Jay-Z testifies in NYC in breach-of-contract suit in perfume deal
The “Empire State of Mind” rapper is named in a breach-of-contract lawsuit filed by Parlux Fragrances accusing him of failing to push the Gold Jay Z fragrance line as part of a 2012 agreement
Rap mogul Jay-Z testified Friday in a Manhattan courtroom against claims he reneged on a deal to promote his eponymous fragrance, Gold Jay Z — sniping he is “not a lawyer” during the testy exchange, where he admitted he “did not read” the contract but insisted he “did a lot” for the launch.
The “Empire State of Mind” rapper, whose real name is Shawn Carter, is named in a breach of contract lawsuit filed by Parlux Fragrances accusing him of failing to push the Gold Jay Z fragrance line as part of a 2012 agreement. Jury selection in the civil case started early last week.
One year after its late 2013 launch, Gold Jay Z was the best-selling celebrity fragrance, ousting David Beckham’s aftershave, Page Six has previously reported.
But sales dipped in 2015 from a projected $35 million to $6.1 million because Carter was too busy on other projects to focus on his fragrance and was unavailable for meetings on spinoff scents for five months in 2014, according to the civil suit
Carter, clad in a black suit, white shirt and black face mask, entered Manhattan Supreme Court early Friday prior to the hearing for his first courtroom appearance in the case.
“I’ve done a lot for the Gold Jay-Z launch. I didn’t have to show up for one weekend, I had a year to complete these,” he testified when asked about the agreement to make promotional appearances for the fragrance.
Parlux’s attorney, Anthony Viola, showed the “99 Problems” rapper a contract stating he was required to do at least three appearances and a number of promotional spots for Gold Jay Z.
“And you didn’t do that, right?” Viola asked the hip-hop legend.
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justice denied · Oct 29, 2021 at 4:09 PM
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Parlux claims it lost $18 million because Jay-Z, seen here entering court, allegedly didn’t live up to his end of the deal.
Alec Tabak for NY Post
"I’m not a lawyer,” Carter reiterated. “All I can say is I have creative control over what I do with myself and my body. No, I did not read the contract.”
The Brooklyn-born rapper, who married music megastar Beyoncé in 2008, also testified Friday he knows a “little bit about promoting,” but claimed he couldn’t recall if he had anyone from his company look into Parlux prior to signing the deal
The exchange then escalated when Viola pressed Carter about the sworn deposition and details of the deal.
“I had to look at my emails, the tour days and just refresh my memory because you guys have me on trial for something I didn’t do and I have to make sure that I’m a great witness for you,” Carter retorted.
“How long did you spend preparing?” Viola asked, prompting Carter to say about 90 minutes with his attorney on Thursday.
“That caused you to change your testimony from your position where you said you didn’t even remember that Parlux products were sold at Barneys?” Viola sniped.
“I didn’t change it, I refreshed myself on the facts,” the rapper responded.
“So, you didn’t remember then, but you remember now?” Viola pressed.
“That’s how memory works,” Carter snapped back.
The company claims it lost $18 million because Carter allegedly didn’t live up to his end of the deal, naming Carter and his company, S. Carter Enterprises, as defendants.
Carter, meanwhile, countersued, claiming he’s still owed $2.7 million by Parlux as part of the deal.
