Free Republic

Beyoncé and her baby have finally bounced from the hospital. Three days after giving birth to daughter Blue Ivy Carter, the singer and her husband Jay-Z left Lenox Hill Hospital. A hospital spokeswoman confirmed that the couple checked out early this morning. The couple is believed to have left the hospital in an SUV with tinted windows at 1:30 a.m. The SUV was part of an elaborate procession of cars that were spotted outside E. 76th Street. The departure could not come soon enough for other new parents. The pushy parents had installed bulletproof glass and burly bodyguards at the...

Forget the books. This semester, Georgetown students might need to bring woofers and turntables to class instead. According to USA Today, the university is offering a sociology class focusing on the career of one of rap music’s biggest stars: WASHINGTON – Michael Eric Dyson parses Jay-Z’s lyrics as if analyzing fine literature. The rapper’s riffs on luxury cars and tailored clothes and boasts of being the “Mike Jordan of recording” may make for catchy rhymes, but to Dyson, they also reflect incisive social commentary. Dyson, a professor, author, radio host and television personality, has offered at Georgetown University this semester...

Jay-Z's Occupy Wall Street T-shirt line has been pulled from Rocawear’s website just days after critics slammed the millionaire rapper for cashing in on the movement without promising to share a penny of profits with the 99%. The shirts, stamped with the phrase, “Occupy All Streets,” first appeared when Russell Simmons tweeted a picture of Jay-Z wearing one backstage at a concert. Rocawear announced on Thursday that it planned to sell the T-shirts for $22, but any trace of garments has now been wiped from the brand’s site. Backlash sparked when Jay-Z’s camp announced it had no plans to share...

The Occupy Wall Street movement has found a new supporter, and apparently a pretty high profile one. Jay Z – who I am assured by reliable sources is a musician – is getting on the bandwagon. Previously known as Shawn Corey Carter, the rap artists lays claim to being one of the most prolific and financially successful artists in the genre. And now he’s going to be putting out a line of T-shirts spreading the message of the movement. Given the rapper’s current wealth – listed at more than $450M in 2010 – he should be well suited to provide...

The “99 percent” have got money problems -- but Jay-Z’s got none. The millionaire rap mogul is set to make a mint by hawking T-shirts based on the Occupy Wall Street anti-capitalist movement. The shirts bear the words “Occupy Wall Street,” with red graffiti spray altering the slogan to read “Occupy All Streets.” They went on sale yesterday for $22 on Jay-Z’s Rocawear Web site. The music star -- comfortably among the richest “1 percent” of Americans that is the focus of the protesters’ rage -- has not committed to giving any of his T-shirt proceeds to the drum-beating beatniks...

A Rocawear rep says there is not an "official commitment to monetarily support the movement," which is taking a stand against corporate greed and corruption. Jay-Z is releasing a new line of T-shirts in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement Friday via his Rocawear clothing label, but he doesn't plan to share any of the profits with the protesters. LOL

Hip-hop hot shot Jay-Z is getting hammered by carpenters for using nonunion labor for the facelift of his Manhattan club 40/40. But the carpenters union, which erected five inflatable rats outside the Chelsea joint this week, has gone too far by shouting the N-word at management, according to Jay-Z's rep. "The union is trying to bully 40/40 to hire union workers. They were shouting racial slurs. It was really inappropriate protesting," said Lauren Menache, a spokeswoman for the Brooklyn-born singer. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2011/09/04/2011-09-04_union_and_jayz_club_each_other.html#ixzz1XE8mu5qg

In "Otis," the first video from the Kanye West and Jay-Z (a.k.a the Throne) joint album Watch the Throne, the two hip-hop moguls oversee some unconventional body work to what appears to be a brand-new Maybach: The German luxury car -- base sticker price approximately $373,000 for the cheapest model -- gets sliced and diced with a blowtorch and power saw. In the first 30 seconds of the clip, the automobile loses its roof and doors and gets remixed into an open-air Jeep-style vehicle perfect for joyriding around a parking lot with a quartet of young ladies in the back...

As if securing their program's first Final Four berth since 1998 weren't excitement enough for Kentucky players, the Wildcats had a surprise guest waiting for them outside their locker room after Sunday's victory over North Carolina. Rap mogul Jay-Z surprised the players by shaking hands, snapping photos and congratulating Kentucky on its accomplishment. "That in itself was a pretty nice experience to add on to (the Final Four)," guard Darius Miller told the Louisville Courier Journal. "Going to the Final Four (is bigger) by far. But still, Jay-Z. It's crazy. This whole day has been crazy. I'm still taking it...

MOUNT WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Authorities are investigating a break-in at a home on Mount Washington that happened Tuesday night. The male suspect is accused of breaking down two doors and then crawling into bed with a man inside the home. Authorities said the man grabbed his baseball bat and held the suspect at bay until police showed up. The man claims the suspect stole an envelope with cash and a money order. Police said the suspect told them that he had spent the evening at the Jay-Z concert in Pittsburgh.

(for the full post go to: http://threefingersofpolitics.com/2010/03/06/what-the-hell-is-jay-z-doing-at-the-white-house/) First off, why the hell is this ok? I guess this is an upgrade to having Kim Kardashian at white house but seriously, Jay-Z, and in the situation room no less? Also I’m glad he got to bring his entire crew with him. I mean Jay-z seems like a cool dude, but who wont they let in? I mean next thing we know Joe Biden might actually start to get invited to these meetings. Second, I’m sitting trying to imagine how much worse things would be if Obama didn’t spend half his time...

Photos surfaced this week on the Web of Jay-Z and Beyonce touring the White House, and visiting the Situation Room. In the pictures, which are posted on the Web site Rapradar.com, Jay-Z and Beyonce are seen looking right at home. Beyonce is in a yellow dress, and Jay-Z is wearing a suit and tie that look very presidential. “Many people are given tours of the Situation Room,” a White House staffer said. “This is not a big deal.” He described such visits as routine, and said visitors are escorted. Referring to Jay-Z, he added, “give the man some credit, he...

JAY-Z was caught up in a race row when bouncers at his BRITs after-show party “banned” white people from boozing with the star. Chart legend Jay-Z threw a lavish bash but music industry executives, journalists and revellers were turned away from the roped-off area because of the colour of their skin. Minders were spotted banning clubbers from the private event because they were not “of colour”. The venue was top new members’ club Merah, in Oxford Circus, central London. But the party, put on by the Collective Entertainment Group, upset many of the chart favourites who turned up. Among those...

HE helped get the first black man into the White House - and now JAY-Z reckons he knows how to fix Broken Britain too. The power to bring change, he says, in in our own hands. The US rapper who picked up a Brit for Best International Male Solo Artist on Tuesday tells The Sun in an exclusive interview that change will only come if people use their vote at the next election. However, he reckons neither GORDON BROWN nor DAVID CAMERON have the charisma of PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA. Jay-Z said: "Everyone needs new blood once in a while. And...

The Brooklyn-born rapper will sing his ode to the city, "Empire State of Mind," at the World Series kickoff game Wednesday night. Fellow New Yorker, Alicia Keys will join him at the new Yankee Stadium to sing the New York-centric hook, "These streets will make you feel brand new,/The lights will inspire you,/Let's hear it for New York." Jay-Z -- who raps on the same song "I made the Yankee hat more famous than the Yankees can" -- says the chance to perform during the World Series is "a once in a lifetime experience." "First of all, the new [Yankee]...

Media Bias: Not long after pro football welcomed a convicted felon back on the playing field, Rush Limbaugh is dropped for his opinions from a group seeking to buy an NFL franchise. Won't someone throw a flag? When even Keith Olbermann says back off, you know the politically correct critics of the conservative icon and megaradio talk host's proposed part ownership of the St. Louis Rams are guilty of piling on. The prospect of the leading conservative voice in America participating in the purchase of a football team sent the liberal elites into cardiac arrest and into a frenzied campaign...

Here is video of Glenn Beck presenting a copy of Bill O'Reilly's book "Bold Fresh" to O'Reilly signed by rapper Jay-Z. Also in the video they talked about the ACORN undercover video. Bill O'Reilly said that ACORN had to fire the two employees because "they knew you (Beck) and I were on the case." (Video)

For his first guest on last Friday's special edition of "Real Time" host Bill Maher spent a half hour interviewing rapper, mogul, and entrepreneur Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. (For my previous commentary on Maher's second interview of the evening, with progressive journalist Bill Moyers click here.) Carter was soft-spoken in his reflective interview which rarely got particularly political. Maher mainly questioned Carter about his artistic process and style. He did also ask about being a married man and his responsibility as a role model: My responsibility is to the culture. My job is to show it in a great light. I'm...

So you think you’re all cool and hip, huh? Well, you are not as cool as famous rappers Jay-Z or Drake — and you are certainly not as cool as Jay-Z and Drake together. This is the central thesis of “Off That,” the newly leaked Drake collab from Jay’s upcoming The Blueprint 3, and it’s hard to argue with. Just accept it: Whatever cutting-edge trends you think you’re inventing, Jigga and Drizzy already discarded as played-out years ago. Facts are facts. The fizzy beat behind “Off That” comes from Timbaland; while he and Jay-Z have done more ground-breaking work in...

Jay-Z reportedly "hit the roof" when he heard that Chris Brown allegedly beat up girlfriend Rihanna. The 19-year-old star handed himself in to police after officers responded to a phone call at around 12.30am on Sunday morning from an unnamed woman - believed to be Rihanna - who accused him of hurting her. The Umbrella hitmaker - who was taken by Officers on Sunday to the emergency room at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for treatment - reportedly suffered two "huge contusions" on both sides of her forehead, a bloody lip and bloody nose.

Here is video of Columnist Michelle Malkin on Fox News Channel today where she talked about rappers "Jay-Z" and "Young Jeezy" who made viciously racist comments at a pre-Inaugural party in Washington, D.C. on Monday night. They used profanity constantly, and made racist comments against the Bushes. . . . . . (watch video)

NBA star to crowd: Election day ‘is the most important day of our lives’ CLEVELAND - On his home court, LeBron James tried to swing some votes toward a guy who loves to play basketball nearly as much as he does. The NBA superstar hosted a free concert Wednesday night by Grammy-winning hip hop star Jay-Z for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, a former high school hoop star who still enjoys lacing up his sneakers and playing ball when he isn’t on the campaign trail. Nearly 20,000 fans filled Quicken Loans Arena for the “Last Chance for Change” rally, which...

Jay-Z clearly appreciated AM's presence, calling on the audience to "make some noise for DJ AM" three separate times throughout the concert. Jay also gave a shout-out to Barker and the people who died in the crash, saying, "We're gonna party it up for them tonight." But not all the shout-outs were so celebratory. Without naming names, Jay dedicated "99 Problems" to John McCain and a certain "homegirl," whom he described as "the one who says 'You betcha.' " "I'm gonna get in trouble for this," Jay laughed onstage, "but f--- it, this is freedom of speech."

On Hillary: “You know, over the last several weeks since [Hillary] fell behind, she’s resorted to what’s called ‘kitchen sink’ strategies. . . . She’s got the kitchen sink flying, and the china flying, and the, you know, the buffet is coming at me.” ...“You challenge the status quo and suddenly the claws come out.”..."I understand that Senator Clinton, periodically when she’s feeling down, launches attacks as a way of trying to boost her appeal." To a reporter: As he assured us after the whole "sweetie" incident, calling women around him "sweetie" is a bad habit he's trying to break...Finally,...

During the Glow In The Dark Tour’s stop in NY, which took place on August 5th, rapper Jay-Z premiered a new track while performing with Kanye West. The new song which will be on Jay-Z’s new anticipated album Blueprint 3, caused mass hysteria, and the song received a great uproar. The track which samples Run DMC’s classic song “Dumb Girl” drops a line for Presidential Candidate Barack Obama. Jay-z spits the ode to Obama in this line ” I rock with Obama but I ain’t no politician”. The Kanye West produced song is a clear foreshadow of what all Jay-Z’s...

Last week Jay-Z previewed his new song, "Jockin'Jay-Z (Dope Boy Fresh)," during Kanye West's Glow in The Dark tour stop at Madison Square Garden. The entire song was recently leaked online and it finds Jay-Z shouting out presidential candidate Barack Obama. Jay-Z raps, "I rock with Obama but I ain't no politician.....And I chill with the thugs and the gangsters too/ I ain't a Blood but I'm warring with the boys in blue/ Crooked officer, crooked officer/ Why you wanna see me in a coffin, sir?" The chorus features a sample of Run-DMC's Run from the song, "Dumb Girl, which...

Barack Obama, who says he listens to Jay-Z along with his “old school guy” favorites like Earth, Wind & Fire and the Temptations, alluded to the rapper’s 2003 hit “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” on Thursday to sweep away concerns about his pugnacity. After conceding that the Philly debate was tough, he brushed the imaginary lint of Hillary, George and Charlie from his shoulders, in a wordless reference to Jay-Z’s lyrics in his anthem about not letting anyone crimp your ride as you cruise from the bottom to the top: “Got some, dirt on my shoulder, could you brush it off...

LONDON - Organizers of one of Britain's best-known music festivals on Tuesday defended their decision to book Jay-Z as their headline act after Oasis songwriter Noel Gallagher blamed the U.S. rapper for disappointing ticket sales. The outdoor Glastonbury festival is a cornerstone of Britain's music calendar. But this year's festival has yet to sell out, in contrast to past years when tickets were snapped up within hours. Gallagher, whose band headlined the festival in 1995 and 2004, said rap was to blame. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," Gallagher said in an interview, an audio of which was posted...

UNITED NATIONS - Jay-Z boycotted premium champagne Cristal at his clubs after the brand's owner made some remarks he didn't like. Now the rap superstar has a new favorite drink: water. - - - - - Snip - - - - "I figure that once I stumbled upon that, if the information was out and young people knew that these problems exist while we're having Poland Springs at Cipriani and things like that, that we'll get involved," said the 36-year-old rapper, referring to the high-class restaurant chain.

Back in the day, when I was almost too young to remember, hip-hop music used to challenge people. It really used to make people think. There were songs like “Fight the Power,” “What’s Going On,” Changes,” and songs that discussed real relationship issues. Nowadays all we have are a bunch of pointless rhymes with explicit lyrics thrown in between. There are no hidden meanings, no positive messages and no legitimate problems. We, as hip-hop and R&B fans, should stop supporting such pointless junk. The other day I was listening to the radio and I heard one song by Bobby Valentino,...

I will never understand the "Rap" culture or whatever you want to call it. First Kanye West with his off the wall comments about President Bush saying "President Bush doesnt care about black people." The question I have for Kanye where is the evidence of this??? Im sick of people saying "If it would have been a white majority in New Orleans the president would have done something sooner." Please! Well lets see the Mayor of New Orleans and he was the one that could have taken huge steps to get those people out of there but he didnt. He...

Rap mogul Jay-Z is standing behind Def Jam colleague Kanye West in the wake of the latter's comments during Friday's telethon to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina. As previously reported, West declared that "George Bush doesn't care about black people" and that America is set up "to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off as slow as possible." "I'm backing Kanye 100%," Jay-Z tells Billboard by phone from London. "This is America. You should be able to say what you want to say. We have freedom of speech." Jay-Z admits he shares some of West's views about the...

The site is in German naturally because the celebrities are too afraid to show their anti war views in the states.Other anti-war 'stars' on the webiste include: Ex-Britney Spears fiancee/deflowerer Justin Timberlake Techo Musician/Eminiem punching bag MobyRapper/Hip Hop Mogul Jay Z (and significant other of Destinys Child frontwoman Beyonce Knowles) The Boy Band 'O-Town' who were formed VIA a television showA guitarist from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers (not Flea)And some dude from the group 'Audioslave'