Kanye West + Jay-Z @ "Watch The Throne" Listening Event

This was taken at the American Museum of Natural History Planetarium.  WTT drops on August 8 on Itunes, August 12 everywhere else.

Props: HCO via Elliott Wilson

Jay-Z & Kanye West Watch The Throne Documentary

Props | RR

CyHi Da Prynce Speaks w/ 3 Little Diggs On “Otis”

Am I in the states right now? No, actually I'm out in Europe which is why I haven't been posting as much lately. I still felt the need to put this up though. Cyhi talks with the good people over at 3 Little Diggs about Jay and Ye's process behind making "Otis" (If you haven't heard already you can find it all over like here for instance.) "Watch the Throne" just a little ways away now.

Jay-Z & Will Smith On Men In Black 3 Set

Props | RR

Jay-Z: "Rap Is Poetry"

Props | RR

Throwback Thursdays: The Making Of Jay-Z's "Dirt Off Your Shoulder"

Shouts to Jean for reminding me of this. This is the making off one of Jay-Z's biggest hits off what was, back then, supposed to be the last album. Jay always picks the best beats and here is no exception. Ultimately, he passes up what would become Ludacris' "The Potion" and waits for the right record; the result brings an appearance from the infamous "Jay Face."

Beyoncé At The BMA's

After performing her new single (with some crazy screen effects and a huge group of dancers beside her), Bey received the Billboard Millennium Award from her mother. 

Props | RR

Jay-Z Performs @ Roseland Ballroom

This is footage from Jay's performance last night for an event hosted by Adult Swim. He does a mash up of "Thank You" to the The Boondocks outro song along with Allure, the first verse of "Dead Presidents," and "On To The Next One."

"Allure" + "Dead Presidents"


"On To The Next One"


Props | RR

Swizz Beatz Excited For "Watch The Throne"

Swizz says Watch The Throne is "worth the wait" and will "pass the bar." I've been ready for this. Can't wait to cop it.

Props | MTV via YHTN

Kevin Reese Interview w/ J. Cole

Cole addresses Jay-Z rumors, talks about placements, college, his work ethic, and a Mya poster. Haha

DJ Semtex Interview w/ Jay-Z

Late pass.

Props | AK of TRT

Jay-Z & Bing Unveil "Decoded" In Miami

Props | Dre of NR.

Jay-Z + Warren Buffet Cover Forbes

Jay-Z shares the Forbes cover with America's second richest man ($48 billion). Jay also describes how he almost lost the entire "Blueprint 3" album before it was ever release.  Jay is also featured on Forbes' Billionaires in the Making list. Hip-Hop!




Props: The Life Files.

P.S. Here's a video preview.

Jay-Z's "Decoded" Book Cover

Start saving up. Decoded is scheduled to be released on November 16th. Here's what Jay has to say:

“When I first started working on this book, I told my editor that I wanted it to do three important things. The first was to make the case that hip-hop lyrics—not just my lyrics, but those of every great MC—are poetry if you look at them closely enough. The second was I wanted the book to tell a little bit of the story of my generation, to show the context for the choices we made at a violent and chaotic crossroads in recent history.  And the third piece was that I wanted the book to show how hip-hop created a way to take a very specific and powerful experience and turn it into a story that everyone in the world could feel and relate to.”

Props: B. Dot of Rap Radar.

Ski Beats Talks "Dead Presidents", "Feelin' It", and "Streets Is Watching"

Ski talks about not liking the "Dead Presidents" instrumental initially (WHAT!), how "Feelin' It" was originally his song, and how Jay rubbed getting the "Streets Is Watching" beat in Big's face.

Props: Dre of NR.

Throwback: Kanye West "Throught The Wire"

Can't even begin to tell you what this man and this video have personally done for my life. But I'll try. This was a beginning of sorts for me and Kanye in a plethora of ways. Even though I didn't know it at the time, this song was one of the reasons I ultimately begin rapping.

Growing up in New Orleans, Wayne was the biggest star in the city but around my ninth grade year is when he really began killing the game on a national level as a solo artist. As a result of that, everyone in New Orleans was on him. While Wayne's star was on the rise, there was another man from Chicago that caught my eye; his name was Kanye West. I remember coming home one day after school, going up to my room, and turning on BET (now that I was finally allowed to watch it. Actually, mom probably didn't like it but I did anyway) and this new video was called "Throught The Wire" was coming on. First thing I noticed was I loved the intro and the beat as well. Whoever produced the beat sampled Chaka Kahn's "Through The Fire" but sped it up and did something crazy with it. Then there were the lyrics: this story about a guy who got in a car accident, nearly died, had to get his mouth wired shut, and wrote a song about the entire process. I was moved, captivated, and immediately wanted to know more the man and his work. As the video ends, it shows him getting his chain, finalizing his Roc-a-Fella (my favorite label) coming out party and making beats for one of my favorite rappers ever (and my favorite rapper living), Jay-Z.

Looking back now, it almost seems I was destined to be a Kanye fan. But if I could name the most important thing Mr. West did for me, it would probably be this: He showed me that it was okay to be yourself. Not to say I wasn't content with who I was but hearing him say it reassured how I already felt about myself, thus making me that much more comfortable in my own skin in the process. Not many artist, especially people I've never met before, have impacted my life like that.

'Ye wasn't the first rapper to really inspire me (Pac, Jay) and he won't be the last (Cole) but I can assuredly say, he's one of the most important.

What artists have had the biggest impact on you? Leave your thoughts in the comments section.

-K

iStandardTV Interview: Ski Beatz

Ski provides some insight into his life and times as a producer. He even says after hearing Jay-Z rap for the first time he didn't want to rap anymore. Considering he made "Dead Presidents" (one of my all-time favorite songs and beats), "Feelin' It", and a ton of other crazy records, I'd say it wasn't a bad decision at all.

Props: iStandardTV

Jay-Z + Eminem Stadium Shows Set For September

Jay-Z and Eminem are set to do two shows together this September. The shows will be in baseball stadiums in both artist's hometowns ( Comerica Park on the 2nd and Yankee Stadium on the 13th). Here are some more clips below:


And the Last clip:


Props: B. Dot of Rap Radar.

Fat Joe Analyzes His Peers

After seeing a collage dedicated to several of Hip-Hop's great artists, Joe breaks down each person's significance and worth to the genre from his perspective. Got to respect his honesty.

Props: B. Dot of Rap Radar.

Behind The Scenes: Jay-Z & Betty White On SNL

Props: Big Homie of Rap Radar.