Jay-z
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Over the past few days it seems like Jay-Z has finally decided to come out of hibernation as the iconic rapper made a surprise performance at Tom Brady’s Hall Of Fame ceremony just last week, and last night, once again, shocked an unsuspecting audience when he joined Alicia Keys at the 77th annual Tony Awards.
With their classic song “Empire State of Mind” having recently hit 1 billion streams, Alicia Keys decided it was only right to celebrate the milestone by bringing out Jay-Z while she and the cast to her Broadway play Hell’s Kitchen were doing their thing on stage. Stepping out in some baggy jeans, Timbs and a durag, Jay-Z channeled his 2009 self and took everyone on a trip down memory lane as Alicia Keys belted out the classic chorus after he was done spitting his verse.
So are baggy jeans officially back in style? We need confirmation from fashion stylists and aficionados out there so we can dust off the old-school Girbaud jeans we have in storage. Just sayin’.
Now that they’ve reunited on stage, do Alicia Keys and Jay-Z have something cooking up in the studio? We don’t know for certain, but Alicia Keys definitely teased something was in the works as she took to her official Instagram page to post a video of herself hanging out with the Hip-Hop Gawd. The caption read, “1 Dream. 1 Song. 1 Billion streams 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 Thank you! We love you. What’s next….👀🤫”
Whatever Alicia Keys and Jay-Z might be working on, y’all already know it’s going to be produced by Alicia Keys’ famous hubby, Swizz Beatz.
What did y’all think of Jay-Z’s surprise appearance at last night’s Tony Awards? Are y’all looking forward to another Hova and Keys collaboration? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Jay-Z gave a surprise performance at a gala for NFL great Tom Brady, which drew some comments criticizing his appearance.
Jay-Z’s always been in association with the greats, and more proof of that occurred on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts as the New England Patriots were inducting Tom Brady into their Hall of Fame. The superstar rapper opened up the proceedings, taking some of the crowd by surprise as he emerged from the smoke onstage and uttered the first line from his hit “Public Service Announcement” from The Black Album – “Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Hov!”
The song is a personal favorite of the renowned former quarterback, who would be introduced to the crowd before each Patriots home game to “PSA” as he ran out of the tunnel pumping his fist. Jay-Z’s performance was timed just as Brady was making his way into the VIP area in front of the stage. “Foxborough, make some noise!” Jay said to the crowd, with Young Guru on the turntables and sound boards behind him. “Put one hand in the air for the GOAT, Mr. Tom Brady tonight!” It was a good backdrop for Brady, whose number 12 would be retired by the Patriots never to be worn again in honor of his stellar 23-year career. Some online weren’t too happy seeing Jay-Z at the function, highlighting that the MC who tends to be low-key was not present at the numerous concerts honoring Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary last year.
Jay-Z and Tom Brady have enjoyed a friendly relationship throughout the years, as the seven-time Super Bowl champion has crossed paths with Jay-Z who has overseen the halftime show at the Super Bowl with Roc Nation as the entertainment strategist for the National Football League. The two have also been brought together by Michael Rubin, the CEO of Fanatics and a mutual friend on a few occasions, recently speaking to rookies at a luncheon held by the NFL and Fanatics in May. Jay-Z has also been in collaboration with Patriots owner Robert Kraft in the past.
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Jay-Z and Roc Nation have come under fire for backing a program in Pennsylvania, which critics say aims to gut public education.
A new campaign underway in Pennsylvania is aiming to get students from low-income households in Philadelphia into the city’s private schools. The Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) program is spearheaded by Jay-Z and his Roc Nation entertainment company, which also refers to the PASS grants as “Lifetime Scholarships.” Roc Nation had publicly pledged an investment of $300 million towards the cause. “PASS – which is also known as Senate Bill 757 – is legislation aimed at increasing education opportunities for underprivileged youth attending the state’s lowest performing public schools,” a press release by the group stated.
But critics, including teachers’ groups, have called out the campaign for being heavily influenced by Republicans to gut public education and pointed to Jay-Z’s friendship with a key figure of the campaign. “This ain’t it,” wrote the American Federation of Teachers Pennsylvania in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “And for good measure, here’s a still of @sc and Jeffrey Yass, PA’s richest man, potential Trump Treasury Secretary, and the force behind the voucher push in PA.” The push comes as House Democrats are advancing a bill for $5.1 billion in school funding, capping charter schools’ annual tuition fees.
Criticism also came from individuals such as parent Dena Driscoll, who said that “Jay-Z is like ‘defund Abbott Elementary‘ and for real though my actual Philadelphian children’s public school. Lifeline Scholarships mean most of our children are left to drown.” Journalist and scholar Nikole Hannah-Jones blasted initial coverage of the PASS program as well in a thread of posts on X, calling Roc Nation out for lending its name to efforts in trying to get the bill passed, stating its “involvement is to convince poor Black parents to leave the public schools. “This is no different than the right-wing efforts in Arizona, Florida, and elsewhere just because they put a Black face on it,” she wrote.
Jeff Yass is a billionaire who is the largest megadonor to Republican federal campaigns this election cycle, according to CNBC, totaling over $46 million to date. School choice has been a major focus of PASS and the groups he funds through various entities, with sources remarking that he is a top choice for a cabinet position under Donald Trump if he were to win the presidential election in November.
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Fans of Roc-A-Fella Records should be familiar with the name Oschino, who spent time on the label as part of the State Property collective. Via a new interview, Oschino shared that he felt Jay-Z betrayed Beanie Sigel during a tough time for the Philadelphia star.
Oschino sat down with the SAY CHEESE! YouTube show to discuss his rise as a rapper, signing with Roc-A-Fella, auditioning for Jay-Z, and more. During the portion when he discussed his time under the Brooklyn mogul’s label, Oschino expressed disappointment in the honcho for not stepping up during Beanie Sigel’s attempted murder trial.
“I came to court for Beanie when he allegedly shot somebody,” Oschino Vasquez said. “JAY-Z got on the stand and they said, ‘Are you gonna be responsible for him if we let him go?’ Jay-Z said, ‘No.’ I was there. This ain’t hearsay; this was me in the courtroom.”
Vasquez went on to say that he was shocked that Jay-Z wouldn’t tell the court that he would step up and assist Beanie Sigel in his return to public life, stating that his time in jail raised him to view such matters differently.
He continued, “And nobody didn’t say nothing, nobody flinched. Mind you, I’m a jail n*gga so I’m looking around like, ‘Nobody not saying nothing?!’ Like it was normal.”
Check out Oschino’s interview speaking about the matter below.
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Jay-Z has kept a largely low profile on the music front but the Brooklyn superstar remains active on the scene in other ways lately. Over the weekend, Jay-Z was seen at London’s Wembley Stadium and linked up with Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr., who is signed to Hov’s sports agency.
Vinicius Jr., 23, is a Brazilian soccer forward for Real Madrid and his team locked horns with Borussia Dortmund for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League final.
Ahead of the game, Jay-Z dapped up Vinicius Jr., who scored a goal in the match alongside Real Madrid right-back defender Dani Carvajal with the team defeating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 for the coveted title. Among the celebrations with his Real Madrid teammates, Vini, as he’s also known, took a moment to take some photos with Jay-Z before hoisting the trophy with his fellow players.
In the summer of 2023, Roc Nation Sports acquired Brazilian soccer agency TFM which counted Vinicius Jr. as a client along with other association football stars such as Gabriel Martinelli, who plays for Arsenal.
Congratulations are in order for Real Madrid for capturing the UEFA Champions League championship win.
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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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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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