Jay-Z showcases his "Blueprint" for new rhymes at EMU on Wednesday
Granted, he’s not the only rapper to lay claim to that title, but it’s probably fair to say his impressive record sales and multiple music awards help bolster the boast.
Winner of seven Grammy Awards, Jay-Z released his newest album, “The Blueprint 3,” Sept. 11, with the single “Run This Town” (featuring Rihanna and Kanye West) quickly hitting the top of the Billboard magazine charts. The original “The Blueprint,” from 2001, is considered by many to be one of hip-hop’s best albums.
Watch the "Run This Town" video:
Joining Jay-Z on tour are N.E.R.D. (threesome Chad Hugo, Pharrell Williams and Shay; the acronym stands for “No One Ever Really Dies”), Washington, D.C.-based rapper Wale and North Carolina’s J. Cole, the first rapper signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label.
Fresh from a concert tour of Europe, Jay-Z was in the news recently for defending West’s now-infamous dissing of Taylor Swift at the recent MTV Video Music Awards (“He didn't kill anybody … he is just a super-passionate person”) and for tackling Coldplay’s Chris Martin onstage during a London gig. He is now the solo artist with the most No. 1 albums, 11, according to Billboard, surpassing Elvis Presley; he now trails only the Beatles overall.
The reviews of his new CD have been coming in: Rolling Stone bestowed a lukewarm three stars (“Jay’s crown gets heavy”), Time wrote that Jay-Z shows “enough genius to keep you from tying him to a rocking chair,” and the blog ChicagoNow raved that the disc is “the blueprint to what a hip-hop CD should entail.”
Because of the expense involved in bringing an artist of Jay-Z’s stature to EMU, the concert is a joint production of EMU’s Campus Life, student government and housing offices as well as the Convocation Center.
“It typically doesn’t happen like that,” explained Marcy Szabo, Convocation Center assistant director. “I put the word out to student organizations to help secure some funds to get this show because it is costing us quite a bit of money to do. … Typically (the Convocation Center) is a facility and we rent it out to different promoters to bring these shows in. In this case, we’re the promoters, bringing this program in.”
The capacity of the Convocation Center, which can vary due to the configuration of the stage setup, is around 6,200 for this concert, Szabo said. Jay-Z was looking to target a number of college dates on his current tour, she added, with EMU being the smallest of the six universities on this tour.
EMU students are helping market the show, said Szabo, which provides real-world experience.
Jay-Z is married to singer Beyoncé. He is also part owner of the New Jersey Nets basketball team, the creator of the clothing line Rocawear, is the former CEO of Def Jam Recordings and one of three founders of Roc-a-fella Records. He announced his retirement in 2003 with plenty of hoopla, but returned to the music business in 2006. His earlier hits include “Show Me What You Got,” “Girls, Girls, Girls” and “Big Pimpin’.”
Although Szabo said she’s not particularly a fan of Jay-Z’s music, she admires “anyone who can have the longevity in the music business that he has. … He’s stayed around, and I think he’s a positive influence now. I don’t think I could have said that 15 years ago.”
PREVIEW Jay-Z Who: Hip-hop superstar. What: Tunes from his new CD, “The Blueprint 3,” and other hits. Where: Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center, 799 N. Hewitt Road, Ypsilanti. When: 8 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.) Wednesday, Oct. 21. SOLD OUT.
Roger LeLievre is a free-lance writer who covers music for AnnArbor.com.
Comments
Joey_Mythological
Fri, Oct 16, 2009 : 8:44 a.m.
Nice story. Jay-z has to be the best rapper of all time, he has the longevity and has had the sales to prove so. He lyrical content has also dramatically grown and matured as he has. Nice piece and i am looking forward to this concert.