JAY-Z

LeBron James Trolls His Friends Maverick Carter And Rich Paul For Being Adele And Jay-Z’s Chargers Game ‘Plus-Ones’

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There was quite a stir on the internet when British singer Adele “debuted” her new beau Rich Paul after months of low-key “hanging out” (as he put it in an interview in The New Yorker in May), with fans flabbergasted (or outright confused, for the singer’s fans who don’t watch the sportsball) by the seemingly unlikely pairing. Paul, of course, is the agent of NBA superstar LeBron James, who it turns out isn’t above teasing his friend’s PDA with the “Easy On Me” singer, as he did on Twitter last night during the Thursday night football game between the Los Angeles Chargers (still feels weird to type) and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Adele, Paul, and LeBron’s other right-hand man Maverick Carter were all caught on the broadcast along with James’ mentor and favorite rapper Jay-Z, and he couldn’t resist taking the opportunity to troll his friends for being less famous than their companions. “Who the heck are Jay-Z and Adele’s +1s????” he tweeted, adding a monocle emoji for extra effect.

Of course, Mav and Rich are likely used to drawing just a little less attention after growing up with LeBron in Cleveland and helping to manage his career since he was drafted straight out of high school in 2003. Nearly 20 years later, it seems they’re as tight as ever — and enjoying the benefits of it, hanging out not just with LeBron, but with two of the biggest names in entertainment as well.

Oh, and the Chargers lost. Sigh.

Rick Ross Calls Jay-Z His Dream ‘Verzuz’ Opponent: ‘Why Not?’

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Despite already participating in a Verzuz opposite 2 Chainz last year, Rick Ross would love the chance to give the big homie his flowers on another. During an appearance on the daytime talk show The Real to promote his new album, Richer Than I Ever Been, Ross was asked which artist would be his favorite Verzuz opponent, to which he responded: “Jay-Z.”

“Why not?” he said. “To me, that’s what makes Verzuz special because it brings out the best in both parties. That’s a possibility, but I gotta give my flowers to the big homie. I got to. My homie gave me my first opportunity signing me to Def Jam Records, and he’s one-of-one.”

Unfortunately for Ross, it seems semi-unlikely that Jay would deign to participate in the hits battle series and certainly, the matchup that seems to be most cited on social media is the one with the most history behind it: Jay-Z vs. Nas. Still, that won’t stop fans from dreaming.

One of those fans turned out to be LA Reid, who recently caught flak for proposing a Verzuz between Beyonce and Mariah Carey. His suggestion was roundly criticized as being out-of-touch and lopsided, considering Mariah’s solo career began nearly a decade before Beyonce’s.

Check out the clip of Rick Ross praising Jay-Z above.

Snoop Dogg’s Only Regret About Working With Pharrell Is Not Getting A Song With Jay-Z

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Of all of the hits in Snoop Dogg‘s massive catalog, the biggest is his 2004 Rhythm & Gangsta single “Drop It Like It’s Hot” featuring Pharrell. It became Snoop’s first Hot 100 No. 1, a position it held for three weeks in 2004, and it was nominated at the 2005 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, ending the decade named the most popular rap song of the decade by Billboard.

In fact, many of Snoop’s collaborations with Pharrell have been wildly successful. “Beautiful” also hit the top 10, while “Signs,” with Justin Timberlake, was also a huge hit in its own right, landing at No. 1 or in the top 10 on numerous global charts. However, Snoop does have one major regret about his time working with Pharrell as a producer, which he revealed in a recent interview with GQ.

“What I didn’t get from him that I always wanted was a song with me and Jay-Z together on a Pharrell beat,” Snoop admitted. “Because I felt like [Jay and I] heard his beats the best, you know what I’m saying? We did his beats the most justice.” This opinion stemmed from a bit of friendly competition between the two rap vets. “Because that’s our producer; he’s our guy,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Man, that sh*t you gave Jay-Z was hot. Now you think I can get one better than that?’ You think Jay’s saying, ‘How the f*ck do you get this n**** ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot?’ I’ve been hanging out with you, and you’re going to give him that?’”

Elsewhere in the interview, Snoop talks about letting DMX record his final album at Snoop’s own compound for free, which became a key point in his negotiations to become the Def Jam’s creative consultant.. “[Def Jam] owed me [for DMX’s studio time], and I wasn’t sending no invoices because I did that for X and then X passed away. Charge to the game. He gave me that.”

You can read the full interview here.

Jay-Z, RocNation Settle Investor Scam Lawsuit

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Jay-Z got another birthday gift, wrapping up a lawsuit filed against Roc Nation’s Unanimous Games for allegedly scamming an investor. Jay-Z, Roc Nation Settles Lawsuit With Cousin Jay-Z’s Roc Nation has finally reached a settlement with its gaming subsidiary, Unanimous Games. Jay-Z’s cousin, Briant Biggs, was accused of working with a group to raise $1.5 […]

Jay-Z, RocNation Settle Investor Scam Lawsuit

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Jay-Z got another birthday gift, wrapping up a lawsuit filed against Roc Nation’s Unanimous Games for allegedly scamming an investor. Jay-Z, Roc Nation Settles Lawsuit With Cousin Jay-Z’s Roc Nation has finally reached a settlement with its gaming subsidiary, Unanimous Games. Jay-Z’s cousin, Briant Biggs, was accused of working with a group to raise $1.5 […]

Tyler The Creator’s Top Five Favorite Jay-Z Songs Include Some Unexpected Choices

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Although Tyler The Creator could easily be pegged as an antie-establishment nonconformist when it comes to hip-hop, he recently admitted that much of that posturing just came from feeling that he wouldn’t be accepted by the mainstream. Now that he more-or-less is the establishment, he seems a lot more comfortable engaging with the culture on its usual terms — working with DJ Drama on his new album, performing at the BET Awards, and participating in the time-honored tradition of sharing and debating Top Fives.

The Top Five, in this case, is Jay-Z’s songs, as prompted by Spotify’s Head of Urban Music, Carl Chery, who asked on Twitter on December 4 in honor of Jay’s birthday. As the responses rolled in by the dozens, Carl took the opportunity to share a clip of a recent interview with Tyler The Creator (who helpfully revamps his entire wardrobe between album cycles, making it easier to determine timelines in situations like this) revealing his own favorites. However, in typical Tyler fashion, the “Wusyaname” rapper still had to make sure his answers were a little off-center (and he picked six), picking eyebrow-raising tracks like “Allure,” “Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up),” “Excuse Me Miss,” “F*ck All Nite,” and “Show You How.”

Astute fans can probably pick out the common denominator in the majority of those picks, knowing Tyler’s allegiance to Pharrell Williams, but he also included the “Grammy Family” freestyle Jay performed for Funkmaster Flex. Maybe in a future interview, he could offer a little more insight into why these picks are his faves, but for now, they constitute solid picks from an expansive and nearly bulletproof discography. Watch Tyler’s interview with Carl Chery below.

Jay-Z’s Latest Tidal Playlist Highlights Mach-Hommy, MF DOOM, And Vince Staples

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Jay-Z’s playlists on Tidal have become a tradition of sorts, not just allowing him to stay in touch with fans — something he obviously cares very much about, judging from his recent drop-in on Twitter Spaces — but also to show off his musical knowledge, which he also seems to care about a lot.

His latest list has arrived to commemorate the renaming of financial services tech company Square to Block, as soon-to-be-former Twitter CEO and Square co-founder Jack Dorsey announced on Wednesday this week (after roasting Facebook’s re-brand, no less). Square also recently purchased Tidal, which helped Jay-Z secure a seat on Square’s board of directors. Therefore, the new playlist, “Block Vibes,” is a celebration of the change, of sorts, as well as an interesting marketing ploy, introducing the new name and demonstrating synergy across the new brand, which also encircles Cash App.

The list once again showcases Jay’s expansive tastes, including up-and-coming rappers like Mach-Hommy and Vince Staples, backpack rap stalwarts Madlib and MF DOOM, eclectic bands Haitus Kaiyote and Khruangbin, and rising Afrobeats stars Tems and Wizkid.

In addition to being folded into Block’s overall corporate structure, Tidal also recently revamped its artist payment system and added a free tier to allow for ads and better payouts to the artists that make the business all its money.

Listen to Jay-Z’s new “Block Vibes” playlist below.