Article By: Ashia Skye

Rapper and Business Mogul Jay-Z has penned an open letter in The Inquirer, addressing his concerns about the annual Made In America Festival being forced torelocate from its home location of Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, PA after this year’s festival.  The decision came as a shock to Hov and all parties involved with the festival, because according to him, they found out the news via a media outlet.

“We are disappointed that the mayor of the city of Philadelphia would evict us from the heart of the city, through a media outlet, without a sit-down meeting, notice, dialogue, or proper communication. It signifies zero appreciation for what Made In America has built alongside the phenomenal citizens of this city. In fact, this administration immediately greeted us with a legal letter trying to stop the 2018 event.” says Jay, as he addresses the off-putting manner in which he found out the news about the relocation.

In the letter, Jay also addresses the cultural impact of the festival, as well as the communal impact the festival has acheived by being held at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway since its inception. He also adds info about the philanthropic contributions the festival has made to the city of Philadelphia, as well as New Jersey. Being the festival has contibuted so much financially and culturally, Jay considers the relocation to be a failure on the mayor’s behalf.

“We consider this stance a failure on the mayor’s part. Is this an accurate representation of how he and his administration treat partners that economically benefit his city? Do they regularly reject minority-owned businesses that want to continue to thrive and grow alongside his city’s people?”

Check out the full letter on Philly.Com