heartfelt apologies throughout the album for his actions. Although some people might still not be able to forgive, it is obvious that Beyoncé has been able to—and fans are surely grateful for that.
- Everything is Love – Roughly a year after the release of Hova’s 4:44, Everything is Love made its exclusive debut on the Tidal music streaming service. Unlike the other two albums in the trilogy, Everything is Love was released without a lot of fanfare or marketing. As the first collaboration for couple—and their first record as The Carters—the record represents a new chapter in both of their careers. It will be interesting to see what they decide to do the next time that they join forces in the studio. Chances are that fans won’t have to wait too long, either, with each one of them releasing albums on a yearly basis.
Although it is tempting to view Everything is Love as being solely about the status of the Carters’ relationship, the truth is that its themes extend far beyond that. Throughout the album, the couple explore things like black love and creativity, which have of course been driving forces in both of their lives. They also touch upon some of the feuds that they have been involved with lately, including with Kanye West and the Kardashians. Most of all, however, Everything is Love is a love letter to and a celebration of the Carters’ closest friends. Out of everyone in their inner circle, few have been as integral to the ongoing success of Roc Nation as OG Juan and Desiree Perez.
Although the Carters give shout-outs to good friends throughout the record, the main track on which they explore the importance of “real friends” is appropriately called “Friends.” The sixth track on the album, Friends features a throbbing trap beat and backup vocals by Beyoncé. While she delicately sings the praises of their inner circle again and again in the background, her husband specifically name drops a few especially important members of his Roc Nation crew—and no one should be surprised that Desiree and OG Juan are among them. Even so, many who hear the song will do so without even recognizing who they are, which has to be ironic to Jay-Z and his wife.
Anyone who knows even a small amount about Jay-Z knows that he enjoys to share the fruits of his success. He has helped to bring major success to many of his old, longtime friends—and OG Juan Perez is a prime example. Jay-Z first came into contact with OG Juan in 1996, when they were introduced by Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder Kareem Biggs Burke. In interviews, both men have described the immediate, close bond that they felt upon meeting. Each of them is highly intelligent and creative, and both have obsessions with music and sports. It didn’t take long after meeting Jay-Z for OG Juan to become an integral part of his team, and Perez helped Jay to run studios throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Jay-Z and OG Juan have been frequent collaborators in the years since, and there is no denying the success of the empire that the two have helped to create. OG Juan was involved with Roc-A-Fella Records virtually from day one, so he has an intimate understanding of how the music world works. Needless to say, since OG Juan has been with Dez for years, Jay-Z became well-acquainted with her early on as well. Almost immediately, it became clear that Desiree would be every bit as important to Roc Nation as her husband—and that is reinforced by the way in which Jay-Z name drops her on several of his records.
OG Juan joined forces with Jay-Z on the now-defunct Roc-La-Familia record label. Although the label didn’t end up faring as well as the men had hoped, the experience helped to cement their bond even further. Given Jay-Z’s positive attitude about things, odds are that he viewed the whole experience as a good thing. It gave them the chance to explore new avenues of success and likely paved the way for the wildly successful business pursuits that were to follow.
Because the two men shared a passion for professional sports, it was only natural that they would collaborate on a venture that involves both music and sports. In 2003, they joined forces to open the 40/40 Club, which quickly became the place to see and be seen among elites in the music and sports industries. Naturally, Jay-Z, OG Juan, Dez Perez and others in the Roc Nation inner circle spent lots of time at the club, and that put them into contact with many professional athletes. Jay-Z and OG Juan started to realize that many of the concerns that the athletes had were similar to those of the musical artists that they had been representing for years. That is when they decided to venture into the world of sports management.
In the spring of 2013, Jay-Z and OG Juan Perez announced the formation of Roc Nation Sports. It represented the culmination of many years of experience that the pair had in both the music and sports industries. The two had cultivated so many important contacts through the years that they were about to get the new venture off of the ground quickly. Yet again, it looked like Jay-Z was going to knock another one out of the park on his quest for complete domination in the world of entertainment—and he was bringing his most loyal friends along for the ride.
Anyone who puzzles over any of the names that are dropped in Jay-Z’s albums should probably familiarize themselves with the Roc Nation family. Much of the time, the people who Jay thanks on those tracks are members of his inner circle. There’s OG Juan, of course, who serves as president of Roc Nation Sports. Desiree Perez holds an even more important position, in many respects, as COO of Roc Nation. Ty Ty Smith serves as head of A & R for Roc Nation Records, and Chaka Pilgrim is president of that company. Rounding up the inner circle is Jana Fleishman, head of marketing and communications for Roc Nation.
Although each member of Jay’s inner circle plays a crucial role, he would probably agree that Dez Perez is among the most important. As COO of Roc Nation, OG Juan’s wife has proven herself to be a force to be reckoned with in the world of music. In particular, she is known for her savvy negotiating skills, which have benefited Roc Nation enormously through the years. In 2008, for example, she was credited with helping to secure a $150-million deal with Live Nation—one of the largest deals of its kind at the time. For Rihanna’s ANTI tour in 2014, Dez successfully negotiated a $25-million collaboration with Samsung to promote it. Dez Perez also led negotiations between Tidal and Sprint regarding a $200-million investment in the music streaming service, which helped to make 4:44 go platinum.
Everything is Love may well be a love letter, or thank-you letter, to the Carters’ nearest and dearest, but it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. The couple also makes a point of calling out certain people for various issues. In his signature style, Jay-Z often manages this without explicitly naming the individuals involved. This helps to keep fans guessing, which keeps them interested in his work. It also is great fodder for interviews that can be used to market the couple’s various projects.
One of the people who is called out by Jay in Everything is Love is his “little brother,” Kanye West. West got on Jay-Z’s bad side when he called out the star for failing to show up at his wedding to Kim Kardashian in 2014. Although many people thought that Kanye was angry at Hova over money or perhaps the Live Nation deal, he insisted that his real issue was with Jay failing to be there for him at such a crucial moment in his life. In Everything is Love, however, Jay-Z confirms what many had been speculating: He and Beyoncé skipped out on the wedding to focus on mending their relationship. He tells Kanye that he will always put his relationship with his wife first. Yet again, he is emphasizing the fact that he and Beyoncé are a united front from here on out.
Kanye isn’t the only one who drew ire from The Carters in Everything is Love. Although he doesn’t specifically mention their names, Jay-Z manages to throw shade on Kylie and Kendall Jenner for their T-shirt snafu. In 2017, the pair had released a line of t-shirts that featured the likenesses of Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur. Right away, fans around the country and world took exception to the t-shirts. Due to the backlash, the shirts were pulled from stores. On one track, Jay-Z scolds the girls, saying, “You ain’t never meet ‘em.” The ironic thing about this particular shout-out is that the girls are Kanye’s sisters in law, so Kanye is again dragged into it—although only tangentially.
A few months after the release of Everything is Love, The Carters were featured on “Top Off” by DJ Khaled. The significant thing about the track is that Jay-Z used it to explain to the world that his good friends have gotten rich thanks to him and can therefore fend for themselves. He refers in the track to the big 50th birthday bash that he and his crew threw for OG Juan Perez in spring 2018. One of the servers that night shared a Snapchat of the group’s tab at their final stop for the night, which revealed a tab that exceeded $91,000, and the story quickly went viral. Many praised Jay-Z for treating his good friend to such an extravagant night.
By all accounts, it was indeed a night for the record books. Jay-Z, OG Juan, Desiree Perez and other Roc Nation regulars started it out at Zuma, the upscale Japanese eatery in Manhattan, where they dropped around $13,000 on dinner. From there, they headed over to Made in Mexico, the restaurant-club, where they spent around $9,000 on Jay-Z co-owned D’USSE cognac. The group wrapped up the night over at The Playroom Nightclub, where they enjoyed 40 bottles of Ace of Spades brand rose and champagne—and where the waitress snapped the photo of the staggering $91,000 tab.
It was perhaps natural for the world to assume that Jay-Z had footed the bill for that big blowout, but he revealed the truth on the DJ Khaled track. On Top Off, Jay-Z raps: “$91,000 for a wine bill/Keep it real with you, that was Juan’s bill/My whole team ball E/Everybody’s a star but the team ball.” In other words, OG Juan Perez footed the bill himself. Jay-Z is explaining to the world that his good and loyal friends do quite well for themselves thanks to their loyalty to him and don’t need him to foot their bills.
Everything is Love also delves into the future a bit. The Carters predict that their family will be wealthy and on the Forbes list of the world’s richest people for generations to come. There is little doubt that most of their good friends will enjoy such legacies as well. Given how much that OG Juan and Desiree Perez have done for the Carters—and how successful they are in their own right—the couple’s success is certain to positively impact their own family for generations to come too. Jay-Z surely wouldn’t have it any other way.
