Nas and Jay-Z Rock The Bells Performance 2. Nas brought out Jay-Z as a special surprise guest at Sunday’s “Rock The Bells” Concert At Jones Beach Amphitheatre

Nas and Jay-Z Rock The Bells Performance 3. Nas brought out Jay-Z as a special surprise guest at Sunday’s “Rock The Bells” Concert At Jones Beach Amphitheatre

The 1st annual Pemberton Music Festival

By Aaron “A*maze” Joseph

One of British Columbia’s biggest celebrations of music was nothing short of amazing with over 60 musical acts in three days. The Pemberton Music Festival was a huge success and is now one of the music festivals to rival. The three-day event brought in over 40,000 people to the small community of Pemberton, B.C. a visitor rate that has never been present even in the valley’s gold rush days.

The inaugural year of the music festival was better than gold for some, especially with a lineup which included: Nine Inch Nails, Metric, Jay-Z, Coldplay, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Tragically Hip, Buck 65, N.E.R.D. & more. Music fans finally got the chance to witness firsthand what a music festival is all about, and would agree it was worth the wait and the distance.

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Buck 65’s set on the Lillooet Stage

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Chromeo mixed it up for the people who managed to get into the Bacardi B-Live tent. The line up to get into the tent extended deep into the festival grounds.

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We think this guy may have had a little too much to drink.

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The Flaming Lips performing on the Mount Currie stage.

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Though overpriced, some of the food was pretty good. Right Houston?

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Jay-Z live on the Mount Currie stage. The audience loved him.

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Despite the profanity, drug use and highly sexual vibe, the Pemberton Festival was a family event?

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Matisyahu live on the Lillooet stage.

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They arrived late due to heavy Highway 99 traffic, but N.E.R.D.’s stage show made up for their lateness.

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Sam Roberts Band live on the Mount Currie stage.

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Serj Tankian of System of a Down controlled the audience amazingly during his Mount Currie stage set.

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Slip and slide action for the campers!

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Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers were the highlight for the older crowds.

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Gordon Brownie and the Tragically Hip put on a great show on the Mount Currie stage for their fellow Canadians.

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The infamous Bacardi B-Live tent.

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A glimpse at the audience for Coldplay as they rounded off the event.

* Photo taken by Aaron Joseph. ** Photo taken by Hugo Lunny

The 1st annual Pemberton Music Festival | Pemberton Festival 2008 Photos

Jay-Z - American Boy Remix performed live at Glastonbury 2008

Awesome - Jay-Z beats Noel’s rap - Glastonbury headliner turns tables on Noel Gallagher after Oasis frontman had lambasted choice of US rapper as top act

Rowan Walker and Anushka Asthana
Sunday June 29, 2008
The Observer

The rapper Jay-Z’s position at the top of the Glastonbury bill has notoriously riled the likes of Noel Gallagher of Oasis, who implied it was the sort of thing that would never have happened in his heyday. ‘I’m sorry, but Jay-Z? No chance,’ guitarist Gallagher complained in April. ‘Glastonbury has the tradition of guitar music … I’m not having hip-hop at Glastonbury. It’s wrong.’

Last night, before an adoring crowd, Jay-Z gave his response. As he took to the legendary Pyramid stage, vast video screens played images of Gallagher’s criticism of the rapper, triggering a massive chorus of jeers aimed at the Mancunian guitarist. That was only the beginning. The rapper’s opening track was a cover of Wonderwall, arguably Oasis’s most famous track. Some sang along, most just chanted the rapper’s name. ‘How good was that intro?’ said Liz Walters, 25. ‘He’s amazing.’

Article continues
The next tour de force was a cover of Rehab by Amy Winehouse. ‘For those that didn’t get the memo my name is Jay-Z and I’m pretty fucking awesome,’ hollered the triumphant rapper.

Earlier, ticket holders at the 150,000-strong event had suggested that Gallagher, 41, was out of touch and ‘did not know what he was talking about’. Many were excited to hear that Jay-Z, the first rapper to headline in the event’s 38-year history, planned to launch his set by broadcasting Gallagher’s comments.

‘Glastonbury is not just about white men with guitars,’ said Jess Carter, as she trudged through the thick, sticky mud left over from Friday’s heavy rain. Smiling as the sun finally came out, her friend Rohan Sethi, 17, said he expected the artist to put on the ‘best show ever.’

From the fields filled with back-to-back tents to those lined with stages, market stalls and bars, many felt the same way. ‘Jay-Z is not like your typical gangster rapper,’ argued Rupert Acton, 26, an aspiring hip-hop artist. ‘He is the best in the world.’

Hugo Driscoll, a 16-year-old who was desperately searching for his friends, added: ‘Who is the better role model? Jay-Z or Amy Winehouse?’

Others said they would not be watching the artist but were still glad he was headlining. ‘There are different types of music and it is good that they are showcasing them here,’ said Londoner Atticus Pappin, 17.

But others were less ready to welcome the star. ‘Rock is the essence of this festival,’ said Anil Ahir, 43, a production director. ‘Jay-Z is not the man for the job. Put him on a smaller stage, but not the Pyramid.’

Others were less moderate. Lewis Armstrong, 18, and his friends planned to shout abuse at the American. ‘There has been tension brewing,’ he said.

The controversy around Jay-Z appearing as the headline act at Glastonbury has been going on for months, ever since the line-up was announced. The decision to stage him has been blamed for the fact that tickets for the festival failed to sell out well in advance for the first time since 1992.

Gallagher added his voice to the storm but the rapper has since hit back: ‘When someone makes a judgment like that, they are kind of ignorant. Yeah, I’ve heard Noel’s music but I’ve never seen him or Oasis play so I can’t say whether his show is rubbish. Until I see him perform I can’t really give an opinion of him, but I don’t think he has ever seen me perform - I should send him a ticket.’

Plans by the artist to broadcast Gallagher’s comments during his live set were dismissed by the Oasis guitarist, who also criticised the sound system. Yesterday, he was reported as saying: ‘Blaring out? I fucking doubt it. There aren’t enough speakers. Well, I guess it’ll make the first five minutes interesting.’

Meanwhile, festival organiser Michael Eavis revealed yesterday he has been plagued by sleepless nights amid fears that this year’s event was set to make a £5m loss, with tens of thousands of tickets still not sold in the run-up to the festival. ‘I was really, really scared,’ he said. ‘I woke up at three in the morning sweating. I’m not joking.’

Eavis thought it would be the first time in years the festival would not be able to offer £2m to charity. But on Friday, tickets finally sold out.

James Turner, spokesman for Greenpeace, said: ‘We were a little worried about sales because Michael’s generosity to charity is dependent on the number of people buying tickets.’ But, by the end of last night, the charity donation was safe and Jay-Z was the undisputed star of Glastonbury 2008.

Original source

Jay-Z - Wonderwall video live at Glastonbury

Jay-Z & Mary J. Blige - You’re All Welcome video

Gallagher brands Jay-Z ‘wrong for Glasto’

Rosie Swash
Monday April 14, 2008

Noel Gallagher has declared hip-hop “wrong” for the Glastonbury festival, claiming Jay-Z’s headline slot is one of the reasons tickets for this year’s event have been slow to sell.

In an interview with the BBC, the Oasis man said the festival was “built on a tradition of guitar music” which the rapper failed to fit into.

Asked by the interviewer what he made of Glastonbury’s failure to sell out, he responded: “Well, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Gallagher continued: “Sorry, but Jay-Z? Fucking no chance. Glastonbury has a tradition of guitar music, do you know what I mean? Even when they throw the odd curveball in on a Sunday night and you go, Kylie Minogue? Don’t know about that.”

According to the BBC, Gallagher, whose band Oasis headlined the festival in 1995 and 2004, also said: “I’m not having hip-hop at Glastonbury. It’s wrong.”

Gallagher did not reveal the reasoning behind his statements, but was no doubt basing his comments on the many acts with a tradition of guitar music who have played the festival in recent years: acts which include Roots Manuva, the Marley family, Al Green, Mylo, MIA and Cypress Hill, who played the Pyramid stage in 2000. Not forgetting last year’s hugely successful guitar-based venture Africa Express and headlining indie act Shirley Bassey. (Ahem).

The decision to hand Jay-Z the headline slot at this year’s Glastonbury had already been the subject of criticism prior to Gallagher’s remarks, although objections were mainly confined to posts made on internet messageboards, which were subsequently reported on by tabloid newspapers.

Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis has confirmed that Jay Z will be playing the festival despite the bad coverage and told the Guardian that there were a number of reasons for slow ticket sales, predominantly the consistently appalling weather over the past few years. Eavis said the festival always attracted criticism for its headliners, but said “we have a responsibility to do something a bit different”.

Although a number of acts have already been confirmed for this year’s festival, including headliners Kings of Leon and the Verve, the full line-up will be revealed by guardian.co.uk/music at midnight on April 29. The Guardian are the official sponsors of Glastonbury festival, which takes place in Somerset from June 27-29.

Original Source

Usher in the Studio with Jay-Z and Jermaine Dupri + More Love in the Club

RICK ROSS DOES IT AGAIN - DEBUTS AT #1 SOUNDSCAN WITH TRILLA, NEW ALBUM FOR SLIP N’ SLIDE/DEF JAM - HIS 2nd CONSECUTIVE #1 ENTRY ON BILLBOARD 200, R&B. & DIGITAL ALBUM CHARTS - FOLLOWS #1 MAJOR LABEL DEBUT OF 2006, PORT OF MIAMI

“The Boss” featuring T-Pain bullets up Urban and Rhythmic radio charts

Slip N’ Slide/Def Jam recording artist Rick Ross joins the exclusive VIP club reserved for MCs whose first two consecutive major label album releases have entered the Soundscan chart at #1, as TRILLA (in stores March 11th) debuts at #1 on first week sales of over 198,000 units. The #1 chart debut- and #1 Digital Album - was powered by Rick’s current single, “The Boss,” featuring T-Pain, coupled with an aggressive street marketing campaign and a release week performance on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live. TRILLA follows the success of Port Of Miami, Rick’s IDJ debut album (released August 2006) which entered at #1 with first week sales of 187,000 units.

“We are thrilled to bring home this hard-fought #1 for Rick Ross,” said Island Def Jam Music Group chairman Antonio “LA” Reid. “The Def Jam and Slip N’ Slide staffs, and especially Ross himself, pushed really hard to get here. I’m proud of the work, but more importantly, I’m proud to have Ross cemented among hip-hop’s elite, where he belongs”

“The Boss” was produced by Jonathan Rotem, L.A.-based hitmaker for Sean Kingston, the Game, Snoop Dogg, Jennifer Lopez, Chamillionare, and others. The new single moves up to #14-bullet on both the R&R/BDS and Mediabase Urban charts; and also breaks the Top 40 on both the R&R/BDS and Mediabase Rhythmic charts. The song’s Hot 100 Airplay audience continues to build, now over 28 million with 3,600-plus spins.

Online, Rick’s personal “TrillaWorld” blog is in its second month of operation. His http://www.myspace.com/rickross website shows more than 14.3 million profile views, and over 366,000 friends, with an amazing 22.8 million total plays.

JR Rotem and T-Pain are just two of the guest producers and artists who contributed to TRILLA. Four of the tracks - the album’s opening “Trilla Intro”; the upcoming next single “Maybach Music” featuring Jay-Z; “Luxury Tax” featuring Lil Wayne, Trick Daddy, and Young Jeezy; and “Billionaire” - were produced by the Tampa-based J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, who won this year’s Best R&B Album Grammy for Mary J. Blige’s The Breakthrough (named Billboard’s 2007 R&B/Hip-Hop Album Of the Year).

More: Drumma Boy produced two tracks, “Money Make Me Cum” featuring Ebony Love, and “Here I Am” featuring Nelly and Avery Storm. Def Jam South and Cash Money producer Mannie Fresh is featured on “All I Have In This World (Japanese Denim),” which he produced. Other guest producers include: Bink! (”We Shinin’”); Drumma Boy (”Money Make Me Cum” featuring Ebony Love); Elvis (”This Is The Life” featuring Trey Songz); DJ Toomp (”This Me”); Carlos & Dada (”Reppin’ My City” featuring Triple C’s & Brisco); and DJ Nasty (”I’m Only Human” featuring Rodney). TRILLA’s previous single, “Speedin’” featuring R. Kelly, was produced by the Runners.

Rick Ross rose from ruling the underground rap scene in Miami, to becoming 2006’s buzz-worthiest hip-hop artist with his #1 Pop/#1 R&B/#1 Rap major label debut album Port Of Miami. Its unstoppable single “Hustlin’” became the first mastertone ever certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of 1 million copies before the associated album had even been released. A remix was subsequently issued, featuring Jay-Z and Young Jeezy. The second single from Port Of Miami was “Push It,” whose movie soundtrack excerpts (circa 1990) from Giorgio Moroder’s “Scarface (Push It To The Limit),” evoked the gritty soul of a city that is always on the edge of exploding.

Six-foot-two, 300-pound Rick Ross - who was signed to Miami-based Slip N’ Slide records by CEO Ted Lucas in 2001 - has now come into his own. A “hip-hop heavyweight,” is how the New York Times described him. “The number one ghostwriter in the South,” is how he described himself and his work behind the scenes for all those years. “I’m bridging the gap between the South and the East Coast,” he told Rolling Stone. “The sound is real Dirty South. But I’m spittin’ hard, to where the East Coast appreciates it.” TRILLA underscores the promise of one of today’s premiere hip-hop voices.