Tag Archives: jay-z

It’s easy for people to put on a peaceful facade and betray themselves at the slightest unforeseen convenience, but that’s not the case with LA-born, Brooklyn-based multihyphenate Navy Blue. He has issues getting his dog to chill during a couple of junctures of our recent Zoom call. Some may have …

Jay-Z took to the Grammy stage for the first time since 2014 tonight, closing out DJ Khaled’s “God Did” performance with his lengthy, much-talked-about verse on the Grammy-nominated track. Jay-Z joined Khaled, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, John Legend, and Fridayy for his first performance of “God Did.” The outdoor performance …

At the outset of PBS’ docuseries Fight the Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the World, Chuck D asserts, “[In 2020], the Black Lives Matter protests wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for hip-hop.” It’s a lofty statement, as anti-establishment organizing and revolt have existed since Black people were brought to America. …

Attorneys hired by Jay-Z and Yo Gotti have dropped two lawsuits filed in Mississippi against prison officials for “inhumane” prison conditions. The lawsuits were dismissed after the attorneys and the state’s Department of Corrections said that improvements were made at the facilities, including adding air conditioning, bathroom renovations, and updated …

The arrest of Young Thug, Gunna, and other YSL associates in last May’s RICO (short for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) indictment elicited a unified response from within the rap world. Fans and other musicians resoundingly proclaimed “Free Gunna.” But after his release in December, following an Alford plea …

When I start my Zoom session with Adam Blackstone, he’s in the studio. He had spent all day there the previous day, working on a new version ofLegacy, his debut album from last year, re-interpolating melodies from singers like Kirk Franklin, Jill Scott, and Jazmine Sullivan. The album has already …

The five richest acts in hip-hop have amassed a combined wealth of $3.8 billion, according to a new report from former Forbes entertainment editor Zack O’Malley Greenburg, who now covers the business of music at Substack. It’s a few million more than the $3.17 billion pre-pandemic total, but the distribution …

In a future that regrettably lacks flying cars and teleportation as early predictions in movies and television may have suggested, Jay-Z is doing his part to advance the technological age. The billionaire rapper’s venture capital firm was the lead investor in the Los Angeles-area startup Stellar Pizza as they raised …

After dropping a rare and nearly instantly beloved four-minute verse on the title track of DJ Khaled’s latest album, “God Did,” rap veteran Jay-Z joined Khaled, journalists Rob Markman and Ari Melber, and more for an even rarer public conversation inspired by the song via Twitter Spaces on Wednesday night. …

What does DJ Khaled do, exactly? It’s a question that reverberates across the past decade and a half of pop music, with a number of possible answers. He yells about who’s the best (trick question, the answer is always we); he collects famous friends; and every so often, he coaxes …