It looks like Kanye may have been acting all weird about Jay-Z’s buddy for a reason……first, a little history between JT and entertainment giant Live Nation, taken from the Hollywood Reporter:
In 2008, the concert industry giant entered the business of Timberlake when it acquired Signatures, a leading merchandising company that counts the pop star among its exclusive licenses. Months later, it announced a multiyear agreement to feature 901, the premium tequila brand Timberlake launched, as the official tequila of Live Nation venues.
According to multiple sources, a 2009 partnership with Timberlake, structured after Jay-Z’s game-changing $150 million Live Nation 360 deal and Timberlake’s AEG-promoted, $126 million-grossing 2007 FutureSex/LoveShow tour, was quid pro quo for a touring commitment to Live Nation. In exchange, Timberlake received about $20 million — $5 million of it free and clear, or “a gimme,” as one insider describes it.
Apparently, the issue was that Justin Timberlake then decided to take a hiatus, one that made Live Nation nervous enough that when 2013 came rolling around, Live Nation decided to call in on that loan, requested that the tour be fulfilled. So Justin Timberlake then put together this project with Timbaland in 20 days (so they say), and with this Legends of the Summer tour with Jay-Z about to be in effect, it looks like the debt will be more than satisfied.
To read the full breakdown, head over to Hollywood Reporter.
