J & J Rundown: All About Jay-Z

Jay-Z and Kanye West to release full album

Jay-Z and Kanye West are working on a full album together.

The pair previously announced they were to collaborate for an EP called ‘Watch the Throne’, but Kanye has since revealed this will now become an album.

He told MTV:

“We’re putting out a whole album now. We had done five songs so far, but then a few of them kind of were out there – and I put them on my album. Sorry, Jay!”

Although Kanye used some of their initial ideas for his forthcoming ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ album – including the track “Monster”, a version of which featuring Jay-Z has been released – he added the pair have set a date to record again, and he doesn’t expect Jay to have any problems coming up with lyrics.

He added:

“We’re going to the South of France at the end of this month just to record new ideas. We’ll probably be done with the album in like a day or whatever. If you think about it, it’s really easy for Jay: He only has to think of, like, 10 verses!”

Kanye has a long association with Jay, working with the star as a producer on his breakthrough album ‘The Blueprint’ in 2001.

Jay-Z to Stump for Obama Again in 2012

During the 2008 presidential election, Jay-Z made it known that he was rooting for now-President Barack Obama. The rap superstar appeared at campaign rallies with Obama and even sang his praises during (typically sold-out) shows.

Jay-Z hasn’t been involved in the upcoming mid-term elections, but that doesn’t mean he’s done with politics. While speaking with the New York Post, Deputy White House Press Secretary William Burton made it sound like the Obama camp is expecting Jay-Z to help out in 2012.

Burton joked about the rapper taking over a key economic post before admitting his appeal to the Democratic party.

“In all seriousness, keep in mind he was pretty active during the 2008 election, so I don’t think it’d surprise anyone that he would be involved again,” Burton said. “But it’s a little premature.”

I’m A Business, Man! Jay-Z’s 10 Smartest Business Decisions According to Vibe Magazine

Guess who’s bizzack? Less than a month before the release of “Decoded”, a book that breaks down the meanings behind many of his most complicated lyrics, Jay-Z is proving once again why he landed atop of the Forbes “Hip-Hop Cash Kings” list late last summer.

Last week, Hov teamed up with Microsoft‘s search engine Bing to launch an advertisement campaign that will see pages from his upcoming book plastered to billboards throughout the country as well as surfaces like the bottom of a pool and the top of a pool table. Jay-Z fans are encouraged to use Bing to find and locate these pages, and the first fan that locates all of them and “decodes” them properly will win a chance

to catch a Jay-Z concert in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve.

It’s already proven to be an incredibly deft business move by Jay-Z. The promotion has given the book a ton of free press and a good chance of moving off bookshelves quickly on Nov. 16.

In honor of Hov‘s latest deal, VIBE looks back at 10 of his smartest business decisions. If you’ve ever wondered how he managed to take his life from Marcy to Madison Square, look no further.

Check out the list at VIBE.com.

“I think the list is a bit bogus. Nothing against VIBE by all means they are a great magazine. I just feel the list could have been put together more for his Business/Investment ventures, rather than what kind of champagne he prefers, but that’s just me.”

Here’s one from wikipedia.org:

Jay-Z has also established himself as an entrepreneur like his fellow hip hop moguls and friends, Russell Simmons, Dr. Dre and Sean “Diddy” Combs, who also have business holdings such as record companies and clothing lines. In an interview, he stated that “my brands are an extension of me. They’re close to me. It’s not like running GM, where there’s no emotional attachment.” He is the founder of the urban clothing brand Rocawear along with Damon Dash. Rocawear has clothing lines and accessories for men, women and children. The line was taken over by Jay-Z in early 2006 following a falling out with Dash. In March 2007, Jay-Z sold the rights to the Rocawear brand to Iconix Brand Group, for $204 million. Jay-Z will retain his stake in the company and will continue to oversee the marketing, licensing and product development.He also co-owns The 40/40 Club, an upscale sports bar that started in New York City and has since expanded to Atlantic City and Chicago. In 2008, the 40/40 club in Las Vegas was closed down and bought back by the hotel after attendance steadily declined. Future plans will see 40/40 Clubs in Tokyo and Singapore. In 2005, Jay-Z became an investor in Carol’s Daughter, a line of beauty products, including products for hair, skin, and hands, as well as fragrances.

Jay-Z serves as co-brand director for Budweiser Select and collaborates with the company on strategic marketing programs and creative ad development. He provides direction on brand programs and ads that appear on TV, radio, print, and high-profile events. He is a part-owner of the New Jersey Nets NBA team paying a reported $4.5 million for his share. He is interested in relocating the team to Brooklyn. In October 2005, he was reported in English media as considering buying a stake of Arsenal F.C., an English soccer team. He has also invested in a real estate development venture called J Hotels which recently acquired a $66 million mid-block parcel in Chelsea, New York. Jay-Z and his partners are contemplating constructing a high-end hotel or an art gallery building on the newly acquired site which has the potential to go up about twelve stories. Through his company Gain Global Investments Network LLC, had an interest estimated between 2 and 7% in the Aqueduct Entertainment Group (AEG) consortium which in January 2010 was awarded a contract to operate a 4,500 slot machine racino at the Aqueduct Race Track. Jay-Z became interested in the project after New York Governor David Paterson who awarded the contract said there had to be an affirmative action component to the ownership. Jay-Z initially approached Steve Wynn who was also bidding on the contract. On March 9, 2010, Jay-Z and Flake withdrew from the project and Paterson recused himself from further involvement.

Jay-Z’s Interview With The Wall Street Journal

Here are excerpts from an interview from The Wall Street Journal with Jay-Z in his office.

WSJ: This book puts a frame around your career. When did you really start thinking about how you wanted to present your legacy?

Jay-Z: You think about legacy before you even start. When a kid is practicing on the basketball court, it’s “5-4-3-2-1 and the crowd goes crazy!”

As you start realizing your dreams and it’s tangible, you think about it in a real way. But I think that emotion happens from the beginning, from record one.

The legacy, I think about that as I make the music, all the time. How can I make the best album of all time? You always fail. But every time I go up to bat, I’m thinking how can I make an album better than “Thriller.”

WSJ: I’ve talked to some of your friends who say that when you guys make personal career decisions, you’re taking into account how the decisions will move hip-hop culture forward overall. Can you give me an example?

Jay-Z: For us, this is the music that saved a generation. So there’s a big responsibility for those who it saved to make sure that thing is intact for the next generation. We’re the first generation that really took advantage of it, starting with Puff [Daddy] and Master P, guys who really made a name and became successful as entrepreneurs.

Even more than that, when you’re under attack so much as a genre [as hip hop is], you’re forced to come together. But probably the last time we really came together on something was working for Obama, lending our voice and the people we had toward that campaign. Whether he does a great job or not is almost secondary to what it did for the dreams and the hopes of an entire race. Just based on that alone, it’s a success, the biggest we’ve had. Period. To date. It’s Martin Luther King’s dream realized. Tangible. In the flesh. You can shake his hand.

WSJ: What would you change about hip-hop if you could?

Jay-Z: We have to find our way back to true emotion. This is going to sound so sappy, but love is the only thing that stands the test of time. “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” was all about love. Andre 3000, “The Love Below.” Even NWA, at its core, that was about love for a neighborhood.

We’re chasing a lot of sounds now, but I’m not hearing anyone’s real voice. The emotion of where you are in your life. The mortgage scandal. People losing their jobs. I want to hear about that.

WSJ: What’s the most important decision you made along the way to help keep your career in your own hands?

Jay-Z: We got lucky. In the beginning we couldn’t get a deal. We had to work our own records in the beginning. It gave us a different way to negotiate when we came to the table. Most people get excited and take the first deal they’re offered. We had a little bit of success already, so we were stubborn enough to think that we could really do it at that point. They offered us a deal and we asked for a co-venture. That pretty much ensured that we’d have control from the beginning, from album one.

WSJ: You don’t hand out awards. Are there other things you say no to automatically?

Jay-Z: That doesn’t have anything to do with building the myth. I’m just uncomfortable speaking. I can do a stadium show for two hours and I’m in my comfort zone. But if you look at any of my acceptance speeches they’re maybe seven seconds. I want to get off the stage.

For more on his interview, check out The Wall Street Journal

Check out a video below of an exclusive Amazon.com interview with Jay-Z about his book “Decoded”

Jay drops some book knowledge in this exclusive interview for Amazon.com. He gives more detail about what we can expect from “Decoded” when it hits stores on November 16th.

Source: Zimbio

Related Articles

• Jay-Z & Kanye West To Release Full Album, Not EP (current.com)
• “Jay-Z To Campaign For President Obama? + Eminem Is The #1 Hottest MC?” and related posts (theybf.com)
• President Obama To Hire Jay-Z For 2012 Campaign? (current.com)
• Kanye West Cutting Album With Jay-Z (spin.com)
• Kanye And Jay-Z To Collaborate On A Full Album! (perezhilton.com)

Happy 53rd Birthday Russell Simmons!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUSSELL SIMMONS!!!

Wedding Bells: Kimora’s Secret Wedding?

Kimora & Djimon Secretly Wed!…

“Kimora and Djimon had a secret “commitment ceremony” in Djimon’s hometown in Benin, Africa last summer.  Yeah we knew she was rocking that big ass wedding ring for a reason.  They snuck away to his home so that Kimora and his family could meet.

And while there, they had a full out commitment ceremony like only Kimora could have:

“Both Kimora and Djimon wore traditional dashikis.  She went whole hog with the African theme − there were African drums, a traditional ceremony with dancers . . . they even had a hut!”

Apparently they opted for the commitment ceremony because Russell and Kimora were still legally married.  No word on if this commitment is legally binding here in the states even now that the Simmons’ divorce is final.

Apparently Ming cried throughout the entire thing and Aoki slept through the whole thing.  A source says they were “confused” about what was going on.  I wonder how they’re going to act when this new baby of Kimora and Djimon’s hits the scene.

And by the way, Ming and Aoki are now calling Djimon daddy.  Well, “Baba” to be exact–which is a cultural term meaning Father.  So what does Russell have to say about all this?

Source: YBF/NY Daily News

“I want to congratulate Kijimon on their wedding if it’s official news and their new baby which is on the way.”

Wire Talk: Run DMC Movie Plans

Run DMC movie planned…

Rap legends Run DMC’s story could be made into a movie by the man behind the Notorious B.I.G biopic, Notorious.

Screenwriter Cheo Hodari Coker is planning to adapt Bill Adler’s Tougher Than Leather – The Rise Of Run DMC for DJ Classicz, the urban department at Davis Entertainment.

“It’s an extraordinary rags-to-riches journey that I’m eager to bring to the screen,” DJ Classicz’s president Dallas Jackson says.

“I’m hoping to have Run, DMC and Russell Simmons’s involvement. This will be a big movie about the 1980s hip-hop movement that took over the world.”

Source: chocolatemagazine

“YAY! This is something I can’t wait to see. I’m making it a date night for me and my man.”

Designer L♥VE: Russell Simmons For Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart to Launch Simmons Clothing Line…

According to Business Week, Hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons‘ American Classics line of men’s clothing is set to roll out. But with consumers spending less, Wal-Mart keeps mum. As most apparel retailers announce job cuts and store closures because of sluggish sales, it is a precarious time for any of them to launch a new brand. But on Feb. 15 Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) will roll out a new line of men’s clothing designed by hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons in 350 stores, about 10% of its U.S. outlets, and on its Web site. The launch will come less than a week after the world’s largest retailer announced that it will move buyers in the apparel division from its Bentonville (Ark.) headquarters to New York to increase the focus on fashion.

For a company whose financial performance has trounced rivals such as Target (TGT) in recent months by focusing on lower-price essentials rather than more expensive discretionary items, the move seems surprising, especially as Wal-Mart flopped famously in its previous efforts to sell more fashionable, pricier clothing. One such effort was a women’s line designed by Mark Eisen, which alienated the store’s core customers. “Fashion is tricky,” says retail consultant David Lockwood of Mintel Research. “This is not macaroni and cheese or over-the-counter vitamins, which they know really well.” But as Wal-Mart slows its store expansion, it needs to sell higher-profit items to continue generating growth—and apparel is one segment that can still draw new customers.
Priced to Sell…

This time around Wal-Mart is keeping a tighter rein on the price and the trendiness of new clothing items. Simmons’ American Classics line will be priced between $9.99 and $29, with about 80% of the clothes at $15 or less. Simmons, who launched the Phat Farm clothing label in 1992 and another brand in 2008 called Argyle Culture, sold in Macy’s (M), says his new focus is the “urban graduate,” whom he describes as 25-to-50-year-old men such as Will Smith, Adam Sandler, and Barack Obama, who grew up with hip-hop clothes but as professionals can no longer don baggy pants and shirts sporting oversize logos. American Classics’ first season has a heavy focus on purple, navy, and white and includes jeans, sweater vests, casual sports shoes, and woven and knit shirts.
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Source: businessweek.com

Music News: Happy 25th Anniversary to Def Jam

Last week, Def Jam Records released two iTunes-exclusive compilations called Def Jam 25: DJ Bring That Back Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, in honor of their 25th anniversary. Now, with the second annual Record Store Day approaching, Def Jam has decided to release a physical double-disc set in support for the day.

L.A. Reid, chairman of Island Def Jam Music Group, explained the significance of Def Jam’s success throughout the late 20th century, saying, “25 years as a thriving, successful Hip Hop and R&B label-a company that has always put its artists first and maintained deep roots in the urban community-is a giant accomplishment in anyone’s book.”

Continuing, Reid adamantly described his perspective of the urban powerhouse label. “From a personal standpoint, I can say that Def Jam had tremendous meaning and significance in my own career as a musician, producer and independent label head, long before I actually arrived at these offices five years ago.”

As a theme, the double-disc compilation features 25 different records, with a different artist for each track. Each record is also represented by a different year, from T La Rock’s 1984 single “It’s Yours,” to Rihanna’s 2008 smash hit “Disturbia.” Also included on the compilation will be Hip Hop legends LL Cool J, Jay-Z, and Public Enemy, just to name a few.

Def Jam 25: DJ Bring That Back Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 are tentatively scheduled for release during the week of Record Store Day, which occurs on Saturday, April 18.

Source: theurbandaily

Haute Off The Press: Kimora Lee Simmons and Djimon Hounsou are expecting?

Kimora Lee Simmons and Djimon Hounsou are expecting their first child together. Kimora has two children with Russell Simmons, Ming Lee (8) and Aoki Lee (6). Kimora and Russell divorced in 2008 after 10 years of marriage. Kimora and Djimon have been dating for 2 years. This will be Djimon’s first child.

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