Jay-Z

Nets Owners Mikhail Prokhorov and Jay-Z, Lording Over Madison Square Garden: A Gallery of New York's Most Awesome Billboard

Hey! Have you seen or heard about this awesome new mural of the New Jersey (soon to be Brooklyn) Nets' quirky Russian owner Mikhail Prokhorov and smaller-shareholder-but-nonetheless-awesome co-owner Jay-Z? It's right above Madison Square Garden, where the New York Knicks play! Know what both teams h ... More >>

Drake Concert Debacle Now Causing the Cancellation of Other Free New York Shows

Aftermath of a free Drake concert. Photo by Rebecca Smeyne​It was inevitable that the city of New York would begin to crack down on the plethora of free, sometimes anarchic summer shows around the five boroughs after Tuesday's Drake concert degenerated into a near riot. Now we have the first o ... More >>

Reasons To Be Happy You're Not at Bonnaroo: 2010 Twitter Edition

Like a million? Braver men and women than us have foundered in the muddy, marijuana-soaked waters of Bonnaroo, the annual four-day music/camping festival on the grassy flats of Manchester, Tennessee. And though there is Jay-Z, and the Gaslight Anthem, there are also predatory drug dealers, swelter ... More >>

The Roots Return, With A Little Help From the Monsters of Folk: "Dear God 2.0"

For a band with such a wonderful sense of the moment, and such a savvy instinct for artistic fellow travelers--be they Jay-Z, the Dirty Projectors, or Ringo Starr--the Roots sure do make crushingly boring singles. This one, which goes in over Monsters of Folk's "Dear God"--perhaps the most randoml ... More >>

Perhaps You'd Like To See An Elaborate Dissection of Jay-Z's Various Business Ventures and How They've Fared During the Recession?

​The abridged version: The Spotted Pig, Rocawear (saved by skinny jeans!), that Tribeca spot from "Empire State of Mind," and Jay's Live Nation deal? Doing just fine. The 40/40 Club chain? Kind of a mixed bag. The New York Nets, the Aqueduct/Racino/David Paterson debacle, a couple of prospecti ... More >>

M.I.A. Upstages Jay-Z During Coachella, Announces Record Release Date Via Blimp

Jay-Z will never again serenade M.I.A.'s unborn child​File under things Jay-Z probably will not forgive: during the rapper's set at Coachella on Friday, a blimp took to the skies, bearing a digital billboard teasing the release date for M.I.A.'s third LP. According to Rap-Up, after reminding t ... More >>

Oh Look, Somebody Wrote Something Skeptical About Jay-Z On the Internet

​Now this is going to get embarrassing fast, riding out to the defense of a multi-millionaire every time somebody writes something terrifically ill-informed and misguided about him. That said. There are some provocations that are just too much--are surely intended to be too much--and starting ... More >>

When Rich Rap Executives Talk About Their Gambling and Horse Racing Sinecures

Half the world's money, in happier days​Perhaps you recall the David Paterson scandal that broke early last week, before a much bigger scandal came along and more or less finished his political career? The one involving Jay-Z and the gambling consortium AEG, the latter of whom won slot a conce ... More >>

Jay-Z , Aqueduct and David Paterson: The Winning Team

​You can't say that AEG - dubious designated developer of Aqueduct's new racino - doesn't have an eye for talent. Just a few days after Gov. David Paterson did an arms-around press conference with Jay-Z and wife Beyoncé last August 31, AEG honchos made Jay-Z an offer he didn't refuse: to beco ... More >>

Please Welcome the Return of the Famous Jay-Z Gas Face

Let no one say Shawn Carter is not reliable. For two decades now, through rap thick and rap thin, hip-hop's most prickly superstar has had the looking-disgusted game on lock. Oh, you're Benny the Bull, the Chicago Bulls mascot, and you're seized with the desire to do the "Single Ladies" dance mere ... More >>

Week in Review: I Sweat Nonsense

Ever feel like Sid Vicious is just kinda watching you? Photo by Sam Horine.​In the week we made Jay-Z's signature gas face at the bunch of hacks and pretenders posing as Guns N' Roses until dudes got the hell out of town, we also posted rants about everything from LMFAO not punching Mitt Romne ... More >>

This Week's Voice: Pazz & Jop 2009!

​In this week's Village Voice, we happily present the 37th (or, uh, 38th) annual Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll, won handily--SPOILER, guys--by Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion and, in singles, Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind." The full album results are here; singles are here. Plus essa ... More >>

Jay-Z's 'Empire' Strikes Back at Last

His first #1 song is his first Pazz & Jop chart-topper as well. Go Yankees.

Esquire Responds to the Firestorm of Criticism Surrounding Their Jay-Z Profile

​You remember this profile--the one that described Jay-Z as "old-school double-dark-chocolate-chunk black"? The one that bowed down before the altar of Steve Stoute, of all people, and more or less claimed that Jay's fans cower in the closet, hiding from the overwhelming evidence that the rapp ... More >>

On the Esquire Profile of Jay-Z That Is Making the Rounds Right Now

​First, like Sean said, no matter who you are--but perhaps especially if you look like this--even in 2010, do not write the following paragraph: But there is a deeper significance -- a racial philanthropy -- that perhaps neither man intended. Jay-Z is black black. He is old-school double-dar ... More >>

Did Ghostface Killah Give Holy Ghost An Actual Drop On This New DFA Mixtape?

​Probably not, but damned if we can remember where the sample ("This is Ghostface, I got a twin ghost in the building--that's the Holy Ghost") that kicks off this DFA double-disc winter mixtape comes from. Anybody? Sadly, James "Jigga" Murphy's "Phone Tap" intro on disc two is decidedly not a ... More >>

Jay-Z Now So Old His "Nom De Rap" Will Refer to A Defunct Subway Line

​Somewhere Big Third Avenue El is shaking his head in commiseration. Proposed total cuts in service to both the W and Z lines have New Yorkers understandably appalled, but leave it the New York Times to write the whimsical, "what will happen to Shawn Carter's rap name now?" article. They even ... More >>

New Vampire Weekend: "Cousins"

​They have a beautiful new piece of art for every single, Ezra Koenig's voice was already weird and is getting artfully weirder, his ska ad-lib is better than Jay-Z's, his lyrics are ever more surreal, the band's playing three hometown shows in January that promise to relieve an unremittingly ... More >>

Today in Way Too Much News About Jay-Z

​Jay-Z has a priority list, which lists his priorities, according to the NYDN. One of those priorities is putting a baby inside Beyonce: Her song "Single Ladies" is an Internet hit among dancing babies and now, Beyonce's working on a tot of her own. That's according to--get this--Jay-Z, B's ... More >>

Jay-Z, Get Off the $#%&ing Yankee Parade Float

He's in Berlin, the Canyon of Heroes, and at this point, probably your apartment, drinking the alcohol you were really looking forward to downing when you got home from a long day of seeing Jay-Z everywhere you fucking looked. [@NYCMayorsOffice, via Idolator]

Let's Just Take the Comment Section Below the New York Times' "Empire State of Mind"/World Series Piece as a Sign of Progress, America

Whatever the official sports etiquette line is in terms of fair play and sportsmanship, we can safely say the Yankees organization crossed it, did a fake line off it, and then lit it on fire last night, parading Jay-Z (in a Yankee varsity jacket), Alicia Keys (purple), and backing band (Yankee jer ... More >>

A Suggestion to Remedy the Injustice of Jay-Z Performing "Empire State of Mind" at Game One of the World Series

​Is it Jay-Z's turn to ether a Philadelphia sports team? 76ers fans will not forget the day, back in 2001, when Beyonce and the rest of Destiny's Child emerged at halftime for Game Two of the Finals, IN PHILADELPHIA, wearing Laker jerseys--the prelude to first a tremendous amount of booing, an ... More >>

Bow Down to Michael Buble, America

​Crazy Love is still very much #1 in the country. But The Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack--a goofy melange of what's warm in indie right now, e.g. Lykke Li, Grizzly Bear, Thom Yorke, etc.--sold 115,000 copies, good for #2. Those bands selling that many records would be stunning if this wer ... More >>

Right, 'Ye Performed, Too: Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Kanye Do "Run This Town" on Leno

This performance was to be a bit more of an event before Jay-z upstaged it with his own televised concert with these two on Friday night, and then Kanye really upstaged it with what you might call his own solo performance on Sunday, and then Jay Leno's show was revealed to be the exact same garbag ... More >>

Live: Jay-Z Celebrates Life, Death, and The Blueprint 3 at Madison Square Garden

Jay-Z and Madison Square Garden have a little history between them. In 2003, on the occasion of his retirement, Jay-Z recorded his MSG farewell concert on 35MM film. That footage became Fade To Black, the single best concert film of the decade. In 2009, on the occasion of the eight year anniversar ... More >>

Week in Review: I Say "Your Alley" with the Utmost Respect

This is how we roll now. Photo of Electric Zoo inappropriateness by Puja Patel.​Short weeks are the longest of them all, aren't they? In honor of the rain and cold outside, and in the interest of killing just a bit more time before it gets good and dark, let's run things back. Relive the week ... More >>

News Roundup: Knitting Factory Opens, Jay-Z Calls Out Scalpers, Glasvegas Dude Found in NYC, Snoop Dogg Finds New Job In Tough Job Market

​--The Knitting Factory is back. After getting chased out of Tribeca last year, the venue has rebounded, and will open up again at their new location in Williamsburg at Metropolitan and Havemayer (a/k/a the old Luna Lounge) for the first time tonight. Les Savy Fav, the comedian Hannibal Buress ... More >>

News Roundup: Yo La Tengo Record Release Party, Jay-Z, Public Image Ltd

​--Yo La Tengo's excellent new Popular Songs comes out today, and by way of celebrating the band and album artist Dario Robleto will be at the D'amelio Terras Gallery tonight, signing copies of the record. There will a giveaways, including a chance to win tickets to the band's surely triumphan ... More >>

Listen: Justice Feat. Jay-Z, "On To The Next Dance (Terry Urban Transition)"

​Those wondering exactly how Swizz Beatz flipped Justice's super-iconic "D.A.N.C.E." in mostly unrecognizable service of "On To the Next One," the world-beating Jay-Z track that sits right in the middle of Blueprint 3, need look no further than SOTC buddy Terry Urban, who helpfully edited the ... More >>

Week in Review: More Topless Women Than Non-Topless Women

photo from Girl Talk's Pool Party show by Sam Horine But seriously, this was a really depressing week. We said goodbye to Teddy Kennedy through song and so did Orrin Hatch. Ellie Greenwich, the woman who wrote "Be My Baby" also passed, as did 29 year old New York DJ Josh Link. Speaking of death, M ... More >>

News Roundup: Jay Z/Rush Limbaugh, Chris Brown, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and New Music from Islands and Them Crooked Vultures

​ --As Bill O'Reilly did yesterday, Rush Limbaugh has responded to being name-checked in Jay-Z's new song, "Off That." (Quote: "This ain't black versus white, my nigga, we off that. Please tell Bill O'Reilly to fall back. Tell Rush Limbaugh to get off my balls.") On his radio show yesterday, L ... More >>

News Roundup: Jay Z/Rush Limbaugh, Chris Brown, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and New Music from Islands and Them Crooked Vultures

​ --As Bill O'Reilly did yesterday, Rush Limbaugh has responded to being name-checked in Jay-Z's new song, "Off That." (Quote: "This ain't black versus white, my nigga, we off that. Please tell Bill O'Reilly to fall back. Tell Rush Limbaugh to get off my balls.") On his radio show yesterday, L ... More >>

Madison Square Garden Says Hi to Jay-Z

​Say what you will about the way Blueprint 3 is shaping up (ahem)--Jay-Z still knows how to hold your attention. And the New York Police & Fire Widows' & Children's Benefit Fund is a far more admirable comeback vehicle than, say, a Budweiser Select campaign. From Sean Carter himself: "We are a ... More >>

Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 Gets a Cover, Potential Tracklisting

​The ostensible cover to Blueprint 3. As Sean Fennessey pointed out, Jay seems to be taking several pages from the 808s & Heartbreak handbook. And, speaking of Kanye, he produced basically all of the record, it seems:

All Points West Friday: No Sleep Till Jay-Z

For maximum poetic impact at the otherwise sodden, mudsoaked trench-fight of All Points West 2009's first night, let's go straightaway to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, whose luck it was to climb onstage at the precise moment the sun fought back, through the clouds, and then commenced immediately to set. Th ... More >>

Jay-Z Doesn't Show at Diesel Party; Kanye, Clipse Do

We're gonna go ahead and suggest that yesterday was the first and last time Jay-Z and Swedish livewire Lykke Li will ever be confused for one another. The smart money for a good part of yesterday was that Jay-Z was maybe definitely due to step onstage last night with the Roots at that ridiculous D ... More >>

It's Jay-Z From Now to September: "Run This City," Featuring Kayne and Rihanna

 New Jay-Z single, featuring Rihanna on the hook and Kanye for the win. "Run This City" apparently premiered on rap stations all over town at 9:11, because if you're Jay-Z getting radio stations to debut your tracks on the exact hour/minute of your upcoming release date is an easy thing to do i ... More >>

Jay-Z Is Replacing the Beastie Boys at All Points West

Indeed. Earlier this week came the terrible news of Adam Yauch's cancer diagnosis and the subsequent cancellation of all upcoming Beastie Boys tour dates -- including their opening-night headlining spot at next week's All Points West festival in Jersey City. Their replacement: Jay-Z, making "his U.S ... More >>

Responding to the 500-Foot Rule: A Teachable Moment

glennharper/flickr In the wake of recent changes to the 500-foot rule that the SLA used to determine liquor license approval, Down by the Hipster has provided a primer on how to get a liquor license. Among the tips it offers:"There are little nooks and corners of the city that will still welcom ... More >>

Perhaps You'd Enjoy An International Relations Perspective on the Jay-Z/Game Feud

Yup, an article called "Jay-Z vs the Game: Lessons for the American Primacy Debate" does in fact exist. And it's pretty good! (What Jay-Z/Game feud, you ask? Listen to this, and then this, and then have a moment of silence for the Game's career. And a slightly shorter one for Jay's, which will survi ... More >>

Who Killed Jay-Z's Barber?

For a song that's all about killing certain trends (auto-tune, mostly, and skinny jeans) and jumpstarting other, more presumably acceptable trends (wearing black, Versace sunglasses, etc.), what are we to make of Jay-Z's current haircut in the video for "D.O.A."? What to even call it? Is there a w ... More >>

Jay-Z's "D.O.A" and the Five Auto-Tuned Songs (Among Many) That Prove Him Wrong

Jay-Z and his arch-nemesis T-Pain, together at Summer Jam last night Released late Friday, Jay-Z's new single, "D.O.A (Death of Auto-Tune)," from the now thoroughly-announced The Blueprint 3, is less a Martin Luther-like cry for hip-hop reformation than an awkward slab of concept rap. The concept: ... More >>

New Jay-Z Song Debuts Tonight: "D.O.A.", Vows Death to Autotune

Well, this is exciting. Rap Radar reports: "So around 9pm tonight EST, Hot 97's Funkmaster Flex will play the world premiere of Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 single, "D.O.A." That stands for Death of Autotune as Kanye teased on MTV awhile back. The song was produced by No ID and Mr. West." So yeah: normally w ... More >>

Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 Gets a Release Date: September 11

On September 11, 2001, Jay-Z released The Blueprint, his sixth studio album and arguably his best--arguably being the key word, as this is the guy who also made Reasonable Doubt. Anyway now, eight years later--and six after Blueprint 2, Jay's not-nearly-as-good follow-up--the long-rumored Blueprint ... More >>

Obama Gets a Wine Named After Him; Jay-Z and his Crew Skip Out on the Bill

Some sectors of the food industry have resorted to hiring state employees to do inspections in an effort to fill in gaps where current regulation has failed. But safety advocates warn that conflicts of interest could arise. [NY Times] PETA is calling for the mayor of Newark to ban new fast-food joi ... More >>

Grammys Fawn over Coldplay and Plant/Krauss, Set Race Relations Back 20 Years

Good for you. As any self-respecting Grammy live blog will have told you by now, the highlight of last night's occasionally lively fiasco was undoubtedly the "Rap Pack" black-and-white "Swagga Like Us" blowout, ostensibly starring Jay-Z/Kanye/Wayne/T.I. but dominated by a stupendously pregnant M ... More >>

Jay-Z Will Tell You Exactly How to Vote In Michigan

Jay-Z's "Boyz" Remix: Every Single Good Thing in Hip-Hop This Year Is M.I.A.-Related

Jay-Z Identifies as 527, Addresses Political Speech Issues

Hot 97's Summer Jam: A Preview