Akademiks was HEARTBROKEN after finding out Lenard McKelvey was officially listed as a Promoter/Sponsor under Roc Nation (540 West 26th Street, Jay-Z’s corporate headquarters in Chelsea) in the Caesars Palace Times Square gaming application filed with New York State. 💔
A promoter/sponsor in gaming license bids is someone who “aids or assists the Applicant’s efforts to obtain a License” — meaning McKelvey allegedly had a direct financial stake in whether the project succeeded. On August 13, 2025, he testified at the Community Advisory Committee hearing advocating for approval. He then used The Breakfast Club — broadcast on iHeartMedia’s federally-licensed radio station WWPR-FM to 8 million daily listeners across 100+ markets — to promote the Caesars Times Square casino to his audience. He framed his support around community mental health services and used Roc Nation’s credibility, to position himself as guy who cared. He never got on his radio show and publicly disclosed that he was listed as a promoter/sponsor under ROC Nation and never disclosed that he had an alleged personal profit motive.