Earlier this month Detroit’s own Eminem and his Brooklyn BFF Jay-Z played a set of stellar concerts at Comerica Park in Detroit, MI on the first leg of the Home and Home Tour and last night Em and Jay played the first of two shows on the second leg of the tour at the new Yankee Stadium in NYC, NY. In Detroit, Jay-Z played first while Eminem closed out the show. In NYC, Em took to the stage first … here are a few photos from his performance last night:

While I was not able to be in attendance last night, I am quite sure that Eminem put on a stellar performance in NYC last night. He was absolutely phenomenal in Detroit a couple of weekends ago and gave THE best performance at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night. As for Jay-Z, well, since he was on his home turf he really turned it out. Jay brought out a few friends to perform with him during his set last night. After the jump, check out some photos of Jay-Z and friends on stage and read all about the show itself …

Last night Detroit, MI played host to one of the biggest hip hop concerts that ever was as hometown boy Eminem and NYC’s Jay-Z played the first of their Home and Home Tour shows at Comerica Park (home of the Detroit Tigers baseball team) in downtown Detroit:

The whole night was just beyond huge … I’m having a hard time processing everything that went down because A LOT of shizz went down in Detroit Rock City last night. After the jump, check out photos of Jay-Z‘s concert set as well as Eminem‘s closing concert set which included guest performances by Drake, D12, 50 Cent and Dr. Dre — additionally, you can read a report on last night’s show from the Detroit Free Press and check out a couple videos from last night’s fun …

Huzzah!! Today is September 2, 2010 … or 09.02.10 which, as you should know, is arguably the most famous zip code in the world:

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than by watching a string of classic eps of Beverly Hills, 90210 which — I am happy to report — Sarah always keeps plenty of on her DVR. Yes, I made it to Detroit safe and sound yesterday … well, better than safe and sound. At last, all of my traveling has started to pay off. I have finally banked enough Sky Miles with Delta Airlines to get enough status for FREE first class upgrades! I flew home to Detroit yesterday in high style, y’all. I know I always complain about how much I hate flying but … if I keep getting first class upgrades, I may just become a very happy flier after all :)

Tonight Sarah, Agnes, Mark and I are heading out to Comerica Park in downtown Detroit to attend the Eminem & Jay-Z concert there!!

The whole city is just really amped for this concert … I cannot wait! I’ll do my best to get some fun photos to share .. damn, is it good to be home in Detroit again :D

Happily marrieds Beyoncé and Jay-Z have been spotted aboard a luxury yacht off the coast of the French Riviera this week and it looks like the couple have been having a great time! Here are a few photos of B-Jay on holiday:

They earned an estimated $150million between them last year, so Beyoncé and Jay-Z decided to splash some of their hard-earned cash on a lavish summer getaway this week. The power couple were spotted holidaying aboard a huge luxury yacht off the French Riviera with friends and family. Dressed in a Fifties-style floral bikini complete with high-waisted pants, Beyoncé soaked up the sun on the top deck of the cruiser. The 28-year-old topped off her look with oversized sunglasses and gold hoop earrings and listen to tunes with a set of headphones. She was later joined by her 40-year-old husband, who sheltered from the cool sea breeze in a fluffy white towel, and a young boy, thought to be her newphew Daniel, 5. The energetic young companion was seen jumping around the pair as they tried to enjoy a moment of peace and quiet. The pair plan to have children of their own, but they are in no rush. When quizzed about her plans for pregnancy, Beyonce said earlier this month: ‘No dates, no times – it will happen when I am ready.’ The Single Ladies singer and the rapper have also been seen taking in the sights of Cannes, France, and Portofino, Italy, in recent days.

Yeah, I wouldn’t count on babies from B-Jay just yet but I think they’ll spawn one day. In the meantime, it looks like they’ll just enjoy as much free time as they can while they can.

[Photo credit: Splash News, Bauer-Griffin; Source]

Jay-Z, arguably the biggest rapper in the world right now, is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of Rolling Stone magazine. Jay talks about how he became the biggest rapper in the game and also shares a tiny bit of his personal life with his wife Beyoncé. Here is the Jigga‘s RS coverphoto and a sneak peek at his coverstory interview:

He’s had more Number One albums than Elvis Presley. He hangs with Barack Obama at the White House. And he’s riding high after leaving his longtime label Def Jam to work a $150 million deal with Live Nation, delivering some of his best live performances ever. At the age of 40, Jay-Z qualifies as an elder statesman of hip-hop, a fact that’s more remarkable considering other rap peers have hung up the mike to pursue careers in Hollywood. So how does he run the game? In the latest issue of Rolling Stone, contributing editor Mark Binelli goes one-on-one with the New York legend, watching Jay-Z try on a new suit in his sprawling Manhattan office and tagging along to the Four Seasons, where the rapper goofs by mispronouncing actor Kelsey Grammer’s name at a watch auction (after calling the Frasier star “Chelsea,” he asks Binelli how to spell “faux pas”). It seems the man who made his name rhyming about hustling and hos in Brooklyn’s Marcy Projects is actually more comfortable around an unlikely new crowd: indie rockers. “I love the energy coming out indie rock right now,” he says, name-checking Grizzly Bear. “It has this rebellion thing that hip-hop is missing now, the thing that made hip-hop hip-hop.”

“Sometimes on creative stuff, one of us will ask, ‘Do you think this is cool?’ ” the rapper, 40, tells Rolling Stone, which for its latest issue features the publication’s first ever peel-off cover. “She’s a magnificent A&R, if she ever decides to do that, for things like pitch. So I defer to her on those sort of questions.” But while he might occasionally depend on his wife of two years for input in his work, Jay-Z says the two tend to “pretty much stay out of each other’s business.” Case in point: The hip-hop star, 40, raves about Beyoncé’s appearance in Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” music video but says that was a decision she made on her own – and he never advised her on whether or not she should participate in it …One thing the couple does agree on: Their love of music, specifically watching other artists perform and getting to experience the same thrill their fans enjoy when they’re on stage.

Stars don’t get much bigger than Jay-Z, he is SO the man. Couple with wifey Beyoncé, they are truly the first family of music. After the jump, check out the alternate Jay-Z coverphoto for this issue of Rolling Stone magazine …

Rap superstars Eminem and Jay-Z made a joint appearance at Comerica Park (home of the Detroit Tigers baseball team) in Detroit, MI last night during the Tigers vs. Yankees game to announce plans for two massive concerts to take place this September at Comerica Park in Detroit (Em‘s hometown) and at Yankee Stadium NYC (Jay‘s hometown). Here are photos from their appearance/announcement last night and the deets of what went down:

In a summer that’s already overflowing with superstar concerts, hometown rapper Eminem — with some help from an out-of-town friend — is set to deliver what may be the season’s biggest concert event. Eminem and Jay-Z will perform together Sept. 2 at Comerica Park, the pair announced Wednesday during the Detroit Tigers-New York Yankees game at Comerica Park. They will trade off and play Yankee Stadium in Jay-Z’s hometown of New York on Sept. 13. Em and Jay-Z — each sporting their respective team’s logo — made the announcement live on Fox Sports Detroit during the top of the fourth inning, following an announcement on ESPN during the game’s national broadcast. “(We’re) just trying to find ways we can collaborate and stretch the genre out of hip-hop and make it large,” Jay-Z said. “Playing stadiums, that’s new for hip-hop” … The Detroit concert — which Em teased on his Twitter account early Wednesday — will mark Eminem’s biggest hometown show since he performed at Comerica Park in 2005 … Jay-Z, meanwhile, performed a sold-out show at the Palace of Auburn Hills in March. He also performed at Eastern Michigan University’s Convocation Center in October 2009, a month after the release of his “Blueprint 3″ album. The Comerica Park show is the only outdoor stadium concert booked in Metro Detroit this summer. Ticket information is not yet available. Wednesday’s concert announcement coincided with the news that “Not Afraid,” the first single from Eminem’s new album “Recovery,” will debut at No. 1 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. “Not Afraid” marks only the 16th time a song has debuted at No. 1 in the nearly 52-year history of the chart. The song is Eminem’s third No. 1 song on the Hot 100, following “Lose Yourself” and “Crack a Bottle.” “Recovery” is due out June 22.

This is just … fantastic news!! Detroit Rock City always gets the biggest acts to play the biggest shows and this show may be the biggest yet. Eminem and Jay-Z are the biggest rappers in the game, a show where they co-headline is bound to be epic. I’m telling you right now, I’m gonna do everything I can to be at the Detroit show on September 2 … count on it. After the jump, check out video of Em and Jay‘s announcement on ESPN last night to hear the deets straight from the guys themselves …

The 2010 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival officially got underway at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA yesterday with an opening day line-up that included — among many others — She & Him (made up of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward), Them Crooked Vultures, Public Image Ltd., Street Sweeper Social Club (who opened for Nine Inch Nails and Jane’s Addiction last year) and Jay-Z. Because the erupting volcano in Iceland has forced the cancellation of air travel in Europe, a few bands were unable to make their way to California this weekend to take the stage at Coachella … but by pretty much all accounts, this year’s fest got off to a pretty fantastic start. Here are some photos of some of her performers who played yesterday on Day 1 and some deets about what went down in Indio:

Jay-Z brought his arena-sized stage show — complete with a guest spot by Beyonce — to the California desert Friday night (April 16), capping off the triumphant first day of the 11th annual Coachella Music and Arts Festival with a rapid succession of more than a decade’s worth of hip hop hits delivered with his trademark braggadocio. The rapper’s show, a celebration of ambition and triumph against long odds, was the perfect coda for an event that has has become one of the most respected – and successful – music festivals in the world. But from the cosmic hipster disco of LCD Soundsystem and the timeless ska-punk of The Specials to deadmau5′s triptastic dance spectacular to Calle 13′s salsa-hop, it was a day for dancing at the Empire Polo Fields, and even the unfortunate news that some European bands, like Friday’s The Cribs, would miss their spots due to travel disruptions from the Icelandic volcano eruption could ruin the good mood of the capacity crowd of 75,000. As Jay-Z breezed and thumped his way through a set that touched on the breadth of his career, anticipation for a surprise guest, one of the festival’s hallmarks, settled over the crowd. The rumoured collaboration by Dr. Dre turned out to be a false starter, but Jay-Z brought his wife Beyonce to the stage and together, the royal hip hop pair sharing a moment of public sweetness with the duet “Forever Young.” The visual component of Jay-Z’s performance made frequent obvious references to current issues, including a scrolling stock ticker and a short video clip of President Obama brushing off his shoulders, a now infamous public reference to the fact that his music has broken yet another barrier: it is listened to in the White House. New York, if not Brooklyn, was a recurring theme among the main stage headliners. Both Jay-Z and LCD Soundsystem, who each claim neighboring parts of Brooklyn as their home, led rousing singalongs of their odes to their hometowns. Before Jay-Z led an oceanic “Empire State of Mind,” James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem insisted that he close his band’s monstrous set with “New York, I Love You (But You’re Bringing Me Down),” a moment that felt provocative as one of the day’s only unavoidably meloncholic songs. Jay-Z also took time from his set to acknowledged other Brooklyn-based bands performing during the festival’s first day, including Passion Pit, Grizzly Bear and Yeasayer.

Each year it seems like Coachella gets bigger and bigger … and while it is up to the individual to determine if bigger means better, there is no question that the ever-growing music festival continues to draw huge audiences. I believe Coachella sold out really early this year, even after a change was made in ticket sales that insisted that attendees buy access to all 3 days (rather than in previous years where you could buy tickets for individual days if you so desired). After the jump, check out some photos of some of the celebs who showed up in the crowd at Coachella yesterday to partake of the annual event …

Last month we learned the amazing news that Golden Girl Betty White will be hosting the May 8th Mother’s Day weekend episode of Saturday Night Live and now we learn who will perform as musical guest on that episode. None other than the jigga man himself Jay-Z will be the musical guest … which is surely to make a strange pairing indeed:

Betty White and Jay-Z … together again? Well, for the first time, anyway. The rapper and entrepreneur will be the musical guest for former “Golden Girl” White’s much-anticipated stint as guest host of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” May 8. “Well, that’ll be interesting!,” White tells Zap2it. “It’ll be great fun.” But as for whether she’ll pick up yet another brigade of fans among the Jay-Z faithful. she says, “I have no idea.” With beloved six-time Emmy-winner White on board — plus what she reports as the return of several female cast members including Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Molly Shannon — “SNL” could have gone in any number of directions in booking a corresponding musical act. However, White claims she had no thoughts about that before learning it would be Jay-Z. “I really didn’t, in all honesty. I was just so thrilled when I heard that Tina and the girls were going to do it, I have tried not to have anything to say [on the creative end]. It’s their show. All I have is veto power. If anything comes up that I don’t feel comfortable doing, I can say, ‘Can we go in another direction?’ They know what they’re doing far better than I do, so I didn’t even get into the musical end of it.”

Hahahaha … clearly, Betty couldn’t give two hoots about Jay-Z as musical guest … and that’s just fine. She will do her thing, he will do his … and it will be an epic episode. While I would LOVE for Jay and B … er, Betty, to do a skit together I highly doubt it’ll happen. Still … stranger things have happened so we’ll just have to tune in to see what happens on May 8. What do y’all think of Jay-Z as musical guest on Betty White‘s ep … good idea or bad?

[Source]

Seven years ago, Jay-Z promised that he would help bring the New Jersey Nets basketball team back to NY and late last week, he finally got around to start making good on that promise. Jay was joined by his wife Beyoncé and a few dignitaries at a ground-breaking ceremony in Brooklyn, NY on the site of the future home of the New Jersey Nets. Here are a few photos and some deets from the event:

It’s been seven years since Jay-Z announced he was bringing the New Jersey Nets back home to New York during his 2003 “Fade To Black Concert” at Madison Square Garden. On Thursday (March 11), Nets co-owner Hov, an assortment of New York politicians and executives from the Nets came to Brooklyn for a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the team’s future home, the Barclays Center. The Brooklyn Steppers Marching Band led the way into the press conference, which took place at Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards. Jay walked in with Beyoncé, standing out in a crowd that included the Reverend Al Sharpton, New York Governor David Paterson and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg … During the conference, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz also hinted he wanted Jay-Z to convince LeBron James to play for the Nets when he goes into free agency this summer. The Jiggaman innocently shook his head no as if he didn’t know what he was talking about and put his hands up. Sharpton said he came to the press conference for one reason only: “Jay-Z promised me if I came I would have the opportunity to sit next to Beyoncé,” he joked. “And you see where they are sitting me,” he continued, noting that B was sitting in the crowd, not with the people such as himself who were speaking. Sharpton, also a Brooklyn native, noted that the first black major league baseball player, Jackie Robinson, took the field in Brooklyn, and now the borough’s team has a black co-owner. “We’ve gone from Jackie to Jay-Z,” Sharpton said. “Where we cannot only play the game but own the game.” Finally, Hov himself came to the podium. “What I stand here and represent is hope for Brooklyn, New York City. I’m a son of Brooklyn, I’m from Marcy projects.” Jay said. “I think about growing up in Brooklyn in the Marcy projects and shooting jump shots, thinking I can make it to the NBA. Now I stand here as an owner of team that’s coming back to Brooklyn. The pride in that, and bringing that dream so much closer for people, brings me so much pride I get a little nervous about it. But I’m very happy, very excited about this day. And we did it again Brooklyn — shout out to [Notorious] B.I.G.” After the conference, Jay-Z and company officially broke ground, breaking out the hard hats and lightly shoveling dirt. The confetti rained down. “It was a long process,” Jay said after the ceremony, with his “Empire State of Mind” playing in the background. “It’s a sensitive one. I’m from the people. I’m for the people. I could never be opposed to the side of the people. But this project, when you look at the numbers at the end of the day, was so overwhelmingly in favor of the people: the job creation, the housing that’s being built. It was difficult; you had to tread through that process lightly. But we’re here, it’s a fantastic day and it’s a celebration. It’s a beautiful day in Brooklyn and the hope that’s represented — on a small scale — is the same I felt when I saw Obama run for president: That we can be a part of something so grand.”

First Beyoncé puts her name on a cosmetology school to help troubled youth turn their lives around and now Jay-Z is lending a hand to get the NJ Nets back to NY. It really looks as if B-Jay are becoming quite the entrepreneurial philanthropists. I wonder where else these two will pop up … and under what circumstances. Are B-Jay out to take on Brangelina as the saviors of the world? Stay tuned!

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

Many people wondered why accomplished musicians (and husband and wife) Jay-Z and Beyoncé were not included in the 25th anniversary remake of the classic charity anthem We Are The World: 25 Years for Haiti and in light of new comments from Jay himself on the remake, we may now know why they were not included. Jay-Z gave a recent interview where he makes clear that he is not happy that the song was re-recorded, which is very likely why neither he nor Beyoncé decided to be a part of the remake:

Jay-Z wasn’t a big fan of the “We Are the World” remake, which debuted at the Olympic opening ceremonies Friday to benefit Haiti earthquake relief. “I know everybody is gonna take this wrong: ‘We Are the World,’ I love it, and I understand the point and think it’s great. But I think ‘We Are the World’ is like [Michael Jackson's] ‘Thriller’ to me. I don’t ever wanna see it touched,” Jay-Z told MTVNews.com Saturday night at the 2 Kings dinner in Dallas. Critics agree with the rapper. Sniped The Washington Post of the song, which featured Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber, “The updated take was horribly oversung… save for the 21st-century rap verses added toward the end of the track.” Wrote the New York Times, “Lil Wayne, you’re no Bob Dylan…. as a piece of work, [the song] has all the pitfalls of a Hollywood remake.” Continued Jay-Z, 40, “I’m a fan of music. I know the plight and everything that’s going on in Haiti. I applaud the efforts: [Millions have been raised] through text [donations] to Haiti,” he continued. “So I appreciate the efforts and everything, but ‘We Are The World’ is [musically] untouchable like ‘Thriller’ is untouchable. Some things are just untouchable. It was a valiant effort, but for me, it’s gonna be untouchable.” His suggestion? “I think it’s time for us to make a new [song],” Jay-Z says. “I tried to do that with ‘Stranded,’ the song Jay, Rihanna and U2′s Bono and the Edge premiered at the ‘Hope for Haiti Now’ telethon]. I didn’t try to make ‘We Are the World,’ but I tried to make our take on how we felt.”

While I understand his position and agree, a new charity anthem might be in order, I think it is very counter-productive to criticize the efforts of the We Are The World foundation in this matter. Who cares if a song is re-recorded or not, who cares if the re-recording is sub-par to the original. The song was initially written to raise awareness and funds for people in need of help and support. The song is, once again, being used to offer that same aid to other people in need. The entire point is that the people of Haiti need our help … that should be the sole focus here. Again, it’s fine that such public people have a negative opinion about the song but to voice them in this way only hurts the people who would benefit from sales of the song. Love the song or not, I think it is very important that people give as much as they can to help fund Haitian relief. IMHO, that is the most important thing to remember, not the presumed “untouchable” nature of a single song.

[Source]