Jay-Z has dropped a new track dubbed “Open Letter” this morning produced by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland. It was written less than 24 hours ago and is fresh off a trip to Cuba which some people aren’t happy about and word that he’s selling his stake in the Brooklyn Nets to be able to expand his Roc Nation Sports representation business into basketball.
On his 43rd birthday, Mr. Shawn Carter drops this special. In this documentary short, Life + Times takes an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Jay-Z’s Barclays Center opening concerts. From a year ago when the stadium was still being completed to just weeks ago when the hip-hop artist blessed the stage of the newly minted arena in his hometown of Brooklyn for eight days.
If you weren’t able to make it out to one of eight Jay-Z shows at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, the final show from Saturday’s available via a YouTube stream. Jay-Z came out in his all-black attire featuring a goose down hooded vest, gold chains, a limited-edition Just Don Nets snapback and the newly unveiled Brooklyn Nets jersey. Check the stream below.
Jay-Z is getting his hands dirty these days, as he continues to explore new avenues and further expand his empire of a brand. NBA 2K13 has him listed as an executive producer and the first trailer of the game can be viewed below. In video, Jay’s song “Public Service Announcement” plays in the background. Release date of NBA 2K13 is set for October 2nd. (via Life + Times)
Jay-Z has announced that he will be doing not one, not two, but three shows at the end of September to mark the opening of Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, the new home of the Brooklyn Nets. The concerts will take place on September 28, 29, and 30th with 7,000 tickets being available for each show. Prices will start at just $30 and will be going on sale this Friday, July 13th through Barclays Center and Ticketmaster.
Romain-Gavras directs the third visual from Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch The Throne album — “No Church in the Wild”. The track features a guest appearance by Frank Ocean while the video was shot on the streets of Prague just last month.
Last week, Jay-Z announced that he’d be putting together a multi-day music festival in Philadelphia over Labor Day Weekend and today “Phase 1″ of the lineup has been unveiled. The artists announced are: Jay-Z, Pearl Jam, Skrillex, Miike Snow, Afrojack, Calvin Harris, Odd Future, D’Angelo, Maybach Music (feat. Rick Ross, Wale, Meek Mill), Passion Pit, Santigold, Dirty Projectors, X, Janelle Monae, Prince Royce, Rita Ora, Savoy (DJ set), The Knocks. The two-day event will cover three stages on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park on Saturday, September 1, and Sunday, September 2. Budweiser and Live Nation are producing the performances, and a portion of the revenues will go to the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.
Tickets for the event will go on sale on Wednesday, May 23rd, via Ticketmaster.com and Livenation.com. A limited number of 2-day tickets will be available for $99 (plus service charges). Tickets will be made available a day early on Tuesday, May 22 on Budweiser Facebook fan page.
Seven years after first being proposed, the Brooklyn Nets are officially here and will call Barclays Center home in the heart of BK. The new logo of the team has been unveiled and seems the new team will opt for a black and white colorway rather than the gray, blue and red of the New Jersey Nets. Who came up with this, you ask? Minority owner Jay-Z had a hand in the new branding and design. The new ad campaign has launched as well to stir up ticket sales and raise awareness for the new look, with the tagline “Hello Brooklyn” being the central theme. Check out the 30-second spot below.
Jay-Z & Kanye West are taking their Watch The Throne tour to Europe. Starting in mid-May, the hip-hop duo will kick things off at the O2 Arena in London and travel through some major venues into June. Among the destinations is a two-night stint in Paris, and rightfully so. Complete tour date lineup below.
Jay-Z and Kanye West have dropped the official video for “Ni**as in Paris,” the most infamous track off their Watch The Throne album which released last year. The video blends footage from their concert tour with a scripted performance and captures the essence of the shows quite vividly. This is dropping just days after Jay put on another memorable concert, this time in the form of a two-show stint at Carnegie Hall. 2012 is looking as promising as 2011 actually was for S dot.
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