State Champ Radio Jay-z
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Azealia Banks was once considered one of the best women rappers of her generation but has achieved more notoriety lately for her fiery rants against the culture. Once more, the Harlem artist aimed barbs at Beyoncé and Jay-Z, sparking outrage and criticism from the Beyhive and beyond.
Beyoncé put the world on notice after sharing details behind her upcoming studio album, Act II: Cowboy Carter, the highly anticipated follow-up to 2022’s Act I: Renaissance. The Houston superstar explained in detail the impetus behind the album and expressed gratitude for having her song “Texas Hold ‘Em” going No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the first Black woman to do so via a country music song.
Azealia Banks took to social media and had plenty to say about the rollout of the upcoming album, taking shots at Beyoncé’s husband in the process.
“Wow we didn’t even try to put even a little effort into a more artistic title?” Banks wrote via her Instagram Stories feed on March 19. “Sis I live for whiteyonce Donatella Bianca Bardot DOWN, But I’m kind of ashamed at how u switch from baobab trees and black parade to this literal pick me stuff.”
Banks added, “Like u do lame stuff like bring out some black listed white women (Dixie chicks) at the country music awards and they would never ever do the same for you. Ur always sharing ur platform with white women who are so jealous of you but have such a long history of sabotaging other black womens careers.”
Caught in the fray was Hov with Banks saying, “Ugh I’m so saddened by Jay-Z and his overstrategizing everything beyonce to the point where it’s clearly his influence and not the real Bianca Bardot. Someone tell Jayz his strategies are corny and beyonce has better ideas.”
Okay, then.
On X, formerly Twitter, reactions from all sides to the comments from Azealia Banks poured in. Some suggested that Banks focus on putting out new music while others agreed with some of her points, albeit some did so with reluctance.
We’ve got those reactions listed below.
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Photo: Lexie Moreland / Getty
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This new crop of sneakerheads may not know it, but the Jay-Z and G-Unit Reebok sneakers were big back in the early 2000s. It looks like we might get to see them hit shelves again if Shaq and A.I. have anything to say about it.
In a recent episode of Sneaker Shopping With Complex, the President and VP of Reebok’s basketball division, Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson gave us older Hip-Hop heads a ray of hope when they suggested they’d be willing to retro Jay-Z’s “S. Dot” silhouettes and 50 Cent’s “G-Unit” sneakers. After Joe La Puma brought up the topic of Jay-Z pulling out a pair of S. Dot’s for his outfit at the Super Bowl a few weeks ago, Shaquille chimed in saying, “We know Jay-Z. Jay-Z if you watchin’ we wanna holla at cha. ” To which Iverson added, “That’s right,” suggesting that a business offer for a retro of the classic S. Dot’s might be on the table.
Looking to make another retro possibly happen, La Puma then asked if it was possible that the “G-Unit” sneakers could also see a return to shelves with Shaq saying, “Of course, so 50, when I call you, holla, Jay-Z, we’ll be calling ya. We definitely want to give the fans and the consumer what they want, but we’re also gonna be coming with new styles and new technologies. But, shout out to Jay-Z, shout out to 50 Cent. We definitely will be having a conversation with them very soon.”
Real talk, this needs to happen.
As to whether or not Jay and 50 would be willing to have Reebok retro their classic sneakers remains to be seen, but if they do, don’t be surprised if everyone you see rocking the S. Dot’s or G-Unit sneakers are over the age of 30 and 40. Just sayin’.
Check out Shaq and A.I. talk about the S. Dot’s and G-Unit sneakers below around the 7-minute mark, and let us know if you’d cop any of those kicks in the comments section.
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If we’ve learned anything about Jay-Z over the years it’s that he isn’t one to play about his family whether it be immediate or business related. So when Stephen A. Smith threw a tad bit of shade at Rihanna’s Super Bowl Performance, Hova had a little something to say.
Recently, during a sit-down interview on the Connect The Dots podcast, the sports journalist icon revealed that when he implied that Rihanna’s 2023 Super Bowl Halftime performance couldn’t measure up to that of Beyoncé’s in 2016, not only did some celebrities take issue with his comments, but Jay himself chimed in when the two spoke on the phone.
Saying “people who will remain nameless” and “Hollywood stars,” Smith said people were so mad at him that they never spoke to him again. And it had him wondering what was so taboo about his opinion. Ultimately, things came to a head when Stephen A. spoke to the GOAT himself, Jay-Z.
Recalling a conversation the two had some time later, Smith said, “Months later, Hov and I were on the phone. Hov was like – simple and plain, ‘My dawg, you family, that’s family. That’s too close to say that.’ I said, ‘I didn’t know.’ He said, ‘I know.’ Done! In other words, it’s a business, it’s a part of it, you don’t know how she’ll receive it, etc. etc. etc. That’s all he had to say. I appreciated that.”
We don’t know much, but what we do know is that you do not want Jay-Z in your ear telling you how you F’d up. Either personally or in a business sense. Good thing he didn’t say the opposite and imply that Rihanna was superior to Beyoncé. Things could’ve gotten hella ugly. Just sayin’.
Check out Stephen A. Smith tell his side of the story below, and let us know your thoughts on the situation in the comments section.
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Jay-Z may not be rocking blocks of ice on his person as much as he used to back in the day, but the man is still stunting in subtle ways that many heads may not be aware of if they don’t know what to look for.
While many sneakerheads noticed that Jay-Z was rocking a pair of Off-White Chicago Air Jordan 1s when he attended the Lakers game last week, GQ is reporting that Hova was also sporting a Patek Philippe timepiece that cost more than most people will ever see in their lifetime. With two leather straps holding onto a rose gold dial, the watch boasts 36 baguette-cut diamonds along with 22 extra stones to give it a weight of 4.45 carats, which in turn, gives it a retail price of $161,000. Keep in mind, it’s not like the watch is completely iced out, it’s just a fancy piece of work, and if you know Jay, he likes his accessories to be as exclusive as they come, and this is just that.
Per GQ:
To be fair, Jay-Z owns more complicated watches and more expensive watches. (Not that the 5961R, which features both an annual calendar and a chronograph complication, isn’t expensive at $161,430. The Grandmaster Chime, however, will set you back a cool $2M.) But for whatever reason, the 5961R, sitting as it does at the confluence of haute horlogerie and precious materials, manages to cram an outsized amount of features and bling without feeling…well, blingy. Maybe it’s the baguette cut of the diamonds, which helps them circle the bezel with a higher degree of subtlety than round-cut stones. Or maybe it’s the rose gold, which flies under the radar better than its yellow-hued compatriot—or maybe it’s the soft, black dial. But the 5961R just feels—at least on Jay’s wrist—like it can work in any setting.
Still, we think many people would rather take the Off-White Air Jordan 1s over the watch. Just sayin’.
Check out Jay-Z’s timepiece, and let us know your thoughts on how Jigga man’s flossing game is these days in the comments section below.
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Jay-Z doesn’t make many public appearances where he speaks these days, but that shifted majorly over the weekend. During his acceptance speech at the annual Grammy Awards ceremony for the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, Jay-Z took a slight shot at the Recording Academy and mentioned that his wife, Beyoncé, has a leading 32 Grammy Awards but has never won the coveted Album of The Year trophy.
Flanked by his daughter Blue Ivy, Jay-Z took to the stage but humbly thanked Dr. Dre, the man for whom the award is named. In a loose moment for both men, Hov is heard lavishing praise upon the veteran producer, who bashfully tried to keep the moment focused on the man on the stage.
From there, the rapper born Shawn Carter launched into a freewheeling speech where he mentioned Beyoncé, who looked on with a beaming smile, stating that he doesn’t understand how the Academy hasn’t voted for her to win the AOTY Grammy.
Jay then spoke about the nature of the award show itself, mentioning the historic win for DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince and their 1989 boycott of the ceremony. The Brooklyn bomber then made mention of how the pair went on to watch the Grammys anyway. He then turned the moment on himself after he boycotted the Grammys in 1998 for snubbing the last DMX, who had a monster year with two top-charting and acclaimed albums.
It didn’t end there as Jay continued to shoot from the hip, saying that some nominees will feel like they were robbed and that some might actually get robbed before wrapping it up and saying that some people probably didn’t deserve to be nominated.
Check out the speech from Jay-Z below. Keep scrolling for reactions from X, formerly Twitter.
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Photo: Getty
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It’s not a Grammy weekend if Jay-Z doesn’t hold a party and a-listers scramble to get invites and attend. Hova hosted a soiree at a West Hollywood club in lieu of his annual Roc Nation Brunch not going down this year.
The party was held at the Bird Streets Club in West Hollywood on Friday night (Feb. 2). In attendance were notables that included Lil Uzi Vert, Karreuche Tran, Odell Beckham, Jr., Migos rapper Quavo, Kanye West’s ex-wife, and more.
Over at TMZ, the flames are being fanned that Beckham and Kim Kardashian may be an item.
Per TMZ:
Of course, this only fueled rumors that Kim and Odell might be more than just friends. You may recall, Kim sparked chatter among people that she was dating Odell when she showed up at his 31st birthday party last year. For now, though, it’s all just speculation.
Yeah, that’s great.
Anyway, peep photos of the guests in attendance in the gallery.
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Just when we thought Hov was ready to reintroduce himself to the rap game, it seems like chatter about a new Jay-Z album in 2024 was much ado about nothing.
Over the weekend, social media was buzzing with rumors of a new Jay-Z album after video director Hidji took to his IG stories and shared a picture that featured a clapperboard that had the production titled listed as “JAY Z – 2024 ALBUM.” Naturally, everyone assumed that this was happening and Hov would return with some new work in this new year.
Unfortunately, it seems like it’s not meant to be as the official Roc Nation X account refuted the rumors by simply replying, “That’s news to us” to the post circulating on social media.
Well, that was exciting for a few minutes. It’s been six years since Jay-Z dropped his last album, 4:44, and though the project went platinum only a week after its release, Jay hasn’t dropped any new full-length projects since.
In an attempt to make up for his absence from the rap game, Jay did drop a verse the length of an EP on DJ Khaled’s “God Did” but his day-ones want a new album already.
Hopefully, everyone over at Roc Nation is just playing dumb and Jay does indeed have a project on the way in 2024, but it seems like that might be something they’re playing close to the chest for the time being as they’re denying any knowledge of a brand new joint from Hova the Gawd.
What do y’all think? Is Jay-Z dropping a new album this year and keeping it secret? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Photo: Getty
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It feels like it’s been forever and a day since we’ve gotten new material from D’Angelo. So it only makes sense that the man makes up for lost time with a new track that not only features the G.O.A.T himself, Jay-Z, but also has a running time of 9 minutes.
Collaborating with Hova on “I Want You Forever” off of the soundtrack for The Book of Clarence, D’Angelo goes into baby making mode and hits all the notes you’d want to hear with the lights dim and the candles lit. Even Jay-Z gets into the rhythm as he drops his bars with a slow style you’d expect to hear from a man looking to sweet talk his way into a woman’s heart saying “Life don’t the taste the same without you / tears in my champagne without you / Quit playin’ girl, you know I’m crazy about you / You know that week you ran back to ya mama house, ask my friends they can vouch / Slept on the couch cause the bed ain’t a bed without you…”
Jay out here reminding Beyoncé he’s all about their love. Heck, if we were married to her we’d be dropping 9-minute love songs for her too.
Check out the track in its entirety below and let us know if you rocking with this and whether you’ll be catching The Book of Clarence this weekend in the comments section below.
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Just when it seemed like Jay-Z’s days of winning awards in the entertainment industry were well behind him, the man goes and earns another spoil to add to his illustrious trophy case.
On Sunday night (Jan. 7), during the 2023 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Jay-Z took home the awared for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special for co-directing the Super Bowl Halftime Show which starred Rihanna and was so lit that it had senior citizens recreating her performance. Yeah, that really happened.
Co-directing the show with Hamish Hamilton, Hova beat out the likes of Joel Gallen (Chris Rock: Selective Outrage), Linda Mendoza (Wanda Sykes: I’m an Entertainer), Paul Miller (Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love), and Glenn Weiss (The Oscars).
Though this might be Jay-Z’s first award for the work he did, Hamilton has been directing the Super Bowl Halftime Show since 2010 and has also put in work for the Academy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards and even the Special Olympics. Glad to see him take home some gold for all his good work.
If you forgot just how dope Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime performance was, check it out below and let us know your thoughts on Jay-Z and Hamish Hamilton taking home the gold in the comments section.
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Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty / JAY-Z
December 4 is already an unofficial holiday among Hip-Hop heads and fans of Sean Corey Carter, better known as JAY-Z. If a handful of NYC City council members get their wish, JAY-Z Day will become an official New York City holiday.
You read that right. Jigga Day could become a real thing if a proposal pushing for Dec.4, JAY-Z’s day of birth, to become a NYC holiday, claiming the rapper’s impeccable rap skills and his business acumen as the main reasons he is deserving of such an honor.
The description for the proposed bill under the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations reads, “A resolution designating December 4 annually as Jay-Z Day in the City of New York and celebrating his legendary status as a masterful MC and lyricist and as an innovative entrepreneur.”
Who Exactly Is Backing The Bill?
Democrat Council Member Farah N. Louis, a Brooklyn native, late podcast pioneer and Hip-Hop attorney Combat Jack’s son, Council Member Chi Ossé, a Crown Heights native, plus Kevin C. Riley, Crystal Hudson, and Jennifer Gutiérrez all back the bill.
“In the spirit of celebrating hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, establishing an annual celebration to recognize a homegrown hero while proclaiming our municipal support is fitting to designate,” Louis said during a meeting for the proposal. “Our resolution is an emotional, practical banner raised. Jay-Z has shown the resilience to beat the odds, self-admitted errors, and has developed mechanisms to create opportunities for others. As always, he has done this work wearing Brooklyn and NYC on his heart.”
If approved, this proposal would follow The Book of Hov, an exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library located at Grand Army Plaza, allowing visitors to reflect and celebrate the Brooklyn-born MC’s three-decade-long career.
JAY-Z Day sounds good to us.
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Photo: Kevin Mazur / Getty
