Jay-z
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After much speculation, we now know who chose Kendrick Lamar for the Super Bowl Halftime Show. The show’s producer confirmed it was Jay-Z’s decision.
As spotted on Rap-Up, the culture now has better clarity on how the Compton, California, talent became the Super Bowl LIX headliner. This week, Variety spoke to event producer Jesse Collins, and the entertainment executive provided more context regarding the decision and why was Lil Wayne not chosen to perform in his hometown. “We love Wayne,” he said. “There’s always Vegas odds on who’s going to get to perform it. But I think we’re going to do an amazing show with Kendrick, and I think everybody’s going to love the halftime show. I know Kendrick is going to work exceptionally hard to deliver an amazing show.”
Collins went on to say that HOV ultimately gave the greenlight to book K. Dot. “It’s a decision that Jay makes. Since we’ve been on board with that show, he’s made it every year, and it’s been amazing. He’s always picked right,” he added. Soon after the announcement confirming that the “Not Like Us” MC would take the slot there was an outcry questioning why Lil Wayne was not chosen to perform. Days later, Weezy released a video revealing that he was hurt by the snub, but the outcry of support was humbling.
“It broke me, and I’m just trying to put me back together,” he explained. “But my God, have you all helped me. Thanks to all of my peers, my friends, my family, my homies on the sports television and everybody repping me. I really appreciate that, I really do. I feel like I let all of y’all down by not getting that opportunity, but I’m working on me and I’m working.”
Super Bowl LIX will be taking place Sunday, Feb. 9, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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Jay Electronica isn’t one to be chronically online so when he pops out, it’s usually to call out an issue in his typically colorful way. Via a string of replies on X, the New Orleans lyricist took time to defend Jay-Z from criticism over the recent announcement that Kendrick Lamar will be the featured act during next year’s Super Bowl halftime performance.
Jay Electronica opened his X rant on Wednesday (September 11) with a video then launched into a tirade that went all over the place.
“I don’t respect no gangsta that’s scared of the white man. Periodt,” Electronica begins.
He added, “N*ggas got all this smoke for Hov but they ain’t got no smoke for David Geffen and jimmy iovine and lucían grange and lyor cohen etcetera etcetera. I DO NOT RESPECT YOUR GANGSTER. You p*ssy.”
It appeared that Electronica had some issues with Birdman and the Cash Money Records collective over some assumed poor treatment of Turk of the Hot Boyz.
“And how you n*ggas did Turk was dirty and lame. ESPECIALLY since he REALLY MAGNOLIA and yall not. Get it how you live. I’m sawry potnaaaaa, he said, referencing the infamous Magnolia Projects where Electronica too hails from.
“And how yall so quick to let yall gun bust at your brother over nothing. If yall would put 10 percent of this negative energy over a FOOTBALL game into unifying for one common cause, our ppl would be free overnight. Salaaam Alaikum,” he continued.
The verbal portion of the rant ended with, “And finally, I will die in the war with the common enemy on the spot for Birdman and BG and Wayne and whoever else the same way I would Hov. We all we got. But who is man enough to say enough is enough.”
This rant stems from the idea that Jay-Z had a hand in selecting Kendrick Lamar for the Super Bowl halftime show via the deal with Roc Nation to help produce certain events and push initiatives off the field.
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JAY-Z and Michael Rubin are taking their talent back to Atlantic City. The two will host a blackjack tournament to launch Fanatics Sportsbook.
As reported by Page Six the two moguls will once again partner for an invite only event. On Sunday, September 15 the duo will throw a blackjack tournament at Ocean Casino Resort with the grand winner taking home a pot of $250,000. In the house will be various high profile guests including musicians, actors and athletes. Also expected to attend are select Fanatics Sportsbook customers. According to the celebrity gossip outlet attendees will view Sunday NFL football during the early portion of the day with Michael Rubin and JAY-Z. The two are also expected to sit at the final table for the blackjack tournament.
This is not the first time JAY-Z and Michael Rubin have teamed up for an event in Atlantic City. Back in October 2023 the two hosted an all star gala that raised over $24 million dollars for REFORM Alliance. The organization aims to change the criminal justice system by changing laws related to probation and parole. The brand new Fanatics Sportsbook will be located inside the Ocean Resort Casino. This is a 12,000 square foot space where patrons can watch their favorite sporting event via 140 led televisions, make wagers and enjoy a curated menu of food and beverages. You can learn more about it here.
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In the 48 hours following the announcement that Kendrick Lamar would be headlining the Super Bowl Halftime show in New Orleans next February, Jay-Z’s Hip-Hop peers continue to pile on the criticism as many feel that Lil Wayne should’ve gotten the nod over Kung Fu Kenny.
After the likes of Lil Wayne’s studio engineer and Master P spoke on the subject, Nicki Minaj and Birdman have taken to social media to take shots at Jay-Z for overlooking Nawlins native, Weezy for the Super Bowl festivities. Taking to Twitter to express her outrage over the choice, Nicki blasted Hov with a pointed tweet saying the decision to have Kendrick Lamar over Lil Wayne was driven by Jay-Z’s “ego” and that he was simply punishing Lil Wayne over his hatred for Birdman, Drake and even herself.
We didn’t even know Jay hated them.
Still, Nicki continued to ride for Wayne while taking shots at Jay for being “spiteful” and apparently even some of Roc Nation’s employees.
Birdman meanwhile weighed in on the situation himself but refrained from going all out as Nicki Minaj did in her posts.
Keep in mind Jay-Z paid off Lil Wayne’s multi-million dollar tax lien more than a decade ago when Wayne and Birdman were on the outs. So there’s that.
While many assume the decision to have Kendrick Lamar perform at the Super Bowl was strictly on Jay-Z, apparently the host city gets to pick who they want to perform the Super Bowl Halftime show after they’re presented with a list of names. In other words, Jay-Z didn’t choose Kendrick Lamar, New Orleans did. allegedly. Whether Wayne was on that short list or not is anyone’s guess, but it seems like everyone is hating on Jay-Z for a decision where he probably didn’t have the final say.
That being said, we doubt that the city of New Orleans is going to interject and reveal that it was they, and not Jay-Z who chose Kendrick Lamar and not Lil Wayne. Not after they’ve seen the backlash that Jay-Z got anyway.
What do y’all think about the outrage over Lil Wayne’s snub for the Super Bowl Halftime show in New Orleans? Let us know in the comments section below.
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DJ Akademiks got upset at the news of Kendrick Lamar performing at the 2025 Super Bowl, accusing Jay-Z of getting involved in the beef with Drake.
On Sunday (September 8), Kendrick Lamar announced that he would be the headline halftime performer at Super Bowl LIX. The news sent everyone into a frenzy and made DJ Akademiks highly upset. He then leveled accusations at Jay-Z for deliberately picking Lamar to stoke the beef between him and Drake further. The social media announcement came before kickoff began on the first full day of the NFL’s 2024-2025 season, with Lamar saying: “You know you only get one chance to win the championship, right? Ain’t no round twos.” Many saw it as a reference to Drake’s subliminal message in a recent post where he claimed, “He will win game two.”
DJ Akademiks wasn’t thrilled and began to issue a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter expressing his anger. “The NFL just gave Kendrick Lamar a global “Pop Out” show… Jay Z I see u n–guh… u ain’t low…”, he wrote, referencing the torrid beef between the Compton rapper and Drake that dominated the spring and summer culminating in several tracks including “Not Like Us”. He followed that up with another post directed at the Roc Nation founder: “Jay-Z and Roc Nation responsible for curating the Super Bowl halftime show… remember that.”
The podcast host continued to vent, writing in another post: “Drake and J.Cole rapped ‘Big As the What.. Big As the Super Bowl’ And Jay-Z just made Kendrick Lamar the headliner of the Super Bowl. Nah n—-a dis s—t is wild … this s—t crazy.”
DJ Akademiks also called Jay Z a “legendary hater” for the Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers rapper being chosen to headline over New Orleans native Lil Wayne. The controversial media personality also referenced the former beef between Jay Z and Drake in an Instagram post. “Jay-Z set up the play. Drake … Jay ain’t forget bout that “Charged Up” verse n—-a. He the higher-ups,” he wrote with a tears streaming emoji.
Super Bowl 59 will take place on February 9, 2025, with Roc Nation and Jesse Collins co-producing the show sponsored by Apple Music. “Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date. And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one,” Lamar said in the press release.
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A year ago, Jay-Z made the tough call of closing up shop of his original 40/40 Club in Midtown Manhattan. But it seems like that will not be the end of Hova’s fancy big boys club as he seems to be planning on popping up shop at a new location.
According to People, the certified billionaire has an eye on a few different spaces in New York City to bring back his adored establishment. Though nothing is set in concrete as of yet, his team is planning on breaking ground sometime in 2025. The news comes on the heels of Jay-Z’s weekend soiree at the Jacob Javitz Convention Center, where with the help of Fanatics Fest NYC, the Hip-Hop mogul held a 40/40-ish type of affair where he was joined by some of the biggest names in pop culture and a few of his Hip-Hop peers.
Though details are scarce about where they’ll be trying to land their new iteration of the 40/40 Club, the club’s Vice President of operations Sheldon Robinson revealed that they’re hoping to get things underway sooner than later.
People reports:
The new club, which will be located somewhere in New York City, has been a passion project for Jay-Z after the original Manhattan location closed in August 2023 following 20 years of operation.
“Jay definitely wants to keep it as part of his legacy,” Robinson said, confirming that the rapper has been “very involved” in the process. Robinson revealed Jay-Z has “been at site locations and in meetings” as the vision for the future takes place.
Calling Jay-Z “one of the smartest people I’ve ever worked for,” Robinson marveled at his ability to constantly turn his business ideas into reality.
Between a new 40/40 Club and the casino that Jay and his partners are trying to open up in Times Square, Hova seems like he’s once again trying to take over New York City but in a way that doesn’t involve rapping.
What do y’all think about Jay-Z bringing back the 40/40 Club? Would y’all check out his new remixed version of his old establishment? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Jay-Z and Drake ended their intense dispute in the 2010s with the help of Elliott Wilson, as he revealed in a recent interview.
The back-and-forth between Jay-Z and Drake was one of Hip-Hop’s most notable scenarios for close to a decade, and veteran journalist Elliott Wilson revealed he helped squash their beef. “I got them back together, I got them to talk,” Wilson said during a recent appearance on The Bigger Picture podcast. “Around the time when Drake was doing the tour with Lil Wayne and they had a show in Queens, Drake came backstage and hugged me and was like, ‘I spoke to Hov. We’re figuring it out.’ He was excited that they had finally talked.”
The two superstar rappers had collaborated to great appeal, with Jay-Z appearing on “Light Up” on Drake’s 2010 album Thank Me Later after Drake teamed up with Jay-Z on “Off That” from The Blueprint 3, a year before. But on DJ Khaled’s “I’m On One” a year later, Drake threw out the line “I’m just feeling like the throne is for the taking / Watch me take it,” which many saw as a challenge to both Jay-Z and Kanye West.
The Canadian rapper quickly dismissed that idea, and the two would team up for the 2013 hit “Pound Cake.” But comments that Drake made about Jay-Z’s foray into the art world in a Rolling Stone interview (which Wilson stated Drake felt were off the record when he made them) rubbed Jay-Z the wrong way, causing the Roc Nation founder to deliver some heated bars directed at Drake on Jay Electronica’s “We Made It” remix. Drake would fire back on “Draft Day,” which led to the Reasonable Doubt MC delivering his own barbs on DJ Khaled’s “They Don’t Love You No’ More”: “N-ggas talking down on the crown / Watch them n-ggas you ‘round got you wound / Haters wanna ball, let me tighten up my drawstring / Wrong sport, boy, you know you’re as soft as a lacrosse team.”
The two would eventually settle their differences, reuniting on 2018’s “Talk Up.” When asked how he was able to help mend the dispute, with co-host Jeremy Hecht joking that he created a text messaging thread, Wilson replied, “No, just encouraging them to talk to each other, that’s all. I’m not Farrakhan. I didn’t put the play together [laughs].”
Check out the entire episode above.
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Recently, it was reported that a court-ordered Dame Dash‘s share of Roc-A-Fella records to be auctioned off to satisfy his mounting debt. Now, Jay-Z is hitting potential bidders with a “Buyer Beware” notice as his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, is the crown jewel of Dash’s stake in the record label.
According to TMZ, Jay-Z is taking legal action regarding the auction of Dame Dash’s 33.3% ownership of Roc-A-Fella Records, which will begin with a starting bid of $1.2 million. While we assumed Jay-Z would just participate in the auction and put up whatever amount of money is needed to get back the majority of his old record label, it seems like he’s going a different route and letting potential buyers know that Reasonable Doubt will be his in just a few years regardless of who ends up with Dame Dash’s share of the label.
Per TMZ:
While Roc-A-Fella currently holds the copyright on the record and all its tracks … Jay’s attorneys have now filed notice that those rights will revert to one Shawn Carter/”Jay-Z” in 2031.
Even though Jay and Dame ain’t exactly vibing these days, this legal move isn’t about revenge, it’s just biz — the rights would have gone back to Jay 35 years after the record was released, anyway. His lawyers have just filed the paperwork to make it official.
So, what does this mean for the August 29 auction? Whoever ends up winning Dame’s shares — minimum bid is $1.2 million — will enjoy one-third of all “Reasonable Doubt” revenues … but only for about the next 6 years and change. Then it’s all Jay’s.
Well, that certainly won’t sit well with anyone bidding on Roc-A-Fella’s illustrious catalog.
How will this affect the auction remains to be seen but putting down more than $1.2 million on something that’s going to have its biggest asset removed in six years doesn’t seem like a sound investment. Just saying.
What do y’all think? Let us know in the comments section below.
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JAY-Z’s 40/40 Club is set to make a return after being closed for years. The space will be reimagined at the upcoming Fanatics Fest NYC.
From August 16-18, the Javits Center in New York City will host Fanatics Fest NYC, a premier immersive sports festival. The event is being billed as the first-ever immersive sports expo where fandom, culture and collective meet. The 40/40 Club pop-up will offer a one-of-a-kind experience that captures its iconic blend of sports and luxury. This exclusive, invite-only lounge will be open to notable athletes, celebrities, and Fanatics Sportsbook VIP customers, recreating the club’s atmosphere with framed jerseys, grand chandeliers, stadium seating, and gourmet bites inspired by its original menu.
Attendees will have the chance to meet their sports heroes, hunt for rare memorabilia, score exclusive drops, and participate in interactive experiences like the NFL 40-yard dash, MLB home-run derby simulations, and WWE superstar entrances. The festival will feature appearances by legends such as Tom Brady, Derek Jeter, Kevin Durant, Peyton and Eli Manning, Carmelo Anthony, and many more. The 40/40 Club is named after baseball’s elite group of players who have hit 40 home runs and stolen 40 bases in a single season. With only five members, including Ronald Acuña Jr. (2023), the club sets a benchmark for power and speed. Cofounded by JAY-Z, Juan Perez, and Desiree Perez in New York in 2003, this premier venue features luxurious decor, iconic sports memorabilia, and large screen TVs for top sporting events. The 40/40 Club will reopen at a new venue in New York in 2025.
Fanatics Fest NYC tickets are now on sale at www.fanaticsfest.com starting at $20 for kids and $50 for adults.
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This coming September, Hollywood actors, writers, and directors will have a chance to take home some well-deserved gold when the 76th Annual Emmy Awards airs on ABC and yesterday the academy released this year’s list of nominees which included some of your favorite actors and series.
According to Pitchfork, the likes of Donald Glover, Selena Gomez, and even Jay-Z are up for some golden statuettes as their work in 2023 have not gone unnoticed by the academy. Donald Glover got himself two nods for his work on Prime’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith as he’s been nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (a lot of people slept on that series). Glover will face some stiff competition for Lead Actor as he’ll go up against the likes of Idris Elba (Hijack), and Hiroyuki Sanada (Shogun) amongst others.
Jay-Z meanwhile will be battling the likes of Usher for the Outstanding Variety Special Award as both men turned some memorable Super Bowl Halftime Shows while Selena Gomez earned herself her first acting nod for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Only Murders in the Building.
Per Pitchfork:
Notably, The Bear set a new record for most Comedy nominations in a single year with 23 nods, beating the previous record held by 30 Rock in 2009 with 22 nominations. One of those nominations goes to Lionel “L-Boy” Boyce for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Boyce was formerly a hypeman in Odd Future and actor on Loiter Squad, the rap group’s Adult Swim sketch comedy show.
“Television delivers stories that connect us, uplift us, challenge us, and always entertain us. Today, I am honored to celebrate the outstanding work of our extraordinarily talented and hardworking creative community,” said Television Academy chair Cris Abrego in a press release. “This morning’s Emmy nominations are a testament to their contributions and highlight the incredible programming that has risen to the top of an exceptional year in TV.”
Donald Glover’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith is also up for Best Drama Series with the show itself getting 16 nominations in total. We doubt it’ll get that clean sweep but how dope would it be if that came to pass? Just sayin.’
Check out the rest of the nominations on Emmys.com and let us know who’ll you be rooting for come September 15 in the comments section below.
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