Begs the question, Will Beyonce go to hubby Jay-Z's Roc Nation management stable which includes Rihanna, Melanie Fiona, Wale, The Ting Tings and most recently with Brooklyn music artist Santigold?
Back in February at the 17th Annual Living Legends Gala function in NYC, Mathew Knowles was seen with and showcasing Tiffany Evans the young starlet who has been signed to Mathew's Music World label in partnership with Columbia Records. Was Mr. Knowles beginning to get the cold shoulder from Beyonce back then? We can only wonder.
While Jay-Z is taking a short breather, Memphis Bleek's crew post up some of his escapades while touring Germany on the BP3 Tour European leg.
Catch Memphis Bleek with Jay-Z at these upcoming live dates: July 2 - Eurockeennes Belfort, France July 4 - Wireless Festival, U.K. July 9 - Oxygen, Ireland July 10 - Frauenfeld, Switzerland July 11 - T in the Park, Scotland Sept. 2 - Comerica Park, Detroit, MI (with Eminem) Sept. 13 - Yankee Stadium, Staten Island, NY (with Eminem)
Last night at New York City venue SOB’s, the Roc was definitely in the building. Performing to a sold-out crowd, Roc Nation’s own J. Cole ripped through cuts off his seminal mixtape The Warm Up and threw in a few surprises during his hourlong set, including guest appearances from Young Chris, Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek to help out on a few of their collaborations with the freshman emcee. With a crowd packed into the venue tighter than a shrunken pair of skinny jeans, the show was a taste of bigger things to come for the rapper, who’s readying his Roc Nation debut for release later this year.
With industry figures like Statik Selektah, Sha Money XL and Pill watching from V.I.P., J. Cole made his grand entrance to the stage at around 10:30 P.M., kicking off the show with a rendition of “Dollar & A Dream II” where the North Carolina emcee spit acapella before the DJ kicked the instrumental. Cole followed with “World is Empty” before addressing the crowd, reflecting on how he arrived to NYC seven years prior and caught a relatively unknown Kanye West play at the very same venue. Cue “Last Call,” which Cole destroyed before segueing into his “Dead Presidents II” freestyle, the centerpiece of his Warm Up tape.
Cole next brought out Young Chris as his first guest of the evening, bringing the on-wax magic of their collabo “Still the Hottest” alive on stage. “I Get Up” and “Losing My Balance” followed, with Cole pandering to the crowd by bigging up Queens and Brooklyn. “Dreams” and “Lights Please” came next, with the latter seeing the rapper spit over a naked keyboard melody before the beat crashed in and kicked the joint into full gear.
Once the beat for Talib Kweli’s “Get By” began booming through the speakers, Cole spit his verse from his freestyle before inviting Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek on stage to do the original track, rocking the beat before performing their collaboration “Just Begun” off Reflection Eternal’s forthcoming sophomore album Revolutions Per Minute. But the highlight of the evening? Cole played some new shit for a song called “Who Dat,” a joint that began with an instrumental that sampled the same beat as Beanie Sigel’s song of the same name, with the instro cutting out to let Cole spit it acapella. The up-and-comer shut down the set with his verse from Wale’s “Beautiful Day” and “Grown Simba,” and by the end, the star that had only recently been born had truly begun to shine.
The James Bond theme music preceded Jay-Z's arrival on stage at a full New Orleans Arena Thursday night (February 25). Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter is arguably the black Bond. He possessed sufficient charm, style, strength and means to marry Beyonce, among the most desired women on the planet, and, with a spy's discretion, refused to blab about it in public.
Carter long ago graduated from New York's mean streets to its penthouses. Like Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, he has built an empire of music and fashion -- but is far better on the microphone.
How much better? Jay-Z conceivably could record the first meaningful rap concert album. Traditionally, "live" rap consists of an MC spitting verses over pre-recorded tracks. But on his current tour for "The Blueprint 3," Jay is backed by a 10-piece band: Drums, percussion, two keyboards, guitar, bass, three horns and a DJ.
The difference between rapping to tracks and rapping to a band is the difference between pro wrestling and boxing. The urgency and unpredictability of the latter generates the electricity.
A black-clad Jay opened with the anthemic "Run This Town," which he accomplished even before saluting the Saints on their Super Bowl victory. His flow cut like a diamond, equally sharp and hard.
An alto sax snaked through "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)." Just when I started to think the hard-working drummer could use a bit more syncopated stutter, he brought the funk to "I Just Wanna Love You." Bridget Kelly, a flesh-and-blood backing singer, even filled in for Alicia Keys on "Empire State of Mind."
For the snazzy stage backdrop, video towers formed an ever-changing skyline. They depicted massive stacks of Marshall amps -- with booming subwoofers -- for "99 Problems."
Memphis Bleek functioned as Jay's hype man. Opening act Trey Songz guested on "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)." Jay and his band took a break while Young Jeezy delivered his own 30-minute set. Jeezy brought a wild-eyed swagger to bear, but the "make some noise" exhortations of his DJ were no substitute for live musicians.
Jay returned to rap the Katrina-themed "Minority Report" a cappella ("helicopter swooped down just to get a scoop through his telescopic lens/but he didn't scoop you " poor kids, just cause they was poor kids/left 'em on they porches, same ol' story in New Orleans").
He saluted President Barack Obama and urged the prison-bound Lil Wayne to hold his head up. (He might have directed a similar shout-out at another New Orleans rapper. Earlier Thursday, St. Bernard Parish sheriff's deputies busted Juvenile for pot possession.)
Toward the evening's conclusion, he took time to point out and thank individual fans for their support: "I don't take any of you for granted."
He invited one young woman to join him. A form-fitting black mini-dress and spiked high heels are not conducive to climbing over four rows of seats. But Lyiena McMillan, a 25-year-old aspiring singer and rapper from New Orleans, would not be denied.
When Jay-Z performed at the New Orleans Arena in 2004, she found her way on stage; now she wanted an encore. So after Jay-Z helped her gingerly navigate a subway-style grating at the edge of the stage, she squared off on "Song Cry," a profession of love normally sung from his perspective.
With his blessing, McMillan took over, wailing successive lines with increasing confidence. In place of the lyric "so now we travel first class " never in bunches, just me and you," she freestyled, "not with Beyonce, just me and you."
That's the sort of showbiz chutzpah and ambition Jay-Z can appreciate.
More fan shot video below.
Jay-Z's BP3 2010 Tour dates:
Feb 27 Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena Feb 28 Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum Complex Mar 02 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden Mar 03 Washington, DC - Verizon Center Mar 05 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Mar 06 East Rutherford, NJ - Izod Center Mar 07 Norfolk, VA - Scope Arena Mar 11 Boston, MA - TD Garden Mar 12 Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum Mar 14 Detroit, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills Mar 16 Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena Mar 18 Chicago, IL - United Center Mar 19 St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center Mar 20 Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse Mar 22 Denver, CO - Pepsi Center Mar 24 San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion Mar 26 Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
Jay-Z commands a stage. The influential rapper performed for 12,000 fans Tuesday (February 23) night at American Airlines Center, bringing with him a full band including a horn section, percussionist and DJ.
A skyscraper-like light display at the back of the stage immediately looked like the New York skyline, a nod to his hometown, of course. A variety of images were projected throughout the two-hour show, making it all the more striking.
Jay-Z had the lower platform to himself and he filled it up robustly. He's tall, imposing, an intense presence. His rapping flow is fast but clear. He doesn't chew his words. There's an engulfing quality to his music, from the thunderous beats to the rhymes, which have messiah-like potency.
Disciples are more than understandable. The crowd was with him from the onset, even with bill-sharer Young Jeezy's 25-minute set sandwiched between Jay-Z's stage time. Assisting Jay-Z was perennial sideman Memphis Bleek. Singer Bridget Kelly offered the Alicia Keys chorus on "Empire State of Mind," a definite highlight that arrived early in the gig. R&B vocalist Trey Songz was the opening act.
Jay-Z pulled out many cuts from The Blueprint 3 such as "Run This Town," "On To the Next One" and "Already Home." Otherwise he focused on fan favorites – "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)," "Big Pimpin' " and "Dirt Off Your Shoulder," to name a few.
Before he left the stage, Jay-Z seemed genuine when he thanked the crowd. He acknowledged specific sections of the arena, even having the house lights turned on so he could see his fans better.
"I am so overwhelmed," he said. "I appreciate all of you. I appreciate your love."
Feb 25 New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Arena Feb 27 Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena Feb 28 Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum Complex Mar 02 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden Mar 03 Washington, DC - Verizon Center Mar 05 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Mar 06 East Rutherford, NJ - Izod Center Mar 07 Norfolk, VA - Scope Arena Mar 11 Boston, MA - TD Garden Mar 12 Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum Mar 14 Detroit, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills Mar 16 Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena Mar 18 Chicago, IL - United Center Mar 19 St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center Mar 20 Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse Mar 22 Denver, CO - Pepsi Center Mar 24 San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion Mar 26 Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
Jay Z kicked off his Monday (Feb. 22) night set at Toyota Center with the anthemic Run This Town -- and it proved a fitting theme for the evening.
The rap mogul's entrance sent a jolt of energy through the venue, and he was aided by a terrific band and an expanse, elaborate stage. The jagged screens morphed into everything from a skyline to booming speakers. (This was Jay-Z's second stop on his BP3 2010 tour.)
The Beastie Boys' No Sleep till Brooklyn cued Jigga's intro, and a clock counted down from 10 minutes until his arrival (well after 9 p.m.). He thundered through On To the Next One and D.O.A. (Death of Autotune) with a commanding, confident grace.
The crowd was on its feet and sang along with every word -- 99 Problems, Show Me What You Got, I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me). Diamonds, of course, were frequently up in the air.
Rapper Memphis Bleek made an early appearance and stuck around for most of the two-hour show, a dutiful sideman to his former Roc-A-Fella boss. And local hero Bun B checked in for a winning version of Big Pimpin' dedicated to the late Pimp C.
Even if rap isn't your game, a Jay-Z show is a must-see -- if only for the nonstop frenzy of male groupies that linger on his every word and lip-sync every lyric. Beyond that, however, Houston's most famous in-law manages a perfect balance of qualities onstage. He's alternately gruff and gentlemanly, unprecticable and laser-focused, humble and confident. It's impossible to take your eyes off him.
Singer Bridget Kelly was a solid sub for Alicia Keys during the still-gorgeous Empire State Of Mind. Young Jeezy took over halfway through the evening and turned the venue into a rump-shaking, wild-n'-out party. It was energetic but overlong and quickly dwindled into a (hot) mess.
Jigga returned -- not a moment too soon -- with a set that included Dirt Off Your Shoulder, a rapid-fire medley (Fiesta, Excuse Me Miss, La-La-La) and a quick chastising of the front rows for not feeling his groove.
"You can stand your (expletive) ass up," he said amid cheers. There's no sitting at a Jay-Z concert. Indeed. If the criminally catchy refrain of set closer Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) didn't have you at full attention, something was wrong.
Opener Trey Songz has an emotive voice that could be intriguing with the right material. Alas, he offered stock R&B loverboy fluff. His brief set's most engaging moment was an all-too-brief rock riff.
For now, Songz seems content uttering, "Say aah!" And why not? It seemed to send female fans into orbit (and may have thrown out a few hips.)
Feb 23 Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center Feb 25 New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Arena Feb 27 Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena Feb 28 Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum Complex Mar 02 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden Mar 03 Washington, DC - Verizon Center Mar 05 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Mar 06 East Rutherford, NJ - Izod Center Mar 07 Norfolk, VA - Scope Arena Mar 11 Boston, MA - TD Garden Mar 12 Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum Mar 14 Detroit, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills Mar 16 Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena Mar 18 Chicago, IL - United Center Mar 19 St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center Mar 20 Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse Mar 22 Denver, CO - Pepsi Center Mar 24 San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion Mar 26 Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
At the 7:45 mark: "If you would have asked me two weeks ago [about the status], I would have told you I was 30 percent, man, [now it's] 70," Cole revealed in an interview. "Like 75, like, this is how many songs, I hit a little streak and now I got some stuff that's impressing me. Like, 'Man, did I just do this song?' I got in with [producer] No I.D. and now, you gotta understand, I've been doing music, myself, my own beats, since I was making my own songs, so it's hard to allow somebody to come in but now the way that we make music, it isn't just 'Oh yeah, I got this beat for you, rap on this beat,' he's in there, I'm in there, there's a guitar player, key player, it feels like you're making an album."
According to Hits Daily Double based on first day sales, Wale 'Attention Deficit' is on track to sell between 25k-28k in it's first week of release. The Hits Daily Double numbers will become more firmer a day prior (on Tuesday, November 17) to the Nielsen/Soundscan (the industry standard) numbers as we will see next Wednesday, November 18.
According to a variety of sources on the net (November 10 & 11) are saying that Salford UK based duo the Ting Tings have signed with Jay-Z's Roc Nation music label in America.
Let's take a moment to think it though with some "connect the dots" theories and facts.
1) According to Wikipedia, the only known acts signed to the Roc Nation music label are Jay-Z, J. Cole, Bridget Kelly, Moti Cakes, Rita Ora, Alexis Jordan & Sugababes.
2) In America, the Tings Tings first record 'We Started Nothing' went through Sony's independent distribution arm (known as RED) record label Red Ink in 2008. In the UK, the Ting Tings are signed to Columbia Records part of Sony Music.
3) The Ting Tings along with Wale and Melanie Fiona have been managed by the Roc Nation management firm.
4) Jay-Z signed a deal with Epic/Sony Music to distribute Roc Nation back in May/June 2009. (source)
5) One of the key players in the Roc Nation deal is the venerable Sony Music executive and music producer Rick Rubin who is based in Los Angeles, CA.
6) Jay-Z performs in Ottawa, Ontario Canada on Sunday, November 1.
7) Jay-Z has 2 days off between the BP3 World Tour shows, a travel day must fit in on one of those days.
8) Jay-Z performs in London at the Alexandra Palace for a recent one off UK appearance on Wednesday, November 4.
9) Jay-Z has 2 days off (one for the MTV EMA's in Berlin, Germany and the other one travel day) from the Blueprint 3 World Tour as the tour resumed Saturday, November 7 in Fresno, CA.
8) Jay-Z performs at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA on Sunday, November 8.
10) Jay-Z has a day off (perhaps in Los Angeles?) from the 'The Blueprint 3' tour on Monday, November 9.
11) Jay-Z performs at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, TX on Tuesday, November 10.
11) On Tuesday, November 10 in the UK and Wednesday, November 11 in America, the rumoured news about the Ting Tings signing broke.
Still not comfirmed as of yet, but if the rumour is true, Jay-Z has really got the inside track to building his Roc Nation empire.
Last night's Jay-Z "The Blueprint 3' World Tour stop at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, AB Canada October 14.
Concert review excerpts via Lisa Wilton of Sun Media/Canoe
Jay-Z's live performance takes more from the over-the-top stage artistry of Nickelback or U2 than the laid-back, rather unorganized style of say, Snoop Dogg.
But unlike Nickelback, Jay-Z doesn't overdo it. His entrance was dramatic, of course, rising up from beneath the stage to greet the 9,500 excited fans who took in the concert.
Opening act Wale crammed as much as he could into his short 30-minute set. Though people were still filing in as the D.C. rapper did his thing, Wale made sure those who were paying attention were rewarded with a cool set of bass-heavy neo-funk and groovy hip hop.
Jay-Z 'The Blueprint 3' World Tour dates: Oct. 15 – Prospera Place – Kelowna, B.C. Oct. 16 – General Motors Place – Vancouver, B.C. Oct. 17 – Key Arena – Seattle, WA Oct. 21 - EMU Convocation Ctr. - Ypsilanti, MI Oct. 23 - The Wachovia Center - Philadelphia, PA Oct. 24 – Dunkin’ Donuts Center – Providence, R.I. Oct. 25 – Mullins Center – Amherst, MA Oct. 27 – 1st Mariner Arena – Baltimore, MD Oct. 28 – Value City Arena – Columbus, OH Oct. 29 – John Labatt Centre – London, ON Oct. 30 – Bell Centre – Montreal, QC Oct. 31 – Air Canada Centre – Toronto, ON Nov. 1 – Scotiabank Place – Ottawa, ON Nov. 4 - Alexandra Palace - London, UK Nov. 7 - Save Mart Center - Fresno, CA Nov. 8 - Pauley Pavilion - Los Angeles, CA Nov. 12 – University of Illinois – Assembly Hall – Champaign, IL Nov. 13 - Vanderbilt University - Nashville, TN Nov. 17 - United Spirit Arena - Lubbock, TX Nov. 19 – Tingley Coliseum – Albuquerque, N.M. Nov. 20 – Don Haskins Center – El Paso, TX Nov. 22 – Frank Erwin Center Arena – Austin, TX
A careful listening of Jay-Z's material last night reveals a fondness for fine champagne, fine women and his own fine self, hopefully combining all three in a hot tub filled with $100 bills. That's just the surface impression. Sexist? Hard to say. But hateful it's not.
Last night's show was an expression of pure joy. Even "99 Problems," coming early in the evening, with its line, "I got 99 problems, but a bitch ain't one," was brimming with positivity -- positive that the man has a fine woman who is not a bitch, obviously. "Gimme That Funk" is a simple call for sex, while "Show Me What You Got" is a simple call to show him what you got, such as waving one's arms like one doesn't care, and so on.
Read more of Jay-Z's Edmonton, AB Canadian show here: Canoe
(show review courtesy of Mike Ross at Sun Media/Canoe)
(video courtesy of highsocieties)
Jay-Z 'The Blueprint 3' World Tour dates: Oct. 14 – Pengrowth Saddledome – Calgary, AB Oct. 15 – Prospera Place – Kelowna, B.C. Oct. 16 – General Motors Place – Vancouver, B.C. Oct. 17 – Key Arena – Seattle, WA Oct. 21 - EMU Convocation Ctr. - Ypsilanti, MI Oct. 23 - The Wachovia Center - Philadelphia, PA Oct. 24 – Dunkin’ Donuts Center – Providence, R.I. Oct. 25 – Mullins Center – Amherst, MA Oct. 27 – 1st Mariner Arena – Baltimore, MD Oct. 28 – Value City Arena – Columbus, OH Oct. 29 – John Labatt Centre – London, ON Oct. 30 – Bell Centre – Montreal, QC Oct. 31 – Air Canada Centre – Toronto, ON Nov. 1 – Scotiabank Place – Ottawa, ON Nov. 4 - Alexandra Palace - London, UK Nov. 7 - Save Mart Center - Fresno, CA Nov. 8 - Pauley Pavilion - Los Angeles, CA Nov. 12 – University of Illinois – Assembly Hall – Champaign, IL Nov. 13 - Vanderbilt University - Nashville, TN Nov. 17 - United Spirit Arena - Lubbock, TX Nov. 19 – Tingley Coliseum – Albuquerque, N.M. Nov. 20 – Don Haskins Center – El Paso, TX Nov. 22 – Frank Erwin Center Arena – Austin, TX
Rap icon Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3, the first release from his Roc Nation imprint through Atlantic Records, will debut at #1 on next week’s HITS album chart with a total between 300-350k.
Good indicator. Soundscan numbers will come out next Wednesday 9/16 though.
Jay-Z is on course to net his 11th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 next week, as "The Blueprint 3" should cruise to the top of the chart. It's tough to predict how many copies the Roc Nation set will sell in its first week, but chart prognosticators have suggested a bow of anywhere between 350,000 and 500,000.
"The Blueprint 3" was originally scheduled to drop on Sept. 11 in order to mark the eighth anniversary of the first "Blueprint" release. However, its physical release was shifted to Sept. 8, likely as a response to the set's leak to the Web on Aug. 31. The digital version of the album is exclusive to Rhapsody through Sept. 11, after which all digital providers will start selling the set.
Most of the marketing and promotion of "The Blueprint 3" had been aimed at the Sept. 11 date and this weekend. Therefore, it's difficult to properly project what first week sales will be without knowing how the forthcoming weekend will shake out.
If Jay-Z indeed debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 next week, it will be the rapper's 11th chart-topper, pushing him ahead of Elvis Presley as the solo artist with the most No. 1 albums. Among all acts, only the Beatles, with 19 chart-toppers, have more.
