Tag Archives: Jay-Z

Budweiser Made in America” Music Festival Expands In 2014

Made in AmericaShawn “JAY Z” Carter, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, Budweiser and United Way of Greater Los Angeles are bringing the spirit of “Budweiser Made In America,”to Los Angeles during the 2014 Labor Day weekend. The two-day music festival began in Philadelphia on Labor Day weekend 2012 to benefit United Way of Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey and United Way of Lancaster County, and this year will deliver twice the amount of music. Live Nation will produce both the Philadelphia and Los Angeles two-day music festivals, delivering must-see performances on both coasts. Details and lineups for both festival locations will be announced at a later date.

“Budweiser Made In America” will be the first American festival to run simultaneously on both coasts. Performances from both “Budweiser Made In America” sites will be available for fans to view with live-streaming.

With the addition of the west coast festival, JAY Z, Live Nation, Budweiser and United Way are committed to improving lives and strengthening local communities in Los Angeles County. United Way will invest the funds raised to ensure more people have the opportunity to reach their potential–through quality schools, good jobs and stable housing. The “Budweiser Made In America” Festival provides the perfect crescendo to summer and coincides with the culmination of “Summer of Success,” a multi-pronged approach by Mayor Garcetti to advance youth during the school break by providing them jobs, learning opportunities, and extended programming at City of Los Angeles parks and recreational facilities.

Budweiser, JAY Z and this festival embody the American spirit and enhance the ongoing partnership between the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, and the City of Los Angeles.

The Philadelphia site will benefit United Ways in Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey and Lancaster County, Penn. The primary goal of this music festival is to have a positive impact on the communities involved. As a result, the money invested into these communities will positively impact the education, income and health of the most vulnerable and needy citizens in these regions.

As a result of last year’s “Budweiser Made In America” Festival, United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey is investing $300,000 in education and talent development initiatives to enhance cradle-to-career education that ensures all students graduate high school college–and career-ready and equips individuals with the job skills and training they need to secure work that provides a family-sustaining income.

The festival also enabled United Way of Lancaster County to invest an additional $100,000 in programs and services that support learning success across the education continuum.

WHEN: 

Labor Day Weekend 2014, Aug. 30-31

WHERE:

The Los Angeles “Budweiser Made In America” Festival will take place on Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles. The Philadelphia festival site will remain on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

TICKET PURCHASE:

2 Day Early Bird presale tickets are available now at www.livenation.com

2 Day Early Bird tickets for Philadelphia are $99.50 and Los Angeles are $125.

Additional on sale information will be announced.

ONGOING FESTIVAL INFORMATION:

The festivals site, www.madeinamericafest.com will be updated with general information.

 

BET Awards 12 is #1 Awards Show on Cable, Drawing 7.4 Million Viewers

Live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday, July 1st, BET Awards 12 kicked off with a bang when G.O.O.D. Music artists Kanye West , 2 Chainz, Big Sean, and Pusha T exploded onto the stage for a medley of their hits “Mercy” and “Cold” before a one-of-a-kind freestyle from Kanye West that officially jumpstarted this year’s “Too Big To Miss” show.  Box office superstar and BET Awards 12 host Samuel L. Jackson was joined on stage by award-winning director Spike Lee for a hilarious parody of  “N***s in Paris” that had Jay-Z and Kanye West cracking up in the front row. 

In honor of the untimely passing of music icon Whitney Houston, BET Awards 12 pulled together an unprecedented pairing of today’s divas, family members, friends, and cast mates for an emotional tribute that even brought BET Awards 12 double-winner Beyonce to tears.  The incomparable Mariah Carey opened the In Memoriam celebration with a trio of stories, speaking about meeting her friend at the Grammys, working together on their Oscar-winning duet, “When You Believe” from the Prince of Egypt soundtrack and the last time they saw each other—laughing together in Paris in the fall. 

Paying tribute to Whitney Houston’s undeniable gospel roots—both spiritually and vocally, Monica took to the stage to sing “I Love The Lord.”  Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine” duet partner, Brandy, lifted the mood with up-tempo favorites “I’m Your Baby Tonight” and “I Want To Dance With Somebody.” Gary Houston, Whitney’s brother, sang “Where You Are,” a touching prelude to their mother’s performance of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Cissy Houston dedicated her performance to her late daughter and brought the audience to tears with her emotional rendition of the song.  Cissy Houston’s performance was followed by a heartfelt and memory-filled account from Whitney’s “Waiting to Exhale” co-stars Angela Bassett, Lela Rochon, and Loretta Devine.  Chaka Khan helped the crowd—including Soulja Boy—dry their eyes with an upbeat performance of “I’m Every Woman” that got the already standing room only crowd dancing in celebration of the late singer’s life.

Other moving In Memoriam tributes included Valerie Simpson ‘s love-filled performance to her late husband, Nick Ashford , Chante Moore singing “Love to Love You Baby” and “Bad Girls” to tribute Donna Summer , and special moments spotlighting the entertainment industry and world’s loss of Dick Clark, Hal Jackson, Heavy D, Etta James , Vesta, Robin Gibb , Don Cornelius , MCA, and Chuck Brown .

R&B crooner D’Angelo returned to the television stage for the first time in 12 years for a special medley of his sultry hit “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” and a new track, “Sugar Daddy.”  Actor, comedian and BET Awards 11 host, Kevin Hart, introduced a special performance from MMG featuring Rick Ross that showcased Wale, Rick Ross and DJ Sam’s “Bag of Money” and “So Sophisticated” before being joined by Meek Mill on “Black Magic.”  Closing out the show were Tyga and Ca$h Out performing their hit “Rack City” and “Ca$hing Out.”

Other notable performances included Usher’s sensual single “Climax,” Nicki Minaj’s booty popping rendition of “Champion” and “Beez in the Trap” with 2 Chainz, Melanie Fiona ‘s “Wrong Side of a Love Song,” Chris Brown ‘s zombie ballet medley of “Don’t Wake Me Up” and “Turn Up The Music,” and BET Music Matters newcomers Charles Perry and Jannah Bell .  BET’s Sunday Best judge Yolanda Adams , Season 4 winner Amber Bullock , Season 2 winner Y’Anna Crawley , and Season 2 1st runner-up Jessica Reedy also took to the stage for a crowd-pleasing rendition of The Clark Sisters’ hit, “You Brought the Sunshine.”

After a special tribute performance of their classics “Can’t Get Over You,” “Joy and Pain,” and “Happy Feelin’s” by Joe, Tyrese, and Faith Evans, respectively, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly were honored with the Cadillac Lifetime Achievement Award by presenter Tyler Perry .  Dr. Reverent Al Sharpton was honored by BET Networks Chairman/CEO Debra L. Lee with the Humanitarian Award presented by State Farm for his tireless work to bring justice to the underrepresented and marginalized.  The BET Awards 12 Shine A Light recipients were David A. Boone and Vy Higginsen.

Representing the cast of Quentin Tarantino’s “Django,” and to present the trailer for their upcoming film, which co-stars BET Awards 12 host Samuel L. Jackson were “Scandal” star Kerry Washington and Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx.  Other BET Awards 12 presenters included Taraji P. Henson, Elle Varner, Cedric The Entertainer, Meagan Good, Laz Alonso, and many more.

In addition to all of these spectacular moments, the full list of BET Awards 12 winners are:

Best Female R&B Artist: Beyonce

Best Male R&B Artist: Chris Brown

Best Group: The Throne (Jay-Z and Kanye West)

Best Collaboration: Wale featuring Miguel

Best Male Hip Hop Artist: Drake

Best Female Hip Hop Artist: Nicki Minaj

Video of the Year: “Otis” The Throne (Jay-Z & Kanye West) featuring Otis Redding

Video Director of the Year: Beyonce and Alan Ferguson

Best New Artist: Big Sean

Best Gospel: Yolanda Adams

Best Actress: Viola Davis

Best Actor: Kevin Hart

YoungStars Award: Diggy

Best Movie: The Help

Subway Sportswoman of the Year: Serena Williams

Subway Sportsman of the Year: Kevin Durant

Coca-Cola Viewers Choice Award: Mindless Behavior

Fandemonium Award: Chris Brown

Centric Award: Common

Best International Act: Africa: Sarkodie (Ghana) and Wizkid (Nigeria)

Best International Act: UK: Wrench 32

Photos from BET.com

Shawn “Jay Z” Carter Sets the Stage for Evenings at Carnegie Hall

In his most intimate performances in years, Shawn “Jay Z” Carter will headline the first ever hip-hop focused series at Carnegie Hall, in the Stern Auditorium, raising millions for the United Way of New York City and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation on February 6, 2012 at 8:00pm and February 7, 2012 at 9:30pm. Concert goers will get a once in a lifetime experience as Jay Z takes the stage at the New York landmark to raise dollars that will help boost on-time graduation rates in underserved New York City schools and put college within reach for low-income students across the five boroughs.

“It’s every artist’s dream to play a venue as legendary as Carnegie Hall,” commented Shawn “Jay Z” Carter.  “The fact that I can use the arts and my talent to benefit the education of the next generation of artists, entrepreneurs, and great thinkers makes for a legendary night.  I’m proud to be a part of the continuing work of United Way of New York City and expanding the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation.”

Poverty has the strongest correlation to dropout rates. New York City has the largest income gap in the U.S., and thirty percent of children in New York City live in poverty. Because of statistics like these, coupled with the fact that thirty-nine percent of New York City students who enter high school will not graduate on time, United Way of New York City, The Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation and Shawn “Jay Z” Carter are engaging activists and philanthropists to provide resources and opportunities for students.

“United Way is dedicated to helping low-income New Yorkers build better lives, and we know that the greatest antidote to poverty is education,” said Gordon J. Campbell, CEO, United Way of New York City.  “For more than 20 years, we have been active in early childhood centers and public schools, working with educators, families and students to address barriers to success inside and outside the classroom.  We are so pleased to partner with Jay Z and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation, who share our belief that every child deserves a great education.”

“It will be a thrill to welcome Jay Z to Carnegie Hall as he joins an illustrious list of top popular artists who have appeared at the Hall throughout its history,” said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director.  “It’s wonderful that he and the United Way of New York City have come together with the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation for these performances, putting a spotlight on an important cause, creating greater access to higher education.”

Private ticket packages will go on sale Monday, December 12th. For information on these private sales, please visit www.unitedwaynyc.org or www.shawncartersf.com.

In addition, a limited number of single tickets will be offered to the public on Monday, January 30th, 2012 at 11:00 AM (EST).   For more information on limited single tickets, please visit www.carnegiehall.org as of January 30.

Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Airs Nov. 29‏

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show features the Victoria’s Secret Angels in the annual holiday lingerie runway show, which will include musical performances by Grammy Award-winning artists, Kanye West, Jay Z, Maroon 5 and Nicki Minaj, pink carpet interviews with celebrities, model profiles and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the world’s most celebrated fashion show.

Tune-in CBS on November 29th at 9 p.m. (central) to see the Angels with their custom designed outfits, wings and staggering 6-inch heels by famed shoe Designer Giuseppe Zanotti. The “It’s Showtime” themed production show features 6 sections and the $2.5 Million Fantasy Treasure Bra worn by Miranda Kerr. The bra features nearly 3,400 gems including an astounding 142 carats of diamonds in addition to pearls, citrines and aquamarines set on a Gorgeous Push-up Bra.

Victoria’s Secret invites you to Tweet with, #VSFashionShow, the official hashtag of the 2011 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Plus, see additional coverage at Facebook.com/VictoriasSecret and www.VictoriasSecret.com/FashionShow.

Jay-Z Reigning King During Bonnaroo Music & Art Festival Webcast

By Mozelle Ellis

Jay-Z ripped through a blazing, hit-filled 90 minute set that was webcast during the 2010 Bonnaroo Music and Art Festival. An estimated 70,000 attendees and filled Great Stage Park, a 700-acre farm in Manchester, TN where the festival was held, to see Jay-Z and others.

Jay-Z deserves serious props for his performance as he gave fans more than their money’s worth. Unlike some performers before his set, Jay-Z really connected with the audience hyping them up and encouraging interaction with him. He reigned as the “King of Rap” last night.

He had tweeters pecking out “Hooooovvvvv”and responding like the live audience. Both audiences truly enjoyed his performance and to see the camera give us views of the crowd, swaying bouncing, throwing the illuminate sign with a bounce above their heads was amazing.

When the man breaks a sweat on the stage you know he’s working; but with 90° packed crowd, and lights on open field, you would be sweating too. A little shower poured down during “The Dead Weather” act. His set included: On To The Next One, Big Pimpin’, 99 Problems, Hard Knock Life, “Empire State of Mind, Can I Get A…, Izzo (H.O.V.A.) and Public Service.

Jay-Z cool swagger was unduplicated; I thought “hey, this is not the Jay-Z I see on award shows. This is Jay-Z’s recantation of the Hova persona.”

At one point he picked people out of the crowd and gave them recognition. A very lucky young lady wearing a tank top under a ripped shirt with writing on it that was drenching wet was invited onstage because it was her birthday. He and the crowd sang happy birthday to her.

Though Beyonce was there, this was definitely his moment to show his undisputed skills as one of, if not the best, rappers of all time.

Photo by Dan Locke