Jay-Z and Desiree Perez, photographed together at the one-year anniversary party for The 40/40 Club on June 17, 2004. The all-American sports bar and opulent lounge was founded by Hov and his longtime friend and business partner “OG Juan” Perez – Dez’ husband. She has spent many years managing the brand’s portfolio of venues. “I love sports and wanted to create an environment that is conducive to match my lifestyle, while watching the games at the same time,” said Jay of his decision to open the club. “When we were thinking of a name, we wanted something exclusive–the 40/40 Club in baseball is as exclusive as it gets.” OG Juan added that “we tried to create a place that would be favorable to all, and we think we have found it with the combination of sports and an upscale hip lounge.”

Today Roc Nation’s Chief Operating Officer has been included in Billboard magazine’s annual “Women in Music: The Most Powerful Executives in the Industry” feature. Here is her write-up: “Roc Nation’s rock. The notoriously private Perez has a reputation as a tough negotiator, which she proved again with Sprint’s $200 million investment in TIDAL announced in January. That deal paid off five months later when JAY-Z released his 14th Billboard 200 No. 1 album, 4:44, as a Sprint-sponsored free download to 1 million people, earning the MC a Platinum plaque before the album’s official release. It has since racked up 600,000 equivalent album units and served as the crown jewel of an impressive marketing campaign. In April, Live Nation, an equity partner in Roc Nation, signed a new, long-term $200 million touring partnership with JAY-Z ahead of the Roc’s 10-year anniversary in 2018; the average gross from his current ‘4:44 Tour,’ sponsored by Puma, is 21 percent higher than 2013’s ‘Magna Carter Tour.’”