Is it just us or is hip-hop getting old?!

Rapper Fabolous turned 32 years old Wednesday (Nov 18) and everyone in New York City, including Rick Ross, Diddy, Amber Rose, Ryan Leslie, Adrienne Bailon and more, came out to party with him at the Hotel on Rivington that night.

Bossip says Fabo and Adrienne were extra close throughout the evening.

Adrienne Bailon appeared to be Fab’s right hand. Even with all of NY in the building, it appeared that the two were in arms reach of each other the whole night. Our spy didn’t see the two leave together but that’s normally what happens when you’re trying to keep things under wraps.

More pics from Fab’s birthday bash when you continue reading…

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Beyonce and Jay-Z were spotted arriving at their hotel after partying all night at Rihanna’s Nokia gig afterparty at Mahiki nightclub in London early Tuesday morning (Nov 17).

Rumor has it that Beyonce and Jay-Z are expecting but Bey’s team (read: her family) shot those rumors down with the quickness. But we think it would be good for the Carters to go on ahead and start making babies now. All the cool kids are doing it!

Check out a few pictures of the Carters below…

The paparazzi caught a glimpse of rapper Jay-Z as he exited Brixton Academy in London following Rihanna’s Nokia-sponsored concert event. He joined the pop singer during her 45-minute set and performed their hit song, “Run This Town.”

Rapper Young Jeezy, who also performed on stage with Rihanna, and singer Mr. Hudson were also seen leaving the venue after the show.

Last night at London’s Brixton Academy, pop singer Rihanna performed her very first live concert since her February 8th altercation with Chris Brown. Performing a 45-minute set of hits and new songs from her forthcoming album Rated R, Rihanna was joined by Jay-Z and Young Jeezy as she helped Nokia launch their new X6 cell phone. The concert was streamed live worldwide via the Internet.

She emerged on stage in an eye mask and studded leotard to perform a selection of new songs and hits like Take A Bow. Jay-Z made his surprise appearance for the finale, performing his recent hit, Run This Town, and Rihanna’s Umbrella. Several members of the audience, made up of competition winners, held aloft umbrellas during the song in an unorthodox moment of crowd participation.

The 45-minute show kicked off with two songs from Rihanna’s new album – Wait Your Turn and Russian Roulette. Slow-burning and dramatic, they set the tone for a concert where many of the star’s hits were reinvented with distorted guitars and dark, pulsing synths.
The set-list included fan favourites such as Don’t Stop The Music and Disturbia, while Rihanna was also joined by rapper Young Jeezy for Hard, a track which is set to be the second single from her new album.

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Beyonce and her rapper husband Jay-Z were spotted by the London paparazzi last night (Sun Nov 15) as they made their way back to their vehicle after a night out at Whiskey Mist nightclub.

Jay-Z performed with his wife on stage earlier that night during Beyonce’s concert at the O2 Arena, which was also the taping of the second live DVD for her “I Am… ” world tour. Kanye West also made a surprise appearance and performed “Ego” with Bey at the sold out show. No word just yet on when the DVD will be released but the DVD for her Las Vegas concert will hit stores next Monday (Nov 23). In the meantime, continue reading to peep Kanye’s surprise performance!

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Before taking the stage at the Pauley Pavilion in Westwood for his “Blueprint 3″ album promo tour, Jay-Z was seen courtside Sunday night (Nov 8) at the Lakers game at the Staples Center when the Los Angeles team took on the New Orleans Hornets, defeating them with a final score of 104 to 88. Only Jay-Z would make time to go to a basketball game just hours before a concert. You know you ballin’ when you got it like that!!

In related news, he accidentally told Gotham mag editor-in-chief Cristina Greeven Cuomo that procreating is at the top of he and his wife Beyonce’s to-do list. So we should definitely be expecting a little Carter/Knowles any day now.

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Rapper Jay-Z and his BFF Alex Rodriguez (of the NY Yankees) sat courtside Friday night (Nov 6) at New York City’s Madison Square Garden as the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks battled it out with a final score of 100 to 91, in Cleveland’s favor.

A-Rod’s teammate CC Sabathia, along with his wife Amber Sabathia, also enjoyed the game from the best seats in the house. Continue reading for more pics!

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Hip-hop star Jay-Z and New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez (aka A-Rod) battled the cold NYC air as they rode down lower Broadway on top of a big float Friday afternoon (Nov 6). The Yankees were celebrating their big World Series win over the Philadephia Phillies in a 7-3 victory, which marks the Yankees’ 27th Major League Baseball title.

At the end of the parade, Jay-Z and Roc Nation artist Bridget Kelly performed he and Alicia Keys’ hit single, “Empire State of Mind” outside of City Hall.

Miranda Cosgrove and Brody Jenner presented Beyonce with the award for “Best Video” at the 2009 MTV EMA last night (Thur Nov 5). And when Beyonce made her speech she said she only wanted to thank one person:

“Okay, there’s only one person I wanna thank. …. And that is Jay for putting a ring on it”

Wait, this can’t really be the first time Beyonce has publicly acknowledged her marriage to Jay-Z in the past year and a half can’t it?? Better late than never we guess but damn!

Beyonce’s music video for “Single Ladies” beat out “Waking Up In Vegas” (Katy Perry), “Circus” (Britney Spears), “We Made You” (Eminem), “She Wolf” (Shakira) in the category. Earlier in the night she performed her hit single “Sweet Dreams.”

Continue reading for Beyonce’s award acceptance speech more pictures of her at the 2009 EMAs…

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Pop/R&B diva Janet Jackson is set to be featured in an hour-long exclusive interview with ABC News correspondent Robin Roberts on November 18th. This will be her first extended sit-down interview with her brother Michael’s death back in June. Janet’s Number Ones greatest hits compilation drops November 17th and the interview will air the next day. Number Ones is a two disc feature-set of her biggest hit singles, and will include a new track called “Make Me,” which is a tribute to her late brother’s smash single “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.”

Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z says that if he had to choose to do one thing before he died, he would love to fly to the moon! The Grammy Award winning rapper told Gotham Magazine that he’s accomplished a lot in his liftime, but he’d love to “Go to the moon.”

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Jay-Z is on the cover of Gotham Magazine this month after celebrating his 11th number one album, The Blueprint 3, topping this year’s Forbes list of earnings in hip-hop, and also starting a new chapter of manhood with turning 40 next month. In the issue, Jay-Z talks a little bit about his self-esteem at this moment and about his short-temper:

“I don’t dislike anything about myself,” he says. “I know this sounds a little arrogant but I really accept what God has given me. I’ve got a short temper but I work on controlling it. I can say inappropriate things because I believe them to be true and sometimes that can be hurtful to others. But I think in the long run it is more helpful.”

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Being over 8,000 miles away from New York City didn’t stop Jay-Z from repping his hometown to the fullest when he performed his hit single “Empire State of Mind” from his latest album Blueprint 3 Thursday night (Nov 5) in Berlin Germany at the O2 Arena for the 2009 EMAs (Europe Music Awards).

Alicia Keys is featured on the track and music video but was unable to make it to Germany to perform the song with Jay, so his new artist Bridget Kelly filled in and to tell you the truth, homegirl could really give Alicia a run for her money! The 21-year-old LaGuardia High School graduate is signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label. For more information on her, follow her on Twitter.

Continue reading for the video!!

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Rapper Jay-Z, pictured above signing autographs for fans outside MuchMusic Headquarters in Toronto, Canada, hit up MuchOnDemand this past Saturday (Oct 31) to discuss his new album, The Bluepring 3, among other things including his current Blueprint 3 album promo tour, which went down at the Air Canada Centre later that night.

Wale, Pharrell Williams and Rhea were also in the building. Continue reading for the rest of the pics!

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Radio personality Charlamagne was let go from his post at Philadelphia radio station 100.3 The Beat and our peoples over at Media Outrage have the inside scoop!

MO: Was Charlamagne fired because of his interview with Beanie Sigel?

Person: Yes, I am %100 sure that he was let go because of his interview with Beanie Sigel.

MO: So you’re not speculating like the rest of us right now?

Person: No

MO: Why would they do that though, knowing that that interview brought high ratings?

CONTINUE READING

Here are some more snapshots of celebrities dressed up for Halloween…

Ice T’s wife Coco and singer Rihanna posed for this pic together at a party at M2 Ultralounge in NYC.

Bow Wow, Jermaine Dupri, B Cox and Nelly took this picture before they hit up JD and Dallas Austin’s mansion party in Atlanta Saturday night (Oct 31).

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Rap star Jay-Z’s new music video for “Empire State of Mind” featuring R&B singer/songwriter Alicia Keys premiered over the weekend and it’s definitely a must see! The video was done really well and sort of has an “epic” feel to it that simply makes you want to be in New York. Peep the Hype Williams directed joint below:

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Rapper Jay-Z and singer Alicia Keys opened Game 2 of the Major League Baseball World Series with their much hyped performance of “Empire State of Mind” in front of 50,000 baseball fans (and millions of viewers at home) at Yankee Stadium Thursday night (Oct 29) in New York City.

Immediately following Hov and Alicia’s big performance, R&B singer John Legend took center field and sang the United States National Anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Continue reading for more pics and for videos of both performances!

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According to reports, Shyne was deported to his home country of Belize today after serving almost nine years in jail in connection with a shooting at a New York night club back in 1999. His father, who just so happens to be the Prime Minister of the country, has enlisted Harvard Law Professor and Obama insider Charles Ogletree to get NY Gov. David Patterson to pardon Shyne so that he can return to the U.S.

According to a press release from Major League Baseball, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys‘ performance has been rescheduled to take place in tomorrow’s (Thurs. Oct 29) pre-game ceremonies, which will air on FOX at 7:30 PM ET. Tonight’s inclement weather was the cause for the postponing of the performance. Officials say the staging for the show could “adversely impact the field if it is wet, creating damaged and unsafe playing conditions.”

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With his 10-piece band in tow, rapper Jay-Z performed in concert Friday night (Oct 23) at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA.

Singers Mario, Trey Songz and Keri Hilson were supporting acts for Hov’s show and his long-time friend, rapper Beanie Sigel, took the stage also.

Continue reading for more pics!

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With Beyonce busy touring the world and Jay-Z promoting his new album and DJ Hero video game, seeing the two of them together has become a rare occasion.

But the married couple dropped $1,200 on lunch (including a bottle of Dom Perignion champagne) at Nello’s restuarant on the Upper East Side of New York City Monday afternoon (Oct 26). The pair also reportedly left the server a $500 tip.

Rapper Jay-Z showed off his DJ-ing skills at a press conference announcing the official launch of DJ Hero at the Plaza Hotel Monday (Oct 26) in New York City.

DJ Hero, a follow up to the popular “Guitar Hero” video game series, made its big debut in stores nationwide today with a price tag of $120.

Jay-Z’s name is behind the deluxe “Renegade Edition” of the game, which is a 2-CD set featuring Jay’s greatest hits on one disc and Eminem’s on the other. The deluxe edition also comes with a stand and carrying case.

Jay-Z seemed appropriately amped about the in-game blend of Em’s “My Name Is” and his own “Izzo (H.O.V.A.),” which he described as clever and his favorite in the soundtrack. When asked about his favorite song that wasn’t his own, he joked, “Does such a song exist?”

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Once again it’s history in the making as two worldwide multi-platinum selling artists are set to do something major! On Wednesday, October 28th on the field of the Yankee stadium prior to the Major League Baseball World Series Opening game, rapper Jay-Z and singer/songwriter Alicia Keys will perform their new song “Empire state of Mind” in front of thousands of fans at the arena, in addition to the millions of people watching at home.

And following their performance, Keys will redirect all attention to just her as she performs the National Anthem. Jay-Z proudly made the announcement via a MLB press release Monday (Oct 26).

“As a die-hard Yankee fan, I’m honored to perform a song that celebrates the greatness of New York in one of our city’s most important landmarks, Yankee Stadium.”

Both performances will air on Fox prior to the game when The New York Yankees take on the defending champions, the Philadelphia Phillies, at 7:30 PM  Eastern.  This also marks the first time that the World Series is being dedicated to community service since its beginning in 1903.  Both stars have had a rough childhood and are now on top the world between their music and success; these two starlets personify the, “American Dream.”

We just hope security is extra tight this time around so that Lil Mama can’t rush the field and crash their performance on account of her being “in the moment” lol!

The 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards went down in Atlanta, GA Saturday (Oct 10). We hear Jay-Z and Young Jeezy opened the show in a big way with a surprise performance! Other tidbits from the show include the late DJ AM being the recipient of the “DJ of the Year” award, Kid & Play popping up during New Boyz‘ performance and Gucci Mane performing like 3 or 4 times. The show also featured performances from Soulja Boy, Ludacris, Jim Jones, Snoop Dogg and more.

The show, hosted by comedian Mike Epps, airs on BET on Tuesday, October 27th at 8/7c and we hear it was actually the best out of the few that have gone on over the past few years.

In the meantime, check out all of the photos/happenings from the events surrounding the show by hitting up our BET Hip-Hop Awards ‘09 section and continue reading below for more pics from inside the show!

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We’re well aware that security was very lax at last month’s 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, but this video here is comedic gold! Remember when Lil Mama hopped her azz on stage and crashed Jay-Z and Alicia Keys‘ performance? Well a brand new video has surfaced and it features Jay’s wife Beyonce trying to stop Lil Mama from going up there on the stage. Clearly Lil Mama was in her own world and didn’t give a damn! Continue reading for the video…

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(01.) Jay-Z was given the honor of being the top emcee in the rap game for the year 2009, according to MTV. They give most of the credit due to his recent success with his latest album, The Blueprint 3.

Blueprint 3 is another Hov tour de force — and it destroys the myth that there’s an age limit on being a dope MC. At 39 years old, Jay is arguably still better than anybody on the mic today, rhyming with precision and grace. He throws buzzsaws right from the gate on the intro “What We Talking About,” where he raps about what he deems to be nonsense, like dwelling on rap beef.

Check out the full list after the break!

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Rapper Nelly was spotted by the paparazzi as he made his way to his car after partying at Alto Nightclub in London, England Friday night (Sep 25).

We also grabbed some recent candids of Keri Hilson, Jay-Z and more. Continue reading to check out all of the pics and click on the thumbnails for more information about each picture.

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Is this a sign of the changing times? Or is Oprah just looking for a way to score some ratings and get some new viewers? Whatever the case may be, the talk show queen invited Jay-Z, a member of hip-hop royalty, to her famous show for some one-on-one conversations about hip-hop, his past life as a drug dealer, the use of “the N word” in rap music and lots more.

Check out parts 1 – 3 of the televised airing of the show (and a video of Jay teaching O how to freestyle) below!

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It’s no secret that Jay-Z didn’t take kindly to Lil Mama crashing his performance with Alicia Keys at the VMAs, but a new report goes a bit further into detail. Apparently, he was so mad Beyonce had to eventually calm him down:

Though he tried to stay cool onstage, a backstage source tells us, “He went ballistic. He was screaming at the MTV producers about the lack of security. He apparently thought at first she was just a fan. Beyonce finally calmed him down.”

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He also chatted it up with Hot 97 today and said he’d “never have the nerve” to do anything like that, adding all of the hard work that goes on into planning and executing a stage performance. He even compared the Lil Mama incident to the Kanye West/Taylor Swift incident that happened earlier in the show.

“Me, personally, I would never do that,” Hov told radio personality Angie Martinez. “I would never have the nerve to do that. It’s just like, someone’s up there performing…we went through rehearsals, we did run throughs and we worked really hard at the performance to put on a show for people and to interrupt that moment for us, you know, I don’t think that was the right thing to do. I actually thought it was the equivalent of what Kanye did to Taylor Swift…And I’m cool with her being excited and all that but you have to understand, people put in work to make that performance happen, that took weeks…I was a little angry to be honest, but what I’ma do, fight Lil Mama? [laughs]”

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We really need something new to talk about. It’s been over a week since the VMAs first aired and people are still asking questions about this and the Kanye thing???

Funny man Affion Crockett recently posted this hilarious video spoof to his YouTube page. The video is a parody of Jay-Z’s “Run This Town,” featuring Rihanna and Kanye West, but has a big twist. Instead of the words, “Who’s gonna run this town tonight,” the female portraying Rihanna in the song/video is saying “Who’s gonna hunt Chris Brown tonight?” and the whole video has Rihanna, along with Jay and Kanye (both played by Affion) leading a manhunt to hunt down Chris, also played by Affion. The beginning of the video is completely hilarious as it shows Affion dressed up in a blue sweater and a bow tie mocking Chris’ Larry King interview. You’ve just gotta watch the whole thing… Continue reading to check it out!

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Jay-Z has finally spoke his two cents on this whole Kanye West/Taylor Swift drama. In an interview with BBC Radio 1’s Jo Whiley, Jay-Z, who plays big brother/bossman to Kanye, basically explained that although what ‘Ye did was wrong and out of place, his actions weren’t exactly outside of his character.

“[Kanye is] like my little brother, I pretty much introduced him on the first Blueprint… He’s just a super passionate person, and of course it was rude because it was her moment but that’s how he really felt… I think it was rude, but I don’t think, the way they’re treating, it’s on the front of every paper, he didn’t kill anybody, like, no one got harmed… At the end of the day, we’re gonna celebrate him for his passion… As he grows and matures, he’s got to know how to balance that. He’ll learn that in the years to come…That passion wasn’t fake, it wasn’t staged… I don’t think he should lay low, I think he should go on tour and have a brilliant career…The thing you have to realize about it, he’s been that passionate from his first record, he used to jump on tables, I’m trying to make the first Blueprint and he’s jumping on tables. [laughs] If he had changed because of his success, then it would be something else, then it would be a different thing but he’s always been that passionate.”

We agree! What Kanye did was wrong. He’s apologized several times to the public and to Taylor herself. And here it is Friday (5 days after show) and this incident is still a hot topic and it seems like “everybody hates Kanye.” It’s time to move on people. It wasn’t really that dag gone serious!

Venus Vs. Mars // Album Version (Beyonce)

Venus Vs. Mars // Leak (Cassie)

This is usually done with full songs but we decided to switch it up a bit and put Beyonce and Cassie head to head to see which version of Jay-Z’s “Venus vs. Mars” you like the most. The original leak back in August 2009 featured Cassie on the hook, while the final cut on the Blueprint 3 album, in stores now, features Jay’s wife Beyonce singing the song’s hook. So we’ve gotta ask…

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Following his much publicized outburst at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, rapper Kanye West sat down with famous TV personality Jay Leno for a short interview aired on the live premiere of Leno’s new primetime show, “The Jay Leno Show” Monday night. In the interview, a very somber Kanye West apologized (for the third time) and explained his side of the situation while making sure he wasn’t trying to justify his own actions.

When Leno recalled meeting West’s late mother Dr. Donda West (who passed away in November 2007) and asked Kanye what she would have thought about his actions Sunday night (Sep 13) at the VMAs, the Chicago bred rapper sat silent for more than 20 seconds to try and compose himself. The live audience was also dead silent as they wanted to hear what Kanye had to say.

“Obviously, I deal with hurt, and so many celebrities, they never take the time off, and I never took the time off, really,” West explained. “I’ve really never taken the time off. It’s been music after music and tour after tour. And I’m just ashamed my hurt caused someone else hurt.”

Leno said West asked to speak prior to the Jay-Z-led performance and thanked the superstar for honoring the commitment to perform. West said the past 24 hours had been extremely difficult for him. He said he immediately knew his behavior was inappropriate and apologized for stepping on Swift’s emotion, as the young starlet was jittery onstage celebrating her big VMA win. “It was just very rude, period,” West said. “I’d like to apologize to her in person.”

Leno tried to lighten the mood at times, asking West when he knew his protest crossed the line. “As soon as I gave the mic back to her and she didn’t keep going,” he said to a small laugh from the audience. West, however, was anything but humorous throughout his three minutes with Leno. He teared up when the talk-show host brought up his late mother, whom he lost in November 2007 due to complications following cosmetic surgery. The rapper addressed his broken engagement and mother’s passing in his last album, 808s & Heartbreak, but he’s attempted to deal with his emotions onstage rather than behind closed doors.

Now, he appears to be ready to confront some buried pains in private. “I have to analyze how I’m gonna make it through the rest of this life and improve,” he said.

SOURCE: MTV

Continue reading for the video of the interview and the performance of “Run This Town!”

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Here are the videos featuring the performances from Sunday night’s (Sep 13) MTV Video Music Awards: Janet Jackson, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga and more! Even with all of the mishaps (Kanye and Lil Mama, we’re talking about YOU!), the show turned out great. This year’s VMAs were possibly the best in a while: fun, entertaining and definitely unpredictable. Continue reading to check out all of the performance videos!

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Rapper Lil Mama says her emotions were running last night during the VMAs as Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performed their song, “Empire State of Mind.” She sent in an apology statement to MTV earlier today apologizing for jumping on stage with the two icons, who for the most part, ignored her presence altogether.

“I did not mean any disrespect towards Jay-Z or Alicia Keys,” the statement reads. “I admire them and look up to them as role models. ‘Empire State of Mind’ had my emotions running high. In that moment I came up onstage to celebrate my two icons singing about NY.”

Jay-Z appeared to shoo her off when he noticed her up there and said, “You’re T-Paining.” But she didn’t care. She kept on bopping her head and rocking to the music before striking a pose along with Jay and Alicia at the end of the performance. We would have loved to hear the conversation that followed!

Check out the video after the break.

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Jay-Z and Alicia Keys closed out the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards with a performance of their song, “Empire State of Mind,” which comes from Jay’s new album, The Bluprint 3. Towards the end of their set, a noticeably excited Lil Mama jumped on stage and crashed their performance… AWKWARD!!

Here are the videos of some of the performances from Jay-Z’s 9/11 “Answer the Call” benefit concert in New York City! If you missed the original airing and Sunday night’s 2 encore showings, Fuse announced that they will be re-airing the show Tuesday night at 10p, Thursday night at 6p and Saturday at 9p. Continue reading to check out the videos!

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Rapper Jay-Z brought out the big guns when he performed Friday night (Sep 11) in New York City’s famed arena, Madison Square Garden for the “Answer the Call” 9/11 benefit concert. The Brooklyn, NYC born and raised hip-hop icon performed some of his biggest hits from his old albums and some new songs from his most recent album, The Blueprint 3. Rihanna, Kanye West, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Diddy, Pharrell, Swizz Beatz, John Mayer, Kid Cudi and Santigold joined Jay-Z on stage during the sold-out concert. All proceeds from the show went to the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund.

Mama Tina was even in the crowd showing her son-in-law some love and throwing up the Roc sign!

More pics when you continue reading!

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With the 2009 VMAs just a few days away, it’s hard to believe MTV is still adding performers and presenters to the final line-up. But they are and their official website says that Jay-Z will be debuting his collaboration with Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind,” at this year’s ceremony. The track comes from Jay’s latest album, The Blueprint 3, in stores and online now.

Jennifer Lopez, Megan Fox, Shakira, Jack Black, 50 Cent, up and coming singer Justin Bieber and others have been added to the list of presenters, which already included Ne-Yo, Nelly Furtado, Katy Perry, Tracy Morgan and more.

In addition to Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, other confirmed performers include Beyonce, Pink, Wale, Lady Gaga, Pitbull and Janet Jackson, who is set to open the show with a musical tribute to her late brother, the King of Pop aka Michael Jackson.

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards are set to air this Sunday, September 13th live from New York City’s Radio City Music Hall at 9pm/8c and will be hosted by Russell Brand.

T-Pain says there’s no beef between him and rapper Jay-Z and the only reason he said what he made those comments at that club in Vegas was to get the New York rapper’s attention so that he could clarify exactly who he was targeting with his song, “D.O.A. (Death of Autotune).”

“Every time I saw his interviews, he just said, ‘T-Pain is a talented dude,’ ” Pain told New York radio station Power 105’s Ed Lover Wednesday morning (September 9). “But I will say the interview he did yesterday” — in which Jay said, “I made it very clear I wasn’t talking about him” — “that made me feel better.” T-Pain said his issue with Jay-Z stemmed from the two’s appearance onstage at Hot 97’s Summer Jam concert in New Jersey in June. T-Pain joined Jay-Z during his performance of “D.O.A.” just days after the rapper premiered the track. In the song, Jay-Z jabs at artists who have been relying on Auto-Tune too much for their vocals; he absolved Lil Wayne and Kanye West from his complaint, but wasn’t quite as vocal in defending T-Pain, who played a major role in bringing the vocal-enhancing device into the pop consciousness.

T-Pain said he was a fan of the song from the onset, and said he even reached out Jay-Z to join him onstage during Summer Jam. But Jay-Z told him he was overseas in Switzerland, he said, and wouldn’t be able to make it. When Jay-Z did make a surprise appearance at Summer Jam, T-Pain said he was shocked. Hov went onstage with Young Jeezy; T-Pain said he joined the pair onstage at the recommendation of one of Jay-Z’s associates. Afterward, though, according to T-Pain, Jay-Z snubbed him.

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It looks like Jay-Z will be on Oprah after all! The Brooklyn bred rapper took the famous television talk show host on an exclusive tour of the Marcy Projects of Bedstuy, Brooklyn in New York City (Jay’s old neighborhood) and talked her about his past as a teenage drug dealer and bullet dodger. They also discussed his rise to fame in the late 1990’s which led to his current success in the late 2000’s as a hip-hop mogul and household name, in addition to touching on his marriage with superstar Beyonce. All of this will be featured in an upcoming issue of Oprah’s “O Magazine,” but Jay-Z revealed to New York’s Hot 97 radio station that the interview will also air on The Oprah Show on September 24th.

Jay-Z told Hot 97’s Cipha Sounds and Peter Rosenberg exactly why he wanted to bring Oprah to the hood.

“I brought her around there really for the neighborhood,” he explained. ” ‘Cause a lot of times, when you see people or you hear about Oprah Winfrey, she seems almost untouchable. When I saw her, it was shocking to me. So I know how that feels, to see someone on TV and hear their name and know they’re so hugely successful. They seem unattainable … but for them to be around the way and for kids to just see that.”

Her surprise appearance, along with Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kevin Liles, was shocking to the residents of the neighborhood and they definitely appreciated it, but precautions did need to be in place. Jay says her security was equipped with helicopters in all to make sure everything was okay. It’s not everyday you have people like Oprah, Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kevin Liles walking through the projects.

“There was a lot of people out there,” he said. “It was Oprah, you know? You don’t want people to come snatch her up. [There was] like secret service and helicopters all around.”

SOURCE: MTV

According to a new viral video making its way around the Internet, T-Pain is no fan of Jay-Z and his “D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)” song. T-Pain is a regular user of the voice enhancing effect in his music and he had a few choice words for Jay-Z during a DJ set at a club in Las Vegas over the weekend.

“Jay-Z is 59 years old. I don’t think he has the right to say what’s good and what’s not,” Pain said at the club Rehab while on the mic. “I think if anything is dead, it should be him. … To any Jay-Z fans out in the crowd, excuse the f— outta me. But you don’t see me saying ‘rap is dead,’ even though it is. ‘Cause apparently all the rappers are trying to do T-Pain.”

Pain then started singing, “All rappers out there are using Auto-Tune …”

This is definitely a huge contrast to how he appeared to feel about the song early this summer when Jay-Z performed it for the first back in June at the Hot 97 Sumer Jam in New Jersey. Jay-Z says he felt like a fan was coming up to him when T-Pain made his surprise appearance during Jay-Z’s set.

“I look, and I see somebody to my right, and I swear I thought it was a fan coming up to me to hug me,” Jay told Hot 97 a few months back. ” ‘Cause I didn’t see who it was. I thought it was some cool, rock-star stuff. And then I saw him move again, and I looked back. I guess [T-Pain] wanted to get close to me … It was a little awkward, but it was cool.

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Rapper Jay-Z took Oprah Winfrey to his old neighborhood in the Marcy Projects of Bedstuy, Brooklyn and opened up to her about his past as a teen drug dealer, his superstar hip-hop status and his marriage to one of the biggest female entertainers alive, Beyonce Knowles, for the October 2009 issue of O Magazine. He also talks about getting shot at, usage of the N-word in hip-hop lyrics and offending people due to the fact that he and Beyonce had to keep their surprise wedding a secret.

Oprah: So tell me how you got into the drug dealing.

Jay-Z: It was natural.…

Oprah: Because drug dealers were your role models. There wasn’t a teacher or a lawyer or a nurse or a doctor or an accountant in the neighborhood?

Jay-Z: Well, we were living in Marcy by then, so, no. And if anyone did become something like that, they moved out. They never came back to share the wisdom of how they made it. If anyone made it, you never knew it. That’s why I’ve always said that if I became successful, I’d come back here, grab somebody, and show him how it can be done.

Oprah: So by the time you were 13, this was a way of life. Did the lifestyle frighten you?

Jay-Z: No. It was normal. And at some point, you become addicted to the feeling. The uncertainty and adrenaline and danger of that lifestyle.

Oprah: This is where we differ. This is where we differ. Because I’d be very scared! Weren’t you shot at three times—within six feet—and you lived to talk about it?

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At Rhapsody.com you can listen to Jay-Z’s new album, The Blueprint 3, in its entirety. And to promote this, Rhapsody and Jay-Z teamed up for a dope commercial, which shows the rapper recreating each of his album covers in a creative way while “Run This Town” plays in the background. Definitely the best commercial we’ve seen in a while! Check it out below…

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Beyonce and Jay-Z took in the 2009 Barclays Golf Tournament at Liberty National Golf Course in Jersey City Sunday afternoon (Aug 30). The couple watched Tiger Woods tee off and followed the golf champ around the course.

Later that day, the two of them headed to the Williamsburg Waterfront in Brooklyn to watch the Grizzly Bears perform at the Jelly NYC Pool Party. Check out all of the pics from their eventful Sunday afternoon below.

Rapper Jay-Z hosted a press conference early Monday (Aug 31) at Madison Square Garden in New York City for his upcoming “Answer the Call” charity concert, due to be held at MSG on September 11th, the day his album, Blueprint 3, drops. The show’s purpose is to raise money for the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund.

Beyonce and Kevin Liles, Executive VP of Warner Music Group, were also on hand at the press conference for the benefit.

Rapper Jay-Z took a few shots at TV personality Bill O’Reilly and raido personality Rush Limbaugh in his new song, “Off That” (featuring Drake). The lines that target the political commentators go like this:

This ain’t black versus white, my n*gga, we off that / Please tell Bill O’Reilly to fall back / Tell Rush Limbaugh to get off my balls / It’s 2010 not 1864

O’Reilly mentioned the song in his popular “Reality Check” segment where he let out a loud sigh and called Jay-Z “a regular Otis Redding” before shaking his head and smacking his teeth and moving on to the next story. Limbaugh, however, had this to say:

“I have been mentioned in a rap song by the rapper Jay-Z,” Limbaugh said. “The new song mentions me and the moderate Bill O’Reilly. As far as I know, I have never been mentioned in a rap song by anybody. It means I’ve made it — I’m now on a rap tune by the famous rapper Jay-Z.”

Looks like both guys love them some hip-hop. The song leaked Monday and both Rush and Bill responded less than 24-48 hours later!

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Just in time for the release of his 11th studio album, Blueprint 3, rap star Jay-Z is featured on the cover of the October 2009 issue of XXL Magazine. Check out a few excerpts from the issue, which asks if Hov is indeed “bigger than hip-hop” below:

CRITICISM OF “D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)”
“I’m not hating on young people. Like, when people say that, I’m like, What are you talking about? It’s just stupid. I’m not hating on young people… I’m not Bill Russell, [saying] Michael Jordan ain’t shit. I’m saying Lil Wayne and Kanye are like LeBron and Kobe. My job as someone at the forefront of the game is to leave it in a better position than when I came in. Same way that Russell [Simmons] left it to me. ’Cause this thing saved my life. Literally. So I have a responsibility to it karmically. And after that it’s on you. I did my part. I made ‘D.O.A.’ I said it. I made the statement. I made the push. Here, y’all take it from here.”

HIS LEGACY AS FORMER DEF JAM RECORDS PRESIDENT
“So if you ask me to grade my performance as the president, I’d say A-plus. No one can bat a 100. It’s impossible. I mean, everyone is looking at my sh*t. But if we really looked under the hood [of] every single [record exec] and the acts they put out in that time, I’d be comparable to anyone.”

HIS STANDING IN THE GAME
“But when I say I’m the best, I don’t say that outta my ass. I say that with all my stats behind me. I put that against anybody. I mean anybody. I really believe that… I believe in a lot of things. ?I believe that ‘SportsCenter’ is the best thing on TV. I shouldn’t have to prove it. But I do have these stats to prove it. I’m talking about real run. I’m not talking about years off. I’m talking about straight—boom, boom, boom—back to back. We’re not talking about heritage acts either. We’re not talking about respect what I’ve done. I’m talking No. 1 [albums] 10 times. The Beatles is the only one [to have more ?No. 1 albums]. They got 19, and if I get a surge of creativity, I could make nine albums next year.”

Pick up the issue when it drops September 15th!

Rapper Jay-Z has partnered with Absolut Vodka to kick off a series of high-profile concerts to be held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Jay-Z will perform at the venue on September 11th, the day his highly anticipated Blueprint 3 album drops, to aid the New York Police & Fire Widows’ & Children’s Benefit Fund. The performance will air live and commercial free on Fuse TV at 9 P.M.

The events that occurred on September 11th challenged Jay-Z not only as an entertainer, but also as a native New Yorker. This charity concert will not only honor the lives lost on that famous date, but it will serve as a way to look towards the future and the hope that arose the following day on September 12th.

“This charity and concert encompass the true spirit of New York City,” Jay-Z said in a press release. “We are asking everyone to ‘answer the call’ and support and honor the families of those that lost their lives in the line of duty. There is a true camaraderie and resiliency this city showed the world in 2001 and we continue that today by taking care of our own.”

For this live event, 100% of the proceeds from ticket sales and concert merchandise will go directly to the “New York Police & Fire Widows’ & Children’s Benefit Fund,” which has already given over $114 million to the families of New York City police and fire personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty following the events of September 11, 2001.

Either Jay-Z is leaking his tracks himself or he’s suffering from someone else involved with the album leaking his music just two weeks before his album drops. Another track from his upcoming album The Blueprint 3 has surfaced. It’s called “Reminder” and it’s produced by Timbaland. Be sure to pick up the album when it drops in stores and online September 11th!

D/L: JAY-Z – REMINDER

Rapper Fabolous recently premiered the official music video for “Money Goes, Honey Stay” featuring fellow rapper Jay-Z, the latest single from his fifth studio album, Loso’s Way, in stores and online now. Continue reading to peep the Def Jam artist’s new video!

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