MADNESS PREMIERE: Justin Timberlake (Feat. Jay-Z) - Suit & Tie

Jay Z, Barclays Opener

NEW YORK (AP) — The newly built Barclays Center is the home of the Brooklyn Nets, and Jay-Z, an investor in the team, christened the venue Friday night in uniform, sporting a Nets hat and jersey as he rapped two dozen jams onstage in front of thousands. Jay-Z performed for an excited and rowdy crowd of 18,000, wearing a jersey that featured his last name, Carter, and the number four. It was his first of eight shows at the venue. As he emerged onstage, a video highlighting some of Brooklyn's historical moments — like when it was named an official borough of New York City — played in the background. There were also pictures of famous faces who were born in Brooklyn, from Michael Jordan to Al Capone to Aaliyah to Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys.

Jay-Z opened the show with the hometown anthems "Where I'm From," a song about his upbringing in Brooklyn's Marcy projects complex, and "Brooklyn Go Hard." He followed that with a tribute to one of Brooklyn's icons: the late Notorious B.I.G. He performed some of the rap vet's hit "Juicy" as the crowd joined in.

"Sing loud so he can hear you in heaven," said Jay-Z, who also held a moment of silence for the rapper, who was shot to death in 1997. Another Brooklynite — Big Daddy Kane — made an appearance, performing songs like "Ain't No Half Steppin'" and "Warm It Up, Kane." He received a roaring cheer from the crowd when performing old-school dance moves with two dancers in all white. Jay-Z said Friday's concert was incomparable to most of his other top-level performances, including the Grammys, Glastonbury or Coachella. "Nothing feels like tonight," he told the crowd multiple times. MadOne

Jay-Z executive producing 2K Sports’ “NBA 2k13″

Jay-Z is putting the game’s soundtrack together for NBA 2k13 and will be working directly with developers on off-court aspects of the game, including menus, intro/outro videos, and much more. In addition to two tracks from Jay – “Public Service Announcement” and “On to the Next One” records from the likes of Hip-Hop icons Too Short, Eric B. and Rakim, Nas, Mobb Deep, and Kanye West. Other Artists included are U2, Santigold, Daft Punk, Roy Ayers, and Coldplay will contribute some of their most popular tracks to the games soundtrack as well. MadOne

Full list of songs from the “NBA 2K13″ soundtrack below: 
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” (feat. Notorious B.I.G. & Busta Rhymes
Daft Punk – “Around the World (Radio Edit)”
Santigold – “Shove It” (feat. Spank Rock)
Kanye West – “Amazing”
Jay-Z – “Run This Town”
The 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” (feat. Nas & Really Doe)
Mobb Deep – “Shook Ones, Pt. II”
Meek Mill – “Ima Boss — Instrumental”
Kanye West – “Mercy” (feat. 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)”

“NBA 2K13″ will be released on October 2.

MADNESS PREMIERE: Jay-Z & Kanye West - Ni**as In Paris

Beyonce Welcomes Baby Girl Blue Ivy Carter!

2012 is off to a wonderful start for Beyonce and Jay-Z! The singer, 30, gave birth to a baby girl in New York on Saturday, according to various outlets, including Good Morning America and her hometown paper, the Houston Chronicle, which reported that "baby and mom are doing just fine."  GMA reports the superstar gave birth via C-section.

According to GMA, the couple chose "Ivy" because of the significance of the number "4" or "IV," --  Beyonce and Jay-Z were born on Sept. 4 and Dec. 4, respectively, were married on April 4, 2008, and Beyonce's latest album is entitled 4.) It's the first child for the "Love on Top" singer and hip-hop mogul Jay-Z (real name: Shawn Carter), 42. MadOne

Kanye West / Jay-Z - OTIS VMA Performance

Get More: 2011 VMA, Music, JAY Z and Kanye West

MADNESS PREMIERE: Jay Z and Kanye West - OTIS

OTIS

Jay-Z and Kanye West - Watch The Throne Album Now Available

Flashback Classics: Jay-Z - Lost One ft. Chrisette Michele

Kanye West / Nike Air Yeezy 2 in Paris

Kanye West was spotted rocking the ultra-anticipated Nike Air Yeezy 2 alongside Jay-Z this past weekend. The same all black pair with an off white midsole and (presumed) glow-in-the-dark outsole was seen yet again, though the new angles provide us the most telling view we’ve seen yet. It’s likely that Ye and Jay are in Paris working on Watch the Throne. NiceKicks.com

Kanye West Wears Nike Air Yeezy 2 in Paris

Kanye West Wears Nike Air Yeezy 2 in Paris, Jay-Z in the Addidas Superstar White

Hip-Hop's Wealthiest Artists

Sean "Diddy" Combs

Worth: $475 million
Fast Facts: Artist formerly known as Puff Daddy built fortune chiefly through clothing line Sean John, record label Bad Boy and Ciroc vodka. Acting gigs, television shows and guest appearances add to coffers. Told Forbes in 1999: "I'm gonna be bigger than David Geffen." Not there yet.

Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter

Worth: $450 million
Fast Facts: Beyonce's husband sold Rocawear clothing label for $204 million in 2007; signed 10-year $150 million Live Nation deal in 2008. Holds stakes in New Jersey Nets, 40/40 Club chain, ad firm Translation, other businesses. Lyrical boasts appear accurate: "I'm like really half a billie . . . you got baby money." 

Andre "Dr. Dre" Young

Worth: $125 million
Fast Facts: Superproducer/rapper helped launch careers of Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent. Expanded wealth with Aftermath record label, Beats headphones and HP laptop line. Likens himself to world's first billionaire: "Young black Rockefeller ... gettin' money like a bank teller."

 

Bryan "Birdman" Williams

Worth: $100 million
Fast Facts: Cofounded Cash Money Records with brother Ronald and inked $30 million distribution deal with Universal in 1998; affiliated Young Money lineup now includes rappers Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj. Lyrical boasts ("Richer than the richest!") are simply not true.

Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson

Worth: $100 million
Fast Facts: Received nine figures for Vitaminwater stake in 2007; spent freely on cars, renovations to mansion formerly owned by Mike Tyson. Cushion remains from catalog, acting gigs and 50 Cent-themed videogames, books, clothes and headphones. Future billionaire? Told Forbes in 2008: "It's probably going to take me 10 years." Forbes.com

Jay-Z’s $450 million Business Empire

Amid the carnage of the music industry in the past decade, Jay-Z has managed to parlay artistic success into financial fortune valued at up to $450 million, according to Forbes. Jay-Z's many business successes (and few failures) are described in a new book by Forbes writer Zack O'Malley Greenburg, entitled Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went from Street Corner to Corner Office.

Jigga Man Wins in Court

Rap mogul Jay-Z recently won a ruling in an English court, barring a restauranteur from using the "Rockafella" name in business in the country. Jay-Z and British Chef/reality TV star Terry Miller were locked in court battle over the name, which Jay-Z claimed would confuse people into thinking the business was associated with his Roc-A-Fella brand. A British court previously ruled in favor of Miller, who was granted the rights to use the name for his catering business in the U.K. Jay-Z recently won an appeal of the ruling, when a higher court overturned the previous decision, claiming that enough similarities existed between the two names to prevent Miller from using it in trade. MadOne

Jay-Z Announces New Film Partnership With Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment

Jay-Z and Will Smith previously teamed to produced the hit Broadway musical Fela! They also own a portion of makeup company Carols Daughter.

The pair are hoping Broadway will pay off again with the remake of "Annie," which originally ran as a Broadway play starting in 1977 until 1983. The following year, it was turned into a hit movie with the same name.

The remake of "Annie" is being developed by Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment and Sony Pictures, with Jay-Z and Will Smith acting as producers.

"The Overbrook Entertainment family and I have a unified vision," Jay-Z said in a statement today. "We've already produced a Tony Award winning play and we're developing a true superstar in Willow. This venture into film development and production is a perfect next step with teams that are accomplished, creative, and innovative.”

According to James Lassiter, co-founder of Overbrook Entertainment, Will Smith and company are very excited to continue their partnership with Jay-Z. “We are excited to partner together to develop and produce a wide variety of films with our longtime friend Jay-Z, with whom we share a common global vision, both commercially and philosophically, and look forward to collaborating once again with the incredibly talented executives at Sony,” added Lassiter.

Afrika Bambaataa Says 'Luciferian Conspiracy' Exists Within Hip-Hop

(AllHipHop News) Afrika Bambaataa, one of Hip-Hop's founding fathers, believes that the genre of Hip-Hop music has been hijacked by a Luciferian conspiracy to poison the minds of its listeners.

Afrika Bambaataa stated his opinion on the state of Hip-Hop music during a recent interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, which will undoubtedly fuel conspiracy theorists' recent claims that Hip-Hop is filled with Satanic imagery and devil worshippers. "Hip-hop has been hijacked by a Luciferian conspiracy," Afrika Bambaataa told the Chicago Sun-Times. "People have used hip-hop in a lot of ways that cause a lot of mind problems. Jay Z's video On to the Next One is a very dark visual outing with alot of q's towards the mason's, Illuminati, satan. Look for youself..  




The raging debate over Satanic images in Hip-Hop album covers and videos spilled over into the pop mainstream in November, when rapper MC Hammer responded to Jay-Z, who name checked Hammer on the track "Better Run Run." The case can be made for Kanye West to. He has also been accused of being a member of The Illuminati and worshipping the devil, shortly after the premiere of his short-film, Runaway.  The cover art for his lastest album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is nothing short of strange. 

"I've got question about "the illuminati" ... what is it exactly ??? ... and why do people think pop stars have a membership???!!! LOL," Kanye tweeted in October of 2010. "Is illuminati and devil worshipping like the same thing ... do they have a social network that celebs can sign up for?"


Jay-Z has repeatedly denied claims he worshipped the devil, after fans raised eyebrows at a line on his hit single "Empire State of Mind" featuring Alicia Keys. "I believe in God, I believe in one God,” Jay-Z told Hot 97's Angie Martinez of his religious beliefs in January of 2010. “I don't believe in religion. I think that separates people." The real question should have been which god is it that he believes in. Food for thought. MadOne

MADNESS PREMIERE: Kanye West & Jay - Z - HAM

H.A.M from the up coming album Watch the Throne

Kanye West & Jay-Z - H.A.M

Flashback Classics: JAY Z - EXCUSE ME MISS, I KNOW

JAY Z

Jay-Z Interview On Late Show With David Letterman!

Jay Z

Jay-Z Says Watch The Throne With Kanye West Is On 'Another Level'

Watch the Throne, Jay is making a collaborative effort with Kanye West, and the Brooklyn legend tells MTV News he's excited about the project, especially given the "Runaway" star's growing status as a hip-hop king.


"This is another level of that recording," Hov explained to us this week. "Because Kanye, I've seen him — really he's like a brother to me — I've seen him from the beginning to where he is now. And to see him as a producer and to see how he's growing as a producer and as an artist, for me, on another level, it's enjoyable. I'm watching the guy that I pretty much mentored become his own guy, with his own opinion. It's fantastic."
The project was originally slated to be an EP, but West confirmed to MTV News in October that Watch the Throne would now be a full-length release.

MTV Shows

Jay-Z Says 'Decoded' Helps Fans 'Really Understand' His Story

Jay-Z has long been a lyrical dynamo, but the Brooklyn wordsmith has been as slick as a three-card Monte dealer in his rhymes, winking and nodding yet never revealing the true story behind the lines. 

That's all changed with the release of Jay's first book, "Decoded," which seeks to chronicle the source of the MC's bars. With 11 #1 albums under his belt, however, and no signs of slowing down, it begs the question: Why pull back the curtain now?



"Decoded" is part memoir, part lyrical deconstruction, as Jay-Z narrates parts of his younger life that would eventually influence his later years. He argues that deeply embedded experiences that become written word are exactly why rap should be considered poetry. Mtv.news

Jay-Z Signs Jay Electronica To Roc Nation

(AllHipHop News) Jay-Z signed Jay Electronica to Roc Nation tonight at an exclusive music industry function tonight in New York City.

The signing ended years of speculation as to where Jay Electronica would call his recording home.

"We're trying to reintroduce magic to Hip-Hop," Jay-Z said from the stage at a club called The Bar.

The event was set as a magic with several oddities performing, including a man deemed "The Human Slinky" and magicians.

Jay Electronica performed for the crowd and the DJ later played his song with Jay-Z.