Jay-Z feat. BIC - 'Glory'
After welcoming Blue Ivy Carter to the world earlier this month, Jigga didn’t waste any time heading into the studio to wax lyrical about his and Beyoncé’s “ greatest creation ”. With BIC on backing vocals (of sorts) and references to...
Live Review: Jay-Z And Kanye West
The problem with supergroups is that they are, almost by definition, a breeding ground for complacency. When you’ve realised virtually all of your musical goals and become used to fame and adulation, summoning the will to earn it all again is...
Album review: Jay-Z - 'The Blueprint III'
To hear Shawn Carter speak recently, you’d think that ‘The Blueprint 3’ , his 11th studio album, was set to change the face of hip-hop music forever. When it comes to talking a good game, Jigga has been practically talking six sixes off...
Jay-Z
The campaign and subsequent election of Barack Obama has brought up some lofty comparisons in the Americas over the past year. It’s a new era many regard as a realisation of Martin Luther King’s dream of equality, some mention it in the same...
Jay-Z: 'American Gangster'
Not 12 months have elapsed since ‘Kingdom Come’, the record that saw Jay-Z shrug off the moth-bitten dressing gown of retirement and dive back in to the rap game. The Hova’s first post-retirement record had both eyes on the crossover buck,...
Jay-Z: Kingdom Come
Retirement is a pretty sedate affair: collect your gold watch, channel your pension into a selection of comfy slippers, and clear out your BlackBerry – but for those urgent appointments with the local allotment, of course. Not so for Shawn...
Jay-Z: Show Me What You Got
Man, if NME didn’t know any better, we’d say this was a new Jay-Z single. But it can’t be, he retired from ‘the rap game’ three years ago, right? Well, a handful of outstanding tracks notwithstanding, real hip-hop heads knew that Jay-Z...
Jay-Z. Albert Hall, London; Wednesday,...
So NME is in the Albert Hall with Chris Martin, Gwyneth Paltrow and a 28-piece orchestra. We’re here to see the world’s greatest street hustler, Jay-Z. After ‘retiring’ in 2003, the Jiggaman is back and he’s gone upmarket – but can his...
Jay-Z : The Blueprint 2 : The Gift & The Curse
Strike a balance between good and evil and you'll find Jay-Z . He's gone from hustling drugs in Brooklyn's no-go zones to a penthouse on the Hudson River, and breathlessly ostentatious displays of wealth. Yet, the self-made multi-millionaire born...
Jay-Z: The Blueprint
The ruler's back. You don't have to take Jay-Z 's word for it (although listening to 'The Blueprint' makes that tough). Check this week's American chart for confirmation of the unique hat-trick he nets courtesy of 'The Blueprint'. Three albums in...
