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Tag: Jay-Z

  • This Thing Of Ours: Revisit 50 Years Of Hip-Hop With BOSSIP's 50 Dope Moments In Hip-Hop Culture

    This Thing Of Ours: Revisit 50 Years Of Hip-Hop With BOSSIP's 50 Dope Moments In Hip-Hop Culture

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    Source: Nitro / Getty

    Join us as we dig in the archives to Celebrate Hip-Hop turning 50 with our list of 50 dope moments in hip-hop history.

    This year is a monumental one for our culture and hip-hop in general. A little genre that started in the Bronx would go on to dominate the world and dictate what’s hot and what’s not worldwide. Often imitated but never duplicated this thing of ours is here to stay. Unfortunately, some of the pioneers left us too soon yet their contributions will live on forever through film and video.

    We figured why not take a trip down memory lane and revisit 50 of the most iconic moments in hip-hop. Celebrate the final day of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary over the next five pages.

    50 Iconic Moments In Hip-Hop History

    These moments are in no particular order but all are significant when we talk about hip-hop. These are the moments that inspired a generation and pushed our culture forward. If you were lucky enough to experience some of these you know just how beautiful they were for something that wasn’t even accepted at first. Furthermore, hip-hop was the underdog and is now the determining factor in what is cool and what isn’t.

    Tupac Sign’s To Death Row & Releases The Iconic “California Love” Video After Release From Jail

    Young Dolph Survives 100 Shots and Releases Bulletproof

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngVCl0gEXOc

    Lil Wayne Released After Serving 1 Year At Rikers Island

    Rappers Boycott The 1989 Grammy Awards

    DaBrat Makes History Becoming The First Female Solo Artist To Go Platinum

    TLC Brings Safe Sex To The Forefront Of Hip-Hop Amid Raising STD Rates


    DMX Makes History Becoming The First Only Artist To Release Two No. 1 Hip-Hop Albums In A Year

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfujibooggU

    Kendrick Lamar Wins Pulitzer Prize For DAMN.

    Lauryn Hill Wins Five Grammys In One Night

    Dr. Dre Sells Beats by Dre To Apple For $3 Billion

    Kanye West’s infamous “George Bush Doesn’t Care About Black People” statement

    Suge Knight Disses Diddy During The Source Awards

    If hip-hop was the Marvel Universe this would be the nexus moment that happens in every universe that can’t be undone. It changes the trajectories of several people and pushes hip-hop further into the forefront of entertainment. After all, drama sells, and very well at that.

    Andre 3000’s infamous “The South Got Something To Say”

    Nas Vs Jay-Z

    Brawl Breaks Out During The 2000 Source Awards

    TI Calls Out Lil’ Flip During Birthday Bash

    Three 6 Mafia Wins An Oscar For A Song About Pimpin

    Kool Herc Throws a Back-to-School Jam That Would Be Seen As The “Birth” Of Hip-Hop

    Lil Nas X Makes Grammy History Becoming The First Openly Gay Rapper To Become Nominated

    Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar & 50 Cent Headline The Pepsi SB LVI Halftime Show

    Run DMC & Aerosmith Cross Genres For “Walk This Way”

    2 Live Crew’s Banned In The U.S.A Becomes First Album To Receive “Parental Advisory” Sticker

    Yo! MTV Raps Premiers In 1998

    Rick Rubin & Russell Simmons Create Def Jam Records

    Cash Money & Ruff Ryders Embark On US Tour

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MratsGJsEY

    The Up In Smoke Tour Featuring Dr. Dre, Eminem, Xzibit, Warren G and Nate Dogg

    Kanye West Headlines Coachella 2011

    Drake Releases “Back To Back” Amid Beef With Meek Mill Over Ghostwriting Allegations

    Kanye & Jay-Z Release Watch The Throne

    ICE-T Joins Law & Order SUV

    Lil Wayne Reveals He Wants Off Cash Money Then Takes Birdman To Court & Wins

    Nipsey Hussle Sells 1000 Copies Of His Crenshaw Mixtape For $1000

    Ice-T Becomes Hip-hop’s First Big-Time Rapper Turned Actor In New Jack City

    Snoop Dogg Beats His Murder Case

    Lil Kim Releases The Video For “Crush On You”

    DJ Screw opens Houston record store “Screwed Up Records & Tapes”

    Eminem Releases The Movie 8 Mile

    DJ Drama & DJ Don Cannon Raided By The Feds Over Mixtapes

    Soulja Boy Delivers The First Viral Hit With “Crank Dat”

    Lil Wayne Releases Tha Carter III & Sells A Million Copies First Week

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEY_DEbT-cY

    Nicki Minaj Steals The Spotlight On Kanye West’s “Monster”

    Chief Keef “I Don’t Like” Ushers In A New Sound & Generation Of Hip-Hop

    XXL’s 2016 Freshman Cover Ushers In Yet Another Change In Hip-Hop

    LL Cool J’s Gap Commercial While Wearing FUBU

    The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Debuts on NBC

    The Deaths Of 2Pac & Biggie

    Virgil Abloh Becomes The First Black Creative Director At Louis Vuitton

    Cardi B Becomes First Solo Woman To Win Best Rap Album Grammy

    Jay-Z Retires Then Returns

    50 Cent Drops Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ & Goes On Unprecedented Run

    MC Hammer’s Pepsi Ad Paves The Way For Hip-Hops Inclusion In Big Time Marketing & Branding

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  • Oop! Kanye West Name Drops Major Celebs & Brands While Speaking About His Independent Journey (Video)

    Oop! Kanye West Name Drops Major Celebs & Brands While Speaking About His Independent Journey (Video)

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    Additional footage of Kanye West has surfaced on social media. As The Shade Room previously reported, the rapper went viral after footage, seemingly recorded Thursday evening, showed him calling out Nicki Minaj for refusing to clear her verse on his upcoming album with Ty Dolla $ign.

    The rapper apparently had more words for other celebrities and brands as well.

    RELATED: (Exclusive Video) Oop! Watch Kanye West Respond To Nicki Minaj Not Clearing Her Verse On “New Body”

    Kanye West Goes OFF While Name-Dropping Other Celebs & Brands

    On Thursday, December 14, reports surfaced that Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign would host another rave listening party that evening. As The Shade Room previously reported, the duo hosted a separate rave and played snippets of their upcoming album earlier this week.

    RELATED: The Return Of Ye! Watch Viral Moments From Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign’s Star-Studded Listening Party (VIDEOS)

    However, according to TMZ, Ye and Ty Dolla $ign’s plans would be interrupted when the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department shut things down ahead of the rave’s midnight start time.

    Then, on Friday, December 15, footage surfaced of West in what appears to be a house. A crowd surrounded the rapper as he seemingly spoke about the police “sabotaging” his show.

    Additionally, West spoke about parting ways with Adidas while name-dropping fellow rappers Drake, Pharrell, Tory Lanez, Jay-Z, and former President Trump. Ye also blasted Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga while speaking about standing firm in his “political opinion.”

    Furthermore, the 46-year-old father of four explained that he is a religious “vessel.”

    Watch Ye’s full sentiments below.

    Social Media Reacts

    Social media users entered The Shade Room’s comment section to share their reactions to Ye’s words.

    Instagram user @themeganbaca joked.

    “Me directly after you ask me what’s wrong and I say I don’t want to talk about.”

    While Instagram user @ayookevo803 added.

    “That n***a ain’t crazy he just don’t know how to dumb it down for yah”

    Instagram user @itzbon3z wrote.

    “The fact the man wants society to elevate and take back control and people sitting here just calling him crazy is funny af to me I can tell a lot of people don’t think outside the box”

    While Instagram user @4itsrox added.

    “LOL. Well. In Kanye’s defense he gave us a good little break. 😄😩”

    Instagram user @xpensive_fatima wrote.

    “Sometimes I feel ye is often misunderstood and he doesn’t even seem like a bad person. 🥹”

    While Instagram user @babylianna added.

    “He was making some valid points despite y’all thinking he crazy .. you just gotta listen”

    Instagram user @daradexplorer wrote.

    “who are the folks in the room? Just curious”

    A Brief Recap Of The Rapper’s Exchange With Nicki Minaj

    As The Shade Room previously reported, Ye also went viral on Friday after an exclusive video obtained by the outlet showed the rapper responding to Nicki Minaj’s refusal to clear her verse on “New Body.”

    The song is featured on Ye’s upcoming album, ‘Vultures,’ with Ty Dolla $ign.

    The trio reportedly began working on the single in 2018. However, Ye allegedly refused to release the single in the following years despite Minaj’s interest, per Page Six.

    On Thursday evening, Minaj rejected Ye’s request to clear her vocals on the single by simply stating. “that train has left the station.” Additionally, Minaj seemingly explained that her current priority is focusing on the release of her most recent album, ‘Pink Friday 2.’

    RELATED: Nicki Minaj’s New Album ‘Pink Friday 2’ Has The Internet In A Frenzy

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    Jadriena Solomon

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  • Unseen portions of Gayle King’s JAY-Z interview to air in CBS prime-time special

    Unseen portions of Gayle King’s JAY-Z interview to air in CBS prime-time special

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    Unseen portions of Gayle King’s JAY-Z interview to air in CBS prime-time special – CBS News


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    A lot of Gayle King’s interview with JAY-Z didn’t make it to air — but that changes with a new primetime special. “JAY-Z and Gayle King: Brooklyn’s Own” airs Nov. 14 on CBS and Paramount+.

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  • Proud Papa Praise: Jay-Z Got ‘Goosebumps’ Watching Blue Ivy Perform On Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ Tour — ‘She Worked Every Day’

    Proud Papa Praise: Jay-Z Got ‘Goosebumps’ Watching Blue Ivy Perform On Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ Tour — ‘She Worked Every Day’

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    What’s better than one icon? Three! Despite all the talent onstage for Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour, Blue Ivy stole the show and gave her doting dad Jay-Z “goosebumps” every night.

    Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty

    After more than a decade in the spotlight since her birth in 2012, Blue Ivy’s taking her rightful place at center stage. As easy as it may seem to be the ultimate celebrity seed, Blue truly inherited Hov’s hustle and Beyoncé’s boss work ethic. In an exclusive CBS interview with Gayle King, Jay-Z said it makes him “super proud” to see Blue Ivy “reclaiming her power” onstage.

    Beyoncé RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR - London

    Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty

    That lifetime in the limelight came at a cost: She was “born into a life she didn’t ask for.”

    Trolls hated on everything from her natural hair to her facial features when she was just a baby. The shocking backlash led the Carters to protect Blue’s privacy, and their rarely seen 6-year-old twins Sir and Rumi. Jay said Blue taking on that same cruel world as an 11-year-old is better than any Hollywood ending.

    “So since she was born she’s been in, like, scrutiny, and public eye, and everyone having an opinion of, you know, even a little girl, how she keeps her hair. So for her, to be on that stage and reclaim her power, and the song is called ‘My Power’ … you can’t write a better script,” he explained.

    Ambitious Blue didn’t want to miss a single beat or a single show on the 56-stop Renaissance tour. She wanted to be by Bey’s side performing from the jump, but her parents made sure she earned her spot first. The determined little diva clearly rose to the occasion.

    “She wanted to do it the first night, and we was like, okay, if this is something you wanna do, you can’t just go out there. You gotta go work with the dancers and go work. And she worked every day. I watched her work hard,” Jay-Z proudly professed.

    Beyoncé RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR - Atlanta

    Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty

    Jay also revealed that Blue was nervous performing for a crowd of 80,000 people, although she barely looked it. He fondly reflected on how she grew into her own throughout the tour. She immediately became a highlight of what Jay called Beyonce’s “best tour yet.” By the last performance in Kansas City, Blue looked like a real professional.

    On May 26, Blue Ivy took the Renaissance tour stage for the first time in Paris. She performed with her mom for a medley of “My Power” and “Black Parade” from The Gift. It was a fitting choice, considering Blue contributed to the album.

    The pint-sized powerhouse is already the second youngest Grammy winner for her feature on Bey’s “Brown Skin Girl” in 2021. She was also front and center when Beyoncé performed “Be Alive” from King Richard for the 2022 Oscars.

    In 2017, Blue blessed the beat on “Blue’s Freestyle/We Family” for Jay-Z’s 4:44 album. The 5-year-old hilariously had one of the most memorable bars when she rapped that she’s “Never seen a ceiling in my whole life.”

    Baby girl has bars and all the boom-kack a kid could need! While her famous family could, and seemingly does, give Blue the world, she’s not living in their shadows. That young star is already shining.

    Check out part one of Jay-Z’s interview below.

    What do you think of Jay-Z’s rare recent interview and Blue Ivy’s Renaissance tour takeover?

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  • Jay-Z Reflects On Public Scrutiny That Daughter Blue Ivy Faced Over Her Hair

    Jay-Z Reflects On Public Scrutiny That Daughter Blue Ivy Faced Over Her Hair

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    Jay-Z recently reflected on daughter Blue Ivy Carter’s stunning dance cameos during Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour, as well as criticism that the child had faced in the past over her hair.

    In a “CBS Mornings” interview released Friday, the rap mogul beamed with pride as he discussed the 11-year-old’s performances during her mother’s concert tour, which concluded earlier this month, and how the girl had evolved.

    “I know how nervous she was, I know how frightened she was,” Jay-Z said.

    He added that she was still eager to perform from the first tour stop regardless — including to tunes like “My Power,” which fittingly celebrates empowerment and self-love.

    “What makes me super proud — and I still get goosebumps seeing her walk onstage — is because Blue’s been … born into a life she didn’t ask for,” Jay-Z said. “Since she was born, she’s been in scrutiny and public eye, and everyone having an opinion — even [on] a little girl, how she keeps her hair.”

    He continued, “So for her to be on that stage and reclaim her power, and the song is called ‘My Power’ … you can’t write a better script.”

    When she was just a toddler, Blue Ivy had been the subject of anti-Black commentary surrounding her hair and hair texture. In 2014, someone even created a petition calling for the child’s famous parents to “comb her hair.”

    Beyoncé and Jay-Z also share 6-year-old twins Rumi and Sir Carter.

    Elsewhere in his “CBS Mornings” interview, Jay-Z revealed what inspired Blue Ivy’s name.

    The rapper said she was initially going to be called Brooklyn, but that he and Beyoncé grew attached to a nickname they gave the girl before she was born.

    He said they would refer to Blue Ivy as a “blueberry” when they were given ultrasound pictures.

    “Like, ‘Look at the little blueberry!’” he said.

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  • Full interview: JAY-Z talks to Gayle King

    Full interview: JAY-Z talks to Gayle King

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    Full interview: JAY-Z talks to Gayle King – CBS News


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    Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter spoke with “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King in an exclusive interview this week. Here’s a look at their conversation.

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  • JAY-Z Reveals the Unexpected Inspiration Behind Blue Ivy’s Name

    JAY-Z Reveals the Unexpected Inspiration Behind Blue Ivy’s Name

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    Blue Ivy Carter’s name has been synonymous with success since day one. As the daughter of Beyoncé and JAY-Z, the 11-year-old has navigated inherited fame like a pro. At eight years old, she was nominated for a Grammy for her contributions to Beyoncé’s “Brown Skin Girl.” More recently, Blue Ivy guest starred as a backup dancer on her mom’s “Renaissance” tour, showcasing her mastery over the complex choreography. On Oct. 27, however, JAY-Z rocked the internet when he revealed that his oldest daughter’s name — the same name fans have come to know and love — was almost completely different.

    “We just took the ‘berry’ off and called her Blue.”

    “It was supposed to be Brooklyn,” JAY-Z told Gayle King in a “CBS Mornings” interview. “That was the name we had in theory.” Say again? Brooklyn Carter? Though Brooklyn also starts with a B, it’s a far cry from Blue, a unique name that has allowed the preteen to go mononymous just like her mom. Of course, if the couple had opted to name their daughter Brooklyn, it likely would have been a nod to the New York borough where JAY-Z grew up.

    As it stands, her actual name also has a pretty sweet meaning. “When we got the sonogram, we was calling her Blueberry. Like, ‘Look at the little blueberry,’” the dad of three said. “You know, it was like a nickname for nine months.” After referring to their firstborn as Blueberry the entirety of Beyoncé’s pregnancy, the adorable nickname stuck, and Blue Ivy was born. JAY-Z added, “It was just natural. We just took the ‘berry’ off and called her Blue.”

    Prior to the revelatory interview, many fans speculated Blue Ivy’s name was derived from a quote in Rebecca Solnit’s 2005 novel, “A Field Guide to Getting Lost,” which Beyoncé shared to her Tumblr account in 2012. “The world is blue at its edges and in its depths,” the piece reads. “This blue is the light that got lost. Light at the blue end of the spectrum does not travel the whole distance from the sun to us. It disperses among the molecules of the air, it scatters in the water.”

    The piece continues, “Water is colourless, shallow water appears to be the colour of whatever lies underneath it, but deep water is full of this scattered light, the purer the water the deeper the blue. The sky is blue for the same reason, but the blue at the horizon, the blue of the land that seems to be dissolving into the sky, is a deeper, dreamier, melancholy blue, the blue at the farthest reaches of the places where you see for miles, the blue of distance. This light does not touch us, does not travel the whole distance, the light that gets lost, gives us the beauty of the world, so much of which is in the colour blue.”

    As for Ivy, her middle name, the moniker was reportedly inspired by Beyonce’s deep personal connection to the number four and the Roman numeral IV, which equates to four.

    Brooklyn Carter. Blueberry Carter. Blue Ivy Carter. In the multiverse of celebrity baby names, the possibilities are endless. Whether she’d been born Brooklyn or not, though, one thing is clear: Blue Ivy is a star just like the rest of the Carter-Knowles family.

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    Chanel Vargas

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  • Jay-Z Sheds Light On How He & Beyoncé Picked Blue Ivy’s Name

    Jay-Z Sheds Light On How He & Beyoncé Picked Blue Ivy’s Name

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    As Blue Ivy Carter approaches her twelfth birthday, her superstar father — Jay-Z — is sharing some long-awaited insight into his firstborn’s noteworthy name.

    RELATED: Beyoncé Pens Sweet Message For Blue Ivy After Mother-Daughter Performance In Paris

    He Says Blue Ivy Was Originally Supposed To Be Named “Brooklyn”

    The “On to the Next One” rapper shared his commentary during a sit-down with Gayle King on CBS Mornings.

    While chatting it up, Jay-Z revealed what he and Beyoncé had initially wanted to name their daughter, and it’s apparently a homage to the NYC borough where he was born and raised.

    “It was supposed to be Brooklyn. That was the name that we had in theory.”

    However, their plans swiftly derailed after they came up with a cute nickname after an ultrasound.

    “When we got the little sonograms, [she was] super small there, and we was calling her ‘Blueberry.’”

    He added, “It was like a nickname. For nine months, we were like, ‘Look at the little blueberry!”

    As a result of the cute nickname, Blue Ivy’s name iconic name came about. The rapper declared, “It just was natural. We just took the ‘-berry’ off and just called her Blue.”

    The Roomies React To Jay-Z’s Revelation

    Beneath The Shade Room‘s upload on the matter, the Roomies came thru to share their reactions to Jay-Z’s revelation.

    One user going by @creatively_chi humorously expressed her disbelief over the inspiration behind Blue Ivy’s name.

    “All this time we were thinking Blue’s name had some type of deep meaning behind it, and you mean to tell me her name is Blue because she was small like a blueberry… A BLUEBERRY!?”

    Additionally, @mochahontas.__ got folks laughing by declaring, “all the girlies named brooklyn… You ain’t no divaaaaaaaa.” 

    Another Roomie, @sunnysscene, said she “thought it was symbolic of The Blueprint 4.”

    “I thought it was symbolic of The Blueprint 4; Blue IV meaning his greatest album personified. I still think that…”

    Similarly, @bashbaeby shared a whole account of how there has to be more to the story, citing her belief that Beyoncé had previously mentioned a “blue ivy tree” playing into the decision.

    “There’s actually waaayyy more to that story too. Didn’t Bey say one day they were on vacay and she saw a ‘blue Ivy tree’ and saw that as a sign. (blue + IV…. Which is the Roman numeral for 4. 4 is their fav number. 4 also being the day Bey and Jay were born (9/4 and 12/4) and 4/4 is their anniversary.”

    As for @grace.my.face, she proclaimed that Beyoncé “definitely said that was that man’s favorite color.”

    “Beyoncé will tell us anything to get up out of her face…. She definitely said that was that man’s favorite color.”

    RELATED: Take Or Break Bread? Jay-Z FINALLY Weighs In On The Viral ‘$500,000 Or Dinner With Him’ Debate

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  • The JAY-Z interview: Part 2

    The JAY-Z interview: Part 2

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    The JAY-Z interview: Part 2 – CBS News


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    Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter gives “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King an exclusive tour of the “Book of HOV” exhibit at Brooklyn Public Library. He reflects on his vulnerability through music and shares what it was like watching his daughter Blue Ivy perform on stage with her mom, Beyoncé, during the Renaissance World Tour.

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  • Blue Ivy Secretly Thinks JAY-Z Is Cool . . . According to JAY-Z

    Blue Ivy Secretly Thinks JAY-Z Is Cool . . . According to JAY-Z

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    All dads have their embarrassing moments. Yes, even JAY-Z. In a recent interview with Gayle King on “CBS Mornings,” however, the proud dad of three claimed that his oldest daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, only pretends to be embarrassed by him in public. At home, she actually thinks her dad is pretty cool. In fact, JAY-Z says the 11-year-old even asks him for fashion advice from time to time.

    “Blue, she be frontin’ on me a little bit.”

    “Blue, she be frontin’ on me a little bit, but I catch her,” he said. “I catch her in the corner, you know? Now she asks me if this is cool — her sneakers or whatever she’s wearing.” While Blue Ivy wasn’t around to refute her dad’s claims, she does appear to have taken some major style cues from both her parents in recent years.

    Take, for example, when the father-daughter duo attended the 2022 NBA Finals in San Francisco last year. For the outing, Blue Ivy wore low-top Nike Dunk sneakers, sweatpants, a black leather jacket, and a “Brown Skin Girl” T-shirt from mom Beyoncé’s merch line. JAY-Z complemented his daughter’s look in an all-black outfit and white sneakers. The preteen also spent some quality time with her dad at the 2023 Super Bowl in February, during which the pair wore all-black ensembles and matching sunglasses.

    At the NBA finals, they went viral after JAY-Z wrapped his arm around Blue Ivy on the jumbotron and pulled her in for a kiss on the cheek. Embarrassed by her dad, the preteen rolled her eyes and subtly attempted to pull away as JAY-Z smiled for the camera. Though Blue Ivy does try to call her dad out when he’s making her feel awkward, JAY-Z told King he’s learned to make a case for himself: “I’m cool. I don’t know what you saying. At your house, your parents is cool.”

    Since their NBA outing, Blue Ivy has been busy guest starring as a backup dancer on her mom’s “Renaissance” Tour. While performing in Dubai in January, the mother-daughter duo performed “Brown Skin Girl” together. Blue Ivy also broke out some impressive choreography before sharing a sweet embrace with her mom on stage.

    Though Blue Ivy might say otherwise, it seems like having JAY-Z and Beyoncé as parents is pretty cool after all.

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  • She’s Talking To Us??? Beyoncé Descends From The Heavens & Surprises Fans With Unboxing Video For New Fragrance ‘CÉ NOIR’

    She’s Talking To Us??? Beyoncé Descends From The Heavens & Surprises Fans With Unboxing Video For New Fragrance ‘CÉ NOIR’

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    CÉ NOIR is coming

    Source: Mason Poole/Parkwood Media/Getty Images for Atlantis The Royal

    Queen Bey rarely descends from her Heavenly tower to address us directly but it actually happened when she posted an influencer-esque unboxing video for her buzzy new fragrance ‘CÉ NOIR’ that ships in November.

    In the now-viral video, Bey gives us a mall food court-sample of her lovable personality while presenting her elegantly designed fragrance bottle that will cost you $160.

    “I’m super excited. This is my ‘CÉ NOIR’ unboxing and it’s finally here after years of work,” she gushed in the black and white video. “I wanted something to be monolithic and I wanted something to have a little bit of intimacy so right here you can see inside the soul of the perfume.”

    Going full influencer, she sprays her “first spray” with hilarious “ooh” adlibs before giggling at her adorable “‘CÉ NOIR,’ say no more” play on words to wrap up the video.

    According to her website, the fragrance is “created in France, encased in art, and crafted and designed by Beyonce” with notes including clementine, golden honey, rose absolute, jasmine sambac, Namibian myrrh, and golden amber.

    Naturally, social media exploded with reactions to Bey’s surreal unboxing video that skyrocketed to 2 million Likes on Instagram.

    The pleasantly surprising development comes just weeks after she announced her upcoming Renaissance tour film that takes over theaters Dec. 1.

    According to a press release, RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCÉ accentuates the journey of RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR from its inception, to the opening in Stockholm, Sweden, to the finale in Kansas City, Missouri.

    “It’s about Beyoncé’s intention, hard work, involvement in every aspect of the production, her creative mind and purpose to create her legacy, and master her craft.

    Received with extraordinary acclaim, Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR created a sanctuary for freedom, and shared joy, for more than 2.7 million fans.”

    Check out the wig-snatching trailer below:

    Will you be copping Beyoncé’s new fragrance? Tell us down below and peep the social media hysteria over her surreal unboxing video on the flip.

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  • How Jay-Z and Roc-a-Fella Used DJ Envy to Conquer New York Rap

    How Jay-Z and Roc-a-Fella Used DJ Envy to Conquer New York Rap

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    In their new book Do Remember!: The Golden Age of NYC Hip-Hop Mixtapes, authors Evan Auerbach and Daniel Isenberg trace the history of New York rap through its humblest and most world-alteringly important delivery system— the mixtape. As the legendary cultural ambassador Fab 5 Freddy notes in his introduction, hip-hop’s global takeover began with cassette recordings of parties and live performances passed from hand to hand and hood to hood. By the early 20th century, cassettes had been supplanted by CDs and hip-hop was on its way to becoming a highly corporatized multi-billion-dollar industry— and superstar mixtape DJs like DJ Clue became all-important tastemakers, capable of shoring up a newly-mainstream rapper’s street cred or signal-boosting an underground crew into the stratosphere. In this excerpt from Auerbach and Isenberg’s book, music executive Lenny Santiago— best known as Lenny S— talks about how a 2001 mixtape enabled the rise of Roc-A-Fella Records, the label founded by Jay-Z, Damon Dash and Kareem Burke in 1994.

    Lenny S was a prominent Roc-A-Fella A&R who knew the importance of the mixtape. In fact, before he came to the Roc, he worked on Bad Boy’s street team as they were pushing the groundbreaking Bad Boy mixtape series. Inspired by this and some of the challenges happening at the time at Roc-A-Fella, Lenny S took advantage of his in-house connections and teamed up with DJ Envy to start his own Roc-A-Fella mixtape series. This not only gave the label a chance to control their own mixtape narrative, but it allowed him to build his personal brand in the process.

    THE IMPORTANCE OF LANDING EARLY JAY-Z MIXTAPE PLACEMENTS

    Lenny S: At that time for us, it was monumental. Especially [DJ] Clue—he was only going for the top notch. He was chasing down B.I.G. or Naughty By Nature, or whoever were the top people. Somebody like Jay, he wasn’t B.I.G., he didn’t have a hit record, he wasn’t top of the charts, he wasn’t any of that. He was just an ill, dope, self-contained, self-funded rapper from Brooklyn who hustled prior and got money.

    Those Clue tapes spoke directly to the streets, so that was a big deal for us. You had the radio DJs at night doing their thing, but the mixtape lived 24 hours a day on every street corner. So that was important when those things got shuffled down to Baltimore, Philly, and North Carolina.

    We depended on the mixtapes because they traveled around the country by getting bootlegged and copied, and by word of mouth. Mixtapes were how we discovered Nas introducing Nature, Clue introducing Fabolous—all those guys we found on mixtapes.

    ROC-A-FELLA MIXTAPE SERIES

    Somebody had a record of Jay’s that they weren’t supposed to have. Long story short, the guy got caught with the record. He had it outside the office and was playing it. Dame found out and was pissed, obviously, because we weren’t supposed to let music leak. He was so pissed that the whole staff got docked because he was like, “One team, one family, one unit. One person gets in trouble, we all get in trouble.”

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    Evan Auerbach, Daniel Isenberg

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  • JAY-Z weighs in on “$500,000 in cash or lunch with JAY-Z” debate: “You’ve gotta take the money

    JAY-Z weighs in on “$500,000 in cash or lunch with JAY-Z” debate: “You’ve gotta take the money

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    JAY-Z weighs in on “$500,000 in cash or lunch with JAY-Z” debate


    JAY-Z weighs in on “$500,000 in cash or lunch with JAY-Z” debate: “You’ve gotta take the money”

    01:18

    Would it be smarter to take $500,000 in cash or share a meal with JAY-Z? The rapper and business mogul himself weighs in on the longstanding online debate in a two-part interview with Gayle King, airing later this week on “CBS Mornings.”

    “You’ve gotta take the money,” JAY-Z said, noting that all the wisdom anyone might glean from talking to him over lunch is already available in his lyrics. “You’ve got all that in the music for $10.99.”

    “I wouldn’t tell you to cut a bad deal. Like, take the $500,000, go buy some albums, and listen to the albums,” he said. “It’s all there. If you piece it together and really listen to the music for the words, well, what it is, it’s all there.”

    “Everything that I said was gonna happen, happened. Everything that I said I wanted to do, I’ve done,” he said.

    JAY-Z sat down with King for a rare interview and exclusive tour of “The Book of HOV” exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library, which explores the artist’s body of work — from his original master recordings to his business ventures and efforts to help reform the criminal justice system. 

    More of King’s conversation with JAY-Z will air this week on “CBS Mornings.”

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  • 15 Musicians Who Have Admitted They Regret Their Past Problematic Songs

    15 Musicians Who Have Admitted They Regret Their Past Problematic Songs

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    Katy Perry says “I Kissed a Girl” plays up harmful stereotypes about bisexuality.

    The song: Perry skyrocketed to fame with the release of “I Kissed a Girl” in 2008, a song about a woman kissing a girl, and liking it.
    What she said about it later: “We’ve really changed, conversationally, in the past 10 years. We’ve come a long way. Bisexuality wasn’t as talked about back then, or any type of fluidity. If I had to write that song again, I probably would make an edit on it. Lyrically, it has a couple of stereotypes in it. Your mind changes so much in 10 years, and you grow so much. What’s true for you can evolve,” she told Glamour in 2018.

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  • Beyoncé Reportedly Took a “Nice Break” In French Polynesia for Her Birthday

    Beyoncé Reportedly Took a “Nice Break” In French Polynesia for Her Birthday

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    What did you do to celebrate your birthday this year? Maybe a roller rink skate party with your mom springing for skate rentals for all your friends, or maybe a low-key shindig, cake and candles? Maybe someone made you pasta. Or maybe you convinced thousands of people to dress how you wanted and pay money to see you, and then took a hot second to jet off with your family and touch some sand?

    Beyoncé reportedly chose that last option to ring in the big 4-2 earlier this month.

    People reported, based on an unnamed source, that Bey jetted off immediately after her September 4 show in Los Angeles (also known as The One Where Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner Made Out and Did Not Adhere to the Dress Code) and enjoyed some downtime with her family in French Polynesia, where she rented “several private villas” for herself and her family.

    “It was a nice break for Beyoncé,” the source told the mag. “The tour has been intense. She needed to recharge for a few days.”

    Bey and her husband, Jay-Z, reportedly got in plenty of quality time with their kids, 11-year-old Blue Ivy and 6-year-old twins Rumi and Sir.

    “They enjoyed the beach, had family dinners, and engaged in several resort activities,” the source said. “Everyone had the best time.”

    After the break was over, the singer’s sold-out Renaissance world tour reconvened in Vancouver on September 11.

    And if you think Bey skipped cake, nuh-uh: She shared photos of a disco ball-shaped confection on her Instagram, as well as silver birthday balloons. Gotta stick with the theme, always. That’s just the Virgo way.

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    Kase Wickman

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  • Jay-Z-themed library cards spark increase in Brooklyn Public Library memberships | CNN

    Jay-Z-themed library cards spark increase in Brooklyn Public Library memberships | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    If anyone can make a trip to the library feel like a party, it’s Jay-Z, apparently.

    To celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, the Brooklyn Public Library and Roc Nation have released 13 limited-edition library cards with artwork from Jay-Z albums. The initiative, which ends later this month, has already resulted in 14,000 new library accounts, a spokesperson for the Brooklyn Public Library told CNN.

    The library cards are tied to a Brooklyn’s Central Library exhibit that explores Jay-Z’s career through rare photos, original recordings, videos and other artifacts.

    “The community’s enthusiastic response to this exhibition is a testament to Jay-Z’s immense impact,” Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO of the Brooklyn Public Library, told CNN.

    The Jay-Z-themed library cards are available for free for New York State residents. New Yorkers can collect all 13 versions – but only one will be activated to a New York Public library account to check out resources, according to a library spokesperson.

    Though some people are trying to sell the limited-edition cards online, a library employee told CNN they represent only a small fraction of the thousands who have signed up for a new card.

    Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter grew up in the Marcy Homes, a public housing complex, in the Brooklyn neighborhood Bedford Stuyvesant, more commonly known as “Bed Stuy” or “the Stuy.” His rise to music fame came in the early ’90s as a performer and later a record label owner and entrepreneur. He became the first billionaire hip-hop artist, selling more than 140 million records and winning 24 Grammy Awards – the most any rapper has received.

    New York City’s other library systems have also released distinct cards for the hip-hop anniversary, as has the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). In collaboration with Universal Music Enterprises, 80,000 MetroCards featuring LL Cool J, Pop Smoke, Rakim and Cam’ron have been made available at various stations on a first come, first serve basis.

    This photo depicts the Blueprint 2 album on a library card.

    “From standing on top of the Empire State Building to grabbing a slice at the corner pizza shop, NYC creates iconic moments that are recognized around the world,” Rakim said in a news release for the collaboration. “It’s an honor to be celebrating the 50th Anniversary on the streets… and now below them… of the city where hip-hop was born.”

    A South Bronx house party in 1973 is credited as the birthplace of hip-hop, when DJ Kool Herc found a way to isolate the percussion and repeat the “break” on the vinyl he was spinning, according to the New York Public Library.

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  • “It Changed My Life”: Pharrell Williams on His New Role and First Collection for Louis Vuitton

    “It Changed My Life”: Pharrell Williams on His New Role and First Collection for Louis Vuitton

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    “I came into this knowing that I wanted to make some serious indelible marks,” Pharrell Williams tells Vanity Fair of his role as men’s creative director for Louis Vuitton. On Tuesday, the Grammy Award–winner debuted his highly anticipated first collection in his newly appointed position. The decision, announced earlier this year on Valentine’s Day, sent the fashion industry into a spiral with a plethora of questions: Why Williams—best known for his music career—and not an established designer? Would he have what it takes? Does celebrity mean more than talent? 

    Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

    With Paris as the backdrop, a carefully selected cast of models, orchestra, and the Voices of Fire choir took the main stage across the Pont Neuf (the oldest standing bridge across the Seine River), with a runway covered in the iconic Damier pattern that Williams chose to highlight as the key component in his new collection. “I know the monogram is historically a very dominant force within the house. I had the Bastille bag in Damier, I had shoes and boots in Damier. I saw it as an opportunity. The fact that it has the chessboard setup, we could use the grid as a platform to play with different artistic techniques,” shares Williams. 

    Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

    Choosing to pixelate the Damier, Williams collaborated with ET Artist, who treated the blocks like eight-bit Atari graphics, including pixelated images of Pont Neuf. From there, the Damoflage was born, seen in three hues across accessories, workwear, indigo denim, pajama silhouettes, and in the intarsia of knitwear and furs. Williams also enlisted artist Henry Taylor to create artwork of figures embroidered on Alma bags. 

    For his debut, Williams focused on stylish details that trumpeted the return of cool, with pearl-adorned sunglasses, band-collared tunics, workwear remixes on jackets reminiscent of the traditional Parisian women’s wardrobe, box-pleat shorts juxtaposed with suits, glazed penny loafers, flower pendants, nubuck bowling shoes, and magnified shearling slippers in monogram intarsia with a bear’s footprint on the bottom. All part of the signature touches that set his collection apart. 

    Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

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    Kia D. Goosby

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  • Beyoncé and Jay-Z Drop $200 Million on Malibu Home

    Beyoncé and Jay-Z Drop $200 Million on Malibu Home

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    Breaking records is what they do. This time, with real estate.

    Beyoncé and Jay-Z have just bought a new home, according to TMZ and Architectural Digest. The digs, boasting 30,000 square feet along the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, cost the couple $200 million. This makes it the most expensive purchase for a private residence in California. 

    It stomps the previous record, the $177 million price tag that Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen paid for his place, also in Malibu, in 2021. That busted Jeff Bezos’s record of $160 million for a Beverly Hills home in 2020. (We’re not looking up fourth place! Gold, silver, and bronze are all that count, zillionaires!)

    The music industry power couple’s new home is also the second most pricy real estate purchase in the United States. The penthouse at 220 Central Park South cost Kenneth Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel, $238 million in 2019. There is a real, really good Italian ice vendor just steps away from Griffin’s pad. I go there all the time. 

    The new Knowles-Carter estate in Malibu was designed by the self-taught Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando, best known in the U.S. for building the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The home was created for Bill Bell Jr., an heir to a soap opera fortune. (Yes, you read that correctly. Bell’s parents, William and Lee Phillip Bell created The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful.) It took Bell Jr. “over a decade and a half to finish construction on the concrete property,” according to Architectural Digest. The broker for the deal was Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency, whose other clients include Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Madonna. V.F. has reached out to the couple for comment. 

    In addition to the new place, the couple own homes in Lower Manhattan (the TriBeCa pad where they were married) and an $88 million mansion in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. It is unclear if they still own a fire-damaged mansion in New Orleans (they listed it for sale, then took it off the market in 2021.)

    Images of the new home can be found on many pages dedicated to Ando’s work, if you use the keywords Bell and Malibu. But be careful. Be sure you are looking at the right one, because Ando built another beachside Malibu home for financier Richard Sachs in 2013, which was purchased in 2021 by Kanye West for $57.3 million. (Peanuts compared to what Beyoncé and Jay-Z paid.) The 4,000-square-foot home is reportedly in a state of disrepair right now, with unfinished remodeling projects dragging on.

    Beyoncé is currently on the first leg of her Renaissance World Tour, which kicked off in Stockholm, Sweden less than two weeks ago. After five nights in London at the end of May and early June, she hits France, Holland, and Germany before coming to North America. The first gig on this side of the Atlantic is July 8 in Toronto, and everything wraps up on September 27 in New Orleans. The three nights at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California in early September means she may get to spend some quality taking in the oceanside views at her new place.

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    Jordan Hoffman

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  • Jay-Z Wants to Open a Casino in the Heart of Times Square | Entrepreneur

    Jay-Z Wants to Open a Casino in the Heart of Times Square | Entrepreneur

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    The Big Apple is about to roll the dice on gambling, and many billionaire investors want to try their luck at winning the big prize.

    Elected officials have finally authorized one casino license in the Big Apple (that’s right—just one for a city of 8 million people), causing a massive and sometimes ugly bidding war between various wealthy suitors.

    One interested party is nonother than Jay-Z and his entertainment company Roc Nation. The entrepreneur famous for saying, “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man,” has teamed up with SL Green and Caesars Entertainment to propose building a Caesars Palace in the heart of bustling Times Square.

    In an open letter on Roc Nation’s Instagram and Twitter titled “It’s Time, Times Square,” the company made a case for why they should be granted New York City’s gambling golden ticket.

    “The winning group must have a track record of turning words into deeds — of putting New York City and its residents first — people of all races, religions, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations and socio-economic statuses,” the statement said. “Our proposal lays out an innovative plan that will not only draw additional tourists to our city but will also enhance the lives of everyday New Yorkers.”

    Jay-Z’s plan promises to give back to surrounding businesses, benefit mass transit, invest in sanitation and security, and “deliver a much-needed transportation plan,” among other things. “Our bid commits $115 million for diverse theater programs that include daycare for Broadway workers and their families,” the letter said.

    Related: Jay-Z Invests Big Money in a Robo Pizza Truck That’s Solving a Major Food Industry Problem

    An all-out bidding war

    New York voters approved of Las Vegas-like casinos in their state in 2013. But it wasn’t until last year that elected officials in Albany authorized casino licenses for downstate New York, including New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County.

    The prospect of opening a fully operational casino in the largest city in America has billionaires salivating to become the King of New York casinos. Aside from Jay-Z, other bidders include New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, Gristedes supermarket scion John Catsimatidis, and Hudson Yards developer Stephen Ross.

    “Every billionaire wants a casino. The epitome of success in the US is to own your own casino,” a source told The New York Post.

    However, the billionaires have different ideas about where they want to build their casinos. Cohen has teamed up with Hard Rock and wants to open a casino around Citi Field in Queens, where the Mets play. Catsimatidis is eyeing Coney Island, famous for its boardwalk, amusement park, and hot dog eating contest. Ross, who has partnered with Wynn, wants to put the casino in the newly developed Hudson Yards.

    Accusations of a ‘misinformation’ campaign

    The Roc Nation letter, which also appeared in ads in the New York Post, New York Daily News, and Amsterdam News, accused some “conflicted parties” of spreading “misinformation,” claiming they had written the letter to set the record straight.

    While Roc Nation did not name names, some believe they may be referring to a coalition of Broadway theater owners and producers, the midtown Manhattan community, and tenant organizations calling themselves No Times Square Casino.

    According to an article in Deadline, the coalition opposes building a Caesars Palace in Times Square, also home to most Broadway theaters, citing traffic congestion, economic disruption, and making the area “less welcoming to families.”

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    Jonathan Small

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  • How INNA Created Her Album, Just Dance, In 16 Days

    How INNA Created Her Album, Just Dance, In 16 Days

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    INNA knows how to create a masterpiece – and quickly. In just 16 days, INNA and her team isolated themselves from the rest of society and made an entire body of work. They toyed with sounds and mixed electronic and deep house vocals to create Dance Queen’s House: an anthology of albums called Just Dance that compile 16 days-worth of well-rounded EDM tracks.

    To make an album is impressive, but to complete a collection of music in a little over two weeks is almost unheard of. It speaks to INNA’s dedication to her music and how easily creating quality house music comes to her. She’s a force to be reckoned with in the music industry, with a natural talent that shows through in her music.

    With previous success in her single “Hot,” and collaborations with Pitbull, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Flo Rida, and Sean Paul, INNA’s new album has been highly anticipated. Just Dance is every bit as exciting as promised. The future is bright for INNA, who never fails to create a stellar track.

    INNA spoke exclusively with Popdust about creating Just Dance, her time on The Voice, and her future plans:

    Your new album Just Dance is the third album from your Dance Queen’s House Project, which you created in 16 days – what was the writing and recording process like for you?

    It’s already a tradition to end the year with a Dance Queen’s House session: 16 days, a lot of music, friends, colleagues, producers and songwriters from Global Records. I’m sharing my passion for music with a lot of surprises and 8 episodes on my YouTube channel with the entire experience. And of course, a new album with the songs produced and written in DQH. I’m happy I’m able to do what I love and that I get to release an album every year. At the beginning of this year, I released the first part of my album “Just Dance” and on the 14th of April, the second part of the album will be out!

    You’ve notoriously collaborated with J Balvin, Daddy Yankee, Flo Rida, Pitbull and more. Is there anyone you want to work with in the future?

    I’m super grateful for everything I achieved in my career, and of course, for the collaborations. There are lots of other artists I admire and I hope I will get to work with. Actually, this year I will have some collaborations I am excited for. Stay tuned!

    What has been your favorite memory while with Jay-Z’s label, Roc Nation?

    The entire experience was amazing: first of all, I appreciated that the album got signed with ROC Nation and I felt special and appreciated. I got to meet the team, a lot of artists during the ROC Nation brunch, and had an intense media tour. It was truly amazing!

    Your YouTube channel has over 7 million subscribers, where you not only post your music videos, but vlogs that help your fans connect with you! The most recent vlogs were about making part two of your Just Dance album. What’s the most fun part of making the vlogs? Will there be more in the future?

    Usually, I’m doing the vlogs during Dance Queen’s House. But I also have “on the road” videos from my tour around the world, and behind the scenes from shootings and official videos. Subscribe and have fun!

    What was your favorite part about making your Just Dance album and how was creating part two different from part one?

    Both parts of the album were created during Dance Queen’s House, so the process was the same: intense and fun, with a lot of inspiration and fresh vibes from Alex Cotoi, IRAIDA and Marco & Seba, the creative team behind the album.

    What are your favorite tracks off Just Dance?

    From the first part of the album “Just Dance”, my favorite song is “We Should Get Lost.” From the second one, stay tuned!

    Do you have any plans on touring in the future?

    Right now, I’m in Mexico. I’ve just finished performing at a festival in Veracruz. Unbelievable experience! And this spring and summer are full of shows in Turkey, Finland, Romania, Latvia, Spain, Bulgaria, Hungary, UK, Morocco, and many more to be added to the list. Hope to see you at my shows!

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    Jai Phillips

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