jay-z
Jay-Z Rode the Subway to His Final Barclays Center Concert Like a Commoner
Neetzan Zimmerman · 10/08/12 09:11AMCheck Out This Obama vs. Romney Remix of '99 Problems'
Louis Peitzman · 09/29/12 02:42PMFor One Perfect Moment, Beyoncé and Jay-Z Imagine They Are Michelle Obama
Caity Weaver · 09/19/12 05:54PMJay-Z Says He Didn't Understand Occupy, But That Didn't Stop Him from Profiting Off It with T-Shirts
Cord Jefferson · 09/10/12 01:20PMIn a lengthy new T Magazine profile of rap kingpin Jay-Z, novelist Zadie Smith got the Jigga Man to open up about, amongst other things, his feelings on last year's Occupy Wall Street takeover of Zuccotti Park. Smith reports Jay got "agitated" when she brought up OWS before launching into a mini-rant about what he perceived to be the movement's lack of focus:
Hip-Hop's Two Biggest Earners Haven't Released Albums in Years
Rich Juzwiak · 09/05/12 02:15PMForbes has named the brolic and dormant Dr. Dre this year's Hip-Hop Cash King, the result of him taking in $110 million almost entirely from the immense success of his Beats By Dre headphones. Dre, Forbes explains, "collected $100 million pretax when handset maker HTC paid $300 million for a 51% stake in the company last year."
Today's Song: Jay-Z and Pearl Jam '99 Problems'
Rich Juzwiak · 09/04/12 12:45PMJay-Z's "99 Problems" has been refashioned as rap-rock so many times (via Danger Mouse and Linkin Park and there's also this alt-country cover that that irritating, self-consciously cheeky and ironically white sensibility that these things usually do). It makes sense — Rick Rubin's original production was riff-based and tougher than Tougher Than Leather. So why not join Pearl Jam onstage on Sunday at Philadelphia's Made in America concert for yet another go? One Judgment Night isn't enough for this guy.
A Brief Scene From Jay-Z's Made In America Festival in Philadelphia Last Weekend
Emma Carmichael · 09/04/12 10:20AMIs Jay-Z's '99 Problems' Legally Accurate? A Law Professor Explains in Line-by-Line Reading
Max Read · 07/11/12 01:07PMCaleb Mason, an associate professor of law at Southwestern University, has done us all a service by producing, in a paper for the Saint Louis University Law Journal, the most thorough legal reading of Jay-Z's "99 Problems" yet. The upshot? Jay-Z mostly gets it right, except for one glaring omission. Some highlights:
Kanye West Is Addicted to Handing Out $34K Skull Statues to His Friends
Caity Weaver · 07/03/12 04:35PMWhat's 50 Grand to a Revolutionary Like Me?: Watch the Throne and the New Black Power
cord jefferson · 06/12/12 05:05PMWhen Jay-Z and Kanye West released Watch the Throne last year, they did so, at least in part, to glorify things. Thing-glorification is a pursuit with a rich and not wholly invalid history in mainstream rap music. And from its opulent golden cover to its braggadocio about cars, clothes, jewelry, and women, Watch the Throne makes sense in the way that Paula Deen using whole tubs of butter makes sense—Jay-Z and Kanye West are rich men who like to revel in rich things.
Jay-Z Really Believes in [Insert Product Name Here]
Hamilton Nolan · 06/12/12 02:14PMNAACP Endorses Marriage Equality
Louis Peitzman · 05/19/12 04:05PMWhen President Obama spoke out in favor of same-sex marriage, some worried what effect this would have among his black supporters — particularly in terms of the traditionally conservative black church. But a recent poll showed a significant increase in support for marriage equality within the black community: 54 percent in favor, up from 41 percent last year.
T.I. Comes Out in 'Meh' of Gay Marriage
Rich Juzwiak · 05/17/12 10:27AMJay-Z Comes Out in Support of Gay Marriage
Rich Juzwiak · 05/15/12 10:19AMHere's Jay-Z's 2009 Tribute to Adam Yauch and the Beastie Boys
Emma Carmichael · 05/04/12 03:00PMBeyoncé Thinks the Fake Pregnancy Rumors Were 'Crazy' and 'Oh My Gosh, So Stupid'
Louis Peitzman · 04/29/12 03:19PMPresident Obama Prefers Jay-Z, Thinks Kanye West Is A Talented Jackass
Neetzan Zimmerman · 04/12/12 03:39PMDecoding the Beyoncé Tumblr
Anne Helen Petersen · 04/09/12 03:20PMEarlier this week, The Beyoncé tumblr went live. And there was much rejoicing: across the web, gossip sites and news organizations alike trumpeted her decision to cultivate a web presence. Various articles figure the "release" of the site in vaguely mystical terms: Beyoncé celebrated her fourth anniversary with Jay-Z on April 4th (4/4); she was "born" onto the web on 4/5.
Katy Perry Desecrates 'Niggas in Paris'
Emma Carmichael · 03/19/12 02:45PMIn today's second edition of "Don't Make That Rap Video," Katy Perry covered Kanye and Jay-Z's "Niggas in Paris" over the weekend. It is obviously horrible, but it did leave us with a fascinating chicken-or-egg question: Did Katy Perry beget Karmin, the white-people-rappin' duo featuring Perry doppelganger Amy Heidemann on vocals, or did Karmin's insufferable covers beget Katy Perry trying to be more like Karmin?