From the projects of Queens, New York, to becoming one of Billboard’s Top Music Lawyers, John Rose’s journey embodies the power of dreaming big. As an entertainment attorney at Fox Rothschild, Rose has transformed from a football scholarship athlete to a legal powerhouse representing some of the music industry’s biggest names. With certifications from Harvard Business School and Emory University School of Law, his expertise spans business analytics, transactional law, and crisis management.
His groundbreaking victories, including a notable lawsuit between Rick Ross and 50 Cent, have earned him recognition in Variety’s Legal Impact list. Beyond his legal achievements, Rose dedicates himself to inspiring the next generation, speaking at numerous law schools across the country and showing young Black students that success in law is attainable.
[Editor’s note: This is a truncated transcription of a longer video interview. Please see the video for the extended version. Some errors may occur.]
What does it feel like to be an attorney who can represent and share intelligence with so many people?
Honestly, I think, for lack of better words, a dream come true. I was the first in my family to go to school and didn’t really know what a lawyer looked like growing up in the projects in Queens, New York. And you heard of Johnny Cochran. You saw him on television, but didn’t think there was a space for us to represent people that looked like us and did those things that we were most attracted to growing up.
I was a football scholarship athlete all my life. That’s how I got my education to get out of the quote-unquote hood. And a lot of my friends loved music and aspired to be rappers. So, I think here I am now, 32 years old, representing some of the biggest artists in the world and closing some of the deals with major companies. It’s honestly a dream come true.
How should young people prepare to read the room and be prepared?
Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready and understanding the climate leverage points that you have. Every deal, every transaction, you have to understand there’s a journey and there’s a destination. I have clients where I might understand that there are various deal points that I would love for them to get, but this client might not have any other options. They might not have a place to live next month, and we have to figure out the best deal for their particular situation. It’s not a shouting match. It’s not an ego contest.
We are here to be of service to our clients, to ensure they understand the situation that they’re entering into and fostering a relationship to where we can come back to this table and do business again. I want to leave a room of people feeling like, “Wow, that guy not only is knowledgeable in what he’s doing, but he’s just a great person to work with. And I look forward to being on another side of the table with him.”
How do you see technology and AI impacting the music landscape?
I believe so. I think with anything, like with technology, it’s going to get ahead of it and understand how you can use it as a resourceful tool, or you’re going to get left behind. It’s our jobs as attorneys to protect our clients to ensure if they don’t want their voice being used in a particular medium, we have guardrails set up for that. But also understanding that record labels, music executives, they’re going to start using or continue to use AI to cut their resources, to cut their overhead on employees, to streamline processes.
So, understanding AI is important. Forecasting where we see it going is important and staying up to speed or up to date with the new laws that are surrounding artificial intelligence and its use in creative expression. To think that the world isn’t going to change and you won’t change with it is being naive. So, it’s my job as a lawyer to stay ahead of the game for our clients.
What are some of your proudest moments?
I would say it’s kind of like surreal. I would think it feels like an NFL athlete who finally gets drafted on draft night or they win the Super Bowl or an artist that opens up for Jay-Z at a point in time. As a young lawyer, when I see a victory for a multi-million-dollar lawsuit with names on each side of the action, these were people that I listened to growing up on the radio.
You kind of sit back and you’re like, wow, did I just win a lawsuit for Rick Ross against 50 Cent? Like, did I get that opportunity? Is that real? And now when I run into aspiring law students or law students or young lawyers that are like, “Hey, I read your case when I was in law school. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I want to be like you.”
I couldn’t even believe I would be in this position. So, it’s a surreal feeling. Sometimes I’m gonna have to pinch myself to even show that this is really happening. But it’s a testament to the hard work that you’re putting in and just knowing that anything is possible when you really put your head down, believe in God and just work.
When you think of becoming an athlete for a young brother sitting there thinking they got me here at school on a scholarship, how can he best prepare himself to understand there’s a game after the game?
Being real with yourself, you go through these experiences and you truly understand what comes most easiest to me. What am I really good at? I was a good football player, I was good enough to get a scholarship. I went to Hampton University, got a scholarship to high school and that was great. But I never felt, no matter how hard I worked, that I was just above and beyond my peers. I had to realize and be real with myself that when it comes to this law stuff, I feel like I’m there. I feel like when I’m in the courtroom, I’m the best player on the field, quote, unquote.
Right here in my mind, understanding that I can be a lawyer for decades to come, it kind of brought me some peace in knowing that I’m doing not only what I’m good at, but I’m going to be able to do this lucratively for quite some time. Kind of upset I didn’t make it to the NFL, I’m not going to lie to you, but I couldn’t, I wouldn’t change anything.
What would be your message to graduates if you were giving a speech at Hampton?
Title of my speech will certainly be Dream Big. I mean, anybody that knows me understands that you have to manifest it. You have to see it. The two things that I want people to take away from is number one, your mental health is important. Show yourself grace. I think in this microwave society that we live in now, people think that everything is instant gratification. You have to have it now, but be present in the moment. Be intentional. Show yourself grace and just be mindful as to where you’re at. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
And the second thing would be anything worth having never came easy. Never. If you look around, everyone’s not driving a Lamborghini. Everyone doesn’t live in a mansion. Everyone’s not a billion dollars. Everyone isn’t winning multi-million-dollar lawsuits. It takes special people who do extraordinary things to make something happen.
You want to be the owner and CEO of a platform like Rolling Out. You got to put that grind in. You got to put that time in. You want multi-million-dollar plaques behind you. You got to put that grind in. But the story behind it is one to tell. And I’m certain that it just wasn’t a handout. It wasn’t easy. It was a lot of long nights, a lot of grinding that had to get put into it. So, you keep those things close to you all while dreaming big. The world is yours.
