jay-z

Hip-Hop's Two Biggest Earners Haven't Released Albums in Years

Rich Juzwiak · 09/05/12 02:15PM

Forbes 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 12:45PM

Jay-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.

What's 50 Grand to a Revolutionary Like Me?: Watch the Throne and the New Black Power

cord jefferson · 06/12/12 05:05PM

When 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.

NAACP Endorses Marriage Equality

Louis Peitzman · 05/19/12 04:05PM

When 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.

Jay-Z Comes Out in Support of Gay Marriage

Rich Juzwiak · 05/15/12 10:19AM

This is beautiful. Responding to President Obama's endorsement of gay marriage, commander-in-chief of hip-hop Jay-Z has weighed in with his own support of equality. In the video below, you can see Jay say:

Here's Jay-Z's 2009 Tribute to Adam Yauch and the Beastie Boys

Emma Carmichael · 05/04/12 03:00PM

Back in summer 2009, the Beastie Boys were forced to pull out of their scheduled headlining performance at the All Points West music festival in Jersey City, N.J. Yauch had just announced that he'd been diagnosed with cancer, and the group was forced to cancel a lot of shows as he sought treatment.

Decoding the Beyoncé Tumblr

Anne Helen Petersen · 04/09/12 03:20PM

Earlier 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 02:45PM

In 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?