Official photographic portrait of US President Barack Obama (born 4 August 1961; assumed office 20 January 2009) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
On the eve of one of the most contested US Presidential elections in recent history, three capital “A” Americans are getting together for one last swing state rally to firm up the faithful and ride the wave of adulation to victory, hopefully. For his last day of campaigning, President Barack Obama will take the stage with Jay Z an Bruce Springsteen for one last newsworthy stump speech in Columbus, Ohio before kicking back and watching the results pour in tomorrow. Be sure to vote.
If you missed Jay Z this weekend you can catch him now with the Live in Brooklyn “optic EP” available now on iTunes. Check out the trailer below for his Barclays residency and see Jay and Beyonce performing “Forever Young”:
In anticipation of the September 18th release of Cruel Summer, G.O.O.D. Music has released a teaser trailer featuring the iconic album cover and a tracklisting. You can check out snippets of the songs listed over at iTunes.
01 Kanye West and R. Kelly: “To the World”
02 Kanye West, Jay-Z and Big Sean: “Clique”
03 Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha-T and 2 Chainz: “Mercy”
04 Kanye West, Pusha-T and Ghostface Killah: “New God Flow”
05 Raekwon, Pusha-T, Common, 2 Chainz, Cyhi the Prynce, Kid Cudi, D’Banj: “The Morning”
06 DJ Khaled: “Cold”
07 The-Dream, Pusha-T and Ma$e: “Higher”
08 John Legend, Travi$ Scott, Teyana Taylor, Cyhi the Prynce and Malik Yusef: “Sin City”
09 Kanye West, Big Sean, 2 Chainz and Marsha Ambrosius: “The One”
10 Kid Cudi: “Creepers”
11 John Legend and Teyana Taylor: “Bliss”
12 Kanye West, Chief Keef, Pusha-T, Big Sean and Jadakiss: “Don’t Like”
After feeling the love last weekend at the Budweiser Made in America festival, Jay Z jetted over to London to give some love at the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Paralympic Games. Jay brought down the house with his new backing band Coldplay and Rihanna dropped in for her verses on “Run This Town” and “Princess of China.” Jay also dropped a new verse on Coldplay’s “Paradise,” lyrics below:
I deserve a gold medal, get on my level/
I deserve platinum plaques, to match my bezel/
I walk around with five rings ["five rings" being the Olympic Rings], so pimpish/
Welcome to the Paralympics/
It’s paradise, this is the story of Gabby/
It’s paradise, it’s paradise/
Tears in her eyes, she sacrificed, he sacrificed, she paid the price/
This is everything, everything she ever dreamed/
She had nightmares she wouldn’t be here, she made the team/
From the projects to the podium, accepting awards with my Rollie on/
Gettin’ Gold medals with my grill in [Ryan Lochte, obviously]/
C-walking, cause all they see is a villain [Serena, obviously]/
More belts than Phelps, Merry Christmas, my presence is felt/
Gold medals around my throat/
You can take everything, except the hope of reaching paradise.
English: Barack Obama delivers a speech at the University of Southern California (Video of the speech) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Got bills? If you have 40 Gs lying around and are one of the Illuminati you can attend a distinguished gathering at Jay’s 40/40 Club to raise funds for the Obaminator. Beyonce will be there and if the stars are in alignment you may be able to squeeze yourself into a Beyonce, Hov and Obama photo sandwich for your Facebook page.
If you can’t physically be in Philly this weekend you can be their in spirit and more importantly it can be wherever you are. Don’t miss this killer line-up including the first appearances by Jay Z and Beyonce together since Coachella 2010, stream it live from YouTube or Pandora on Sept. 1st and 2nd from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET!
Jay Z is definitely in his moment. Academy Award winning director Ron Howard has signed on to helm Jay-Z’s Budweiser Made in America, a film about the festival that will be held this labor day weekend. In a statement Howard said, “This will not be a concert film; it’s a reflection of the fabric of what it means to be Made in America – what the festival represents, why Jay is doing it and how he relates to each artist.” Heady stuff. Keep an eye out for more news about this.
Ever since Kanye followed Azealia on Twitter during her come up following the release of “212″ the two have been seen together at various fashion shows and one can’t help but wonder if Yeezy didn’t pull a few strings to help Azealia along on her never ending rise to fashion world domination and stardom. Banks herself mentioned that they had a pow wow during which she admired and was inspired by Kanye’s ambition. Now we have confirmation from Yung Rapunxel’s Twitter feed that she’s working with ‘Ye. In her own words:
Although it’s only speculation at this point, Kanye West is in talks to join Mariah Carey as a new host on American Idol. Another name that’s been mentioned as a replacement for one of the seats vacated by J. Lo and Steven Tyler is Nicki Minaj, which suggests that Idol is hot for a rapper. With either of these heads they can’t go wrong.
Nobody can ever accuse Jay Z of not working hard enough. With his part-ownership of the Brooklyn Nets on full display and the inaugural Jay Z Barclays Center tour dates coming up from September 28th to October 6th, Hov is getting into the other kind of video game now as an executive producer on NBA 2K13. With input on the game itself as well as the soundtrack, NBA 2K13 looks hot.
NBA 2K13 Tracklist:
The Hours – “Ali in the Jungle”
Too Short – “Blow The Whistle (Main)”
Eric B. and Rakim – “I Ain’t No Joke”
Phoenix – “1901″
Jay-Z – “Pump It Up (Freestyle)”
Puff Daddy and the Family – “Victory” [ft. Notorious B.I.G. & Busta Rhymes]
Daft Punk – “Around the World (Radio Edit)”
Santigold – “Shove It” [ft. Spank Rock]
Kanye West – “Amazing”
Jay-Z – “Run This Town”
Dirty Projectors – “Stillness is the Move”
Nas – “The World is Yours”
Coldplay – “Viva La Vida”
Roy Ayers – “We Live in Brooklyn, Baby”
Justice – “Stress”
Jay-Z – “The Bounce”
Kanye West – “We Major” [ft. Nas & Really Doe]
Mobb Deep – “Shook Ones, Pt. II”
Meek Mill – “Ima Boss — Instrumental”
Kanye West – “Mercy” [ft. Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz]
U2 – “Elevation”
Jay-Z – “On to the Next One”
Jay-Z – “Public Service Announcement”
Jay-Z – “H.A.M. (Instrumental)”
Travel with Jay Z from the Marcy Projects all the way to the Barclays Center as he builds the tale of how he created the iconic Rocawear brand in this promotional video narrated by Hov himself:
Here’s more info on the Jay Z Barclays Center concerts coming up in Brooklyn, NYC on September 28th, 29th and 30th. Tickets go on sale on Friday, July 13th and 7,000 of them will be priced at $30.00. Guest appearances are almost guaranteed if you get my drift…
Kanye West goes hardcore, NSFW, LSD-tripping visual on a promotional clip for his new bestie model Anja Rubik’s fashion mag 25. In an interview with Rubik she discussed the scary, fashion porn vibe they were going for.
2 Chainz comes out the winner on “Mercy” and Kanye murrrrrderrrrred it on an acappella version of the unreleased “New God Flow” which looks like it might be a highlight off the new album, be forewarned:
The trailer for the RZA-drected Man with the Iron Fists dropped today. The film is produced by Quentin Tarantino, stars Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu and features music by Wu-Tang Clan, Wiz Khalifa, The Black Keys, RZA and of course Kanye West, who seems to have his hands in a little bit of everything these days. RZA contributed the slick, downtempo beat for “New Day” off of Watch the Throne and now Kanye’s returning the favor.
Kanye West is full on messing with people’s heads on his website with the artwork for a new single featuring himself and Pusha T called “New God Flow” which just sounds awesome. Today is G.O.O.D. Friday so you never know…
The news is starting to come fast and furious now as Kanye’s PR assault continues with the latest track from DJ Khaled featuring Kanye and Rick Ross called “I Wish You Would.”
KANYE WEST IN THE STUDIO (Photo credit: angelonfire)
They say G.O.O.D. things come to those who wait and now we have actual confirmation that the album featuring John Legend, Big Sean, Kid Cudi, Mr Hudson, Cyhi the Prynce, Mos Def, Pusha T, D’banj, Q-Tip, Teyana Taylor, Common and of course Kanye West is scheduled to drop on September 4th. That we still have another month and a half to wait makes this a Cruel Summer indeed.
Get ready for one of the biggest events ever to hit the airwaves. The 2012 B.E.T. Awards show line-up features the best performers in recent history. A veritable state of the union of hip hop will be hosted by none other than Samuel L. Jackson and performers include Usher, Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, 2 Chainz with comedy by Kevin Hart and Cedric The Entertainer. And lest we forget, the gentlemen of G.O.O.D. Music will make their very first appearance on television to perform songs from their upcoming release. It sounds like it’s going to be a good show.
If you’ve been waiting all summer to hear some G.O.O.D. Music now’s your chance. Kanye West has announced his return to the stage on July 6th and 7th at Atlantic City’s Ovation Hall. Kanye West Atlantic City tickets go on sale Friday, June 22nd at 10am. Don’t get left out in the cold (cough-cough), be there for the live premiere of “Theraflu” and “Mercy!”
On this the birth date of one Kanye West, son of Donda and heir to The Throne, we’re pleased to announce the latest rumor of Kanye West’s and Kim Kardashian’s impending marriage, as soon as she throws enough money at that whole Kris Humphries thing to make it go away, and his latest video for the outstanding single from the upcoming G.O.O.D. Music compilation “Mercy.”
In a departure from the luxury rap, big arena aesthetic that has so far visually defined Watch the Throne, Jay Z and Kanye West are taking a cue from Hov’s latest signee to the Roc Nation family with their video for “No Church in the Wild.” Director Roman Garvas directed M.I.A.’s controversial “Born Free” video which infamously featured someone getting their brains blown out. The music’s ominous tone lends itself to a tense standoff between the police and a mob of molotov cocktail-wielding protesters which erupts into pyrotechnics, jousting and other violent horseplay.
After the flap over his Cruel Summer warm-up “Theraflu,” Kanye’s lawyers saw fit to change the name of the song to “Way Too Cold” to avoid any future litigation with the cold medicine’s gargantuan parent company Novartis. Now that name has been shortened to just “Cold,” probably to suit the Cubist-influenced cover art for the record which now features a single bold-faced word across an image of some type of cyborg monkey mounting a naked woman. The new artwork signals a departure from the previous version which took its cues from the My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy era. Check out both images below:
The Jay Z-curated Budweiser Made in America line-up has been announced and as expected the bill features a string of heavy-hitters Jay has probably crossed paths with from all across the spectrum. Alongside Hov, Made in America tickets get you through the gates to see Pearl Jam, Skrillex, Mike Snow, Afrojack, Calvin Harris, Odd Future, D’Angelo, Maybach Music (featuring Rick Ross, Wale, Meek Mill), Passion Pit, Santigold, Dirty Projectors, X, Janelle Monae, Prince Royce, Rita Ora, Savoy (on the decks) and The Knocks. And this is only the rumored first Phase of the Made in America line-up. Check back when Phase 2 is announced and be sure to get yourself to Illadelphia this Labor Day weekend!
With a world tour, a new basketball team and two new albums in the works, you’d think Jay Z would be looking for a bit of down time but business never sleeps and Hov didn’t get to where he is by taking cat naps. The latest news in the 24-7 media blitz that is Jigga is the Budweiser Made in America Festival, premiering at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia on this Labor Day Weekend. See Jay Z and over 30 acts as they lay waste to the mic this September 1st and 2nd. Jay is even trying to get President Barack Obama to make an election campaign stop in the City of Brotherly Love but there have been no promises yet made in America, in true presidential fashion. You know that with Jay Z behind a mountain of Budweiser cash, this festival is way too big to fail.
While we’re all anxiously anticipating the release of the G.O.O.D. Music compilation Kanye West will be releasing a short film inspired by music from the album which now goes by the name Cruel Summer. The film will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 23rd and remain open to the public until May 25th before hopefully becoming available on the Internet. The film stars Kid Cudi and Aziz Ansari and may or may not have been filmed in the Middle East. Cruel Summer is the first project coming out of West’s DONDA initiative and will feature an “immersive 7-screen experience” as tweeted by Kanye himself. We can only hope that the album will be released soon after or else it will be a Cruel Summer indeed. You can catch the feast for the eyes Runaway, Kanye’s last film which was released to accompany My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, below.
Q-tip at Commonwealth Washington, D.C. in 2008. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Just in time for the G.O.O.D. Music compilation, Q-Tip has signed with Kanye’s label for the upcoming release of his fourth album The Last Zulu. Q-Tip had a hand in producing two of the tracks off of last year’s Watch the Throne and apparently the two decided to formalize the partnership. As the elder statesman in Kanye’s stable, Q-Tip brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table, not to mention some of the most classic hip hop albums ever created. Maybe we’ll be lucky enough to see another Midnight Marauders before it’s all said and done.
The Armenian Princess (Photo credit: JustForSneaks Ent.)
BREAKING NEWS: Kanye West has signed on to appear in the upcoming season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Whether he really likes this girl or he’s looking for someone new to upstage is up for debate. Either way he’s going to get a hell of a lot of free marketing for the upcoming G.O.O.D. Music compilation. Well-played Kanye.
Kanye West threw one hell of a one-two combination between My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Watch the Throne. In the wake of such a sustained period of cutting edge, creative output, there’s always the fear, and, inherently, the danger, that an artist will burn out, suffer from “writer’s block” or just plain suck on their next outing. As with Watch the Throne, there’s a lot of hype circulating around the first compilation from the artists housed under Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint, along with the pressure such a name implies. Will the music actually be GOOD? Or will Kanye eat his own tail in the rarefied penthouse apartment suites, VIP lounges and fashion runways where he spends his time, sucking up all of his own air and that of the Yes men around him? Fortunately for us, Yeezy’s recent triumphs mean that there’s no reason to be humble. Yet again, Ye steps up to the plate and knocks another one out of the park. Starting with a bonkers sample from danehall legend Fuzzy Jones, Big Sean and Pusha T throw down a few straight-to-the-pleasure-center verses before Kanye comes in on an 80s synth-break and 2 Chainz closes out the track “drunk and high at the same time/drinkin’ champagne on the airplane.” The lyrics and music are pure, infectious fun made for rolling around with the windows down and for anyone who was worried, it looks like Yeezy will be tucking your whole summer in once again.
All the missteps and feet in mouth that have dogged Kanye West throughout his career clearly haven’t soured him to the taste of controversy, and, truth be told, probably taught him the value of a well-placed insult. In his latest opus, Kanye drops what is probably the best diss of the year so far against Kris Humphries:
“And I’ll admit, I fell in love with Kim
‘Round the same time she had fell in love wit’ him
Well, that’s cool, baby girl, do ya thing
Lucky I ain’t have Jay drop ‘im from the team”
Ye also strangely gives props to Wiz Khalifa:
“And the whole industry wanna fuck yo’ old chick
Only nigga I got respect for is Wiz”
Kanye also makes some new enemies with his fur-be-damned chorus, and the song’s title, which the pharmaceutical maker isn’t too pleased about:
Years after the release of Jay Z classic Big Pimpin’ the nephew of Egyptian composer Baligh Hamdi has filed a lawsuit against Hov for the unauthorized sample of his uncle’s song Khosara, Khosara that appears on the track. Hamdi’s nephew Osama Ahmed Fahmy is attempting to collect revenue from album and concert ticket sales. A judge has ruled that the statue of limitations has expired but Fahmy is arguing that because of his lack of proficiency in English, he was misled by EMI lawyers. Part of the ruling states that concert revenue may still be retrievable if it’s determined that Big Pimpin’ is responsible for concert ticket sales. To be continued…
Coming off his victorious show at Carnegie Hall with news of a new blow-your-mind concept album in the works, Jay is lining ‘em up just to knock ‘em down. The latest announcement is that Jigga will be playing another American musical institution, South by Southwest. Jay is scheduled to perform during the SXSW conference at Austin City Limits on March 12th at 8pm EST and the whole concert will be livestreamed here. If you’re going to be in Texas or the Austin area and you want to get into the show, it looks like you’ll need an Amex card. You can find out more about ticketing here.
Jay Z and Kanye West have finally announced a set of European tour dates and tickets for The Throne! Occuring five months after the end of the last Throne tour, we wonder how long it’ll be before they announce Australia and Asia…check back for updates.
The Throne 2012 tour dates:
5/20 London @ O2 Arena
5/24 Switzerland @ Zurich Hallenstadion
5/26 Denmark @ Herning Arena
5/28 Norway @ Oslo Telenor Arena
5/29 Sweden @ Stockholm Globe Arena
6/1 France @ Paris Bercy
6/2 France @ Paris Bercy
6/3 Belgium @ Sportpaleis Antwerpen
6/5 Germany @ Frankfurt Festhalle
6/8 Ireland @ Dublin O2 Arena
6/11 Manchester, UK @ MEN Arena
6/13 Birmingham, UK @ LG Arena
“The repeated insistence that tonight will “make history” seems a lot more plausible at the finale, which includes what will almost certainly be the universe’s only instance of an entire Carnegie Hall crowd rapping the first verse of “Juicy,” unaccompanied by anything but a couple scratches to suggest a beat.”
Check out Nitsuh Abebe’s full article on the event.
With a bottle of champagne in hand, Jay Z rocked the house at Carnegie Hall in the first evening of his two-night stand at the legendary concert hall. With guests Alicia Keys, Nas and a 36-piece orchestra in tow, Hov brought a lot of class to the hallowed hall. A beautiful post-pregnancy Beyonce attended the performance and witnessed this show-stopping ode to young Blue Ivy Carter:
British indie darling Florence Welsh of Florence and the Machine nearly burned down her hotel after a night on the town with Kanye West in New York City. The two along with Lykke Li had been drinking downtown, Florence reports that she had around 17 dirty martinis, when she returned to her room and passed out. Upon awakening, she noticed she had chipped a tooth and the wall of the Bowery Hotel where she was staying was charred to a crisp. Her book had caught fire from a tea candle, there was a bucket of water on the floor and the drink bill for Welsh, Yeezy, Lykke and apparently the entire bar was enough to make the fire seem meager. Shake it out Florence!
