Jay-Z Blasts Philadelphia's Mayor For Evicting The Made In America Festival
Jay-Z penned a passionate op-ed piece for The Philadelphia Inquirer after learning the city's mayor Jim Kenny's plan to uproot the Made In America festival from it's home base at Phildelphia's Ben Franklin Parkway in 2019.
"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,” Jay-Z began.
News of the festival's eviction was announced through Philly news site Billy Penn.
Changes within the city reportedly encouraged the mayor's decision to uproot the festival. "Improved tourism in the city no longer made the festival a priority for the city, especially considering the high costs the city shouldered during and in preparation for the annual festival," the site explained.
In response to questions about the benefits of the festival, Jay-Z shared several positive ways Made In America has impacted the city of brotherly love. "Since 2012, Made in America, one of the only minority-owned festivals, has had a positive $102.8 million economic impact to Philadelphia, and…paid $3.4 million in rent to the city. [The festival] employs more than 1,000 Philadelphians each day and 85 percent of our partners are Philadelphia-based companies."
While the 2019 festival will be taking place at a new venue, this year's festival will still take place September 1 and 2 on Ben Franklin Parkway.