• Jay Z Officially Launches Tidal With Rihanna, Daft Punk, Madonna, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Drake, Usher

    It is official: Jay Z's move into the music streaming business has arrived and he is bringing a lot of his friends with him. At an industry event today at New York City's James A. Farley Post Office in Herald Square, Jay Z announced the launch of TIDAL with his 16 artist partners. The event was live streamed as Jay Z announced his plans for the Hi-FI service with Madonna, Kanye West, J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Usher, deadmau5, Jason Aldean, Jack White, Daft Punk, Beyoncé, Arcade Fire's Win Butler, Alicia Keys, Coldplay and Calvin Harris.
  • Rihanna Denies New Album 'R8' Will Be Released with Launch of Jay Z's Tidal Streaming Service

    There's a big splash rising on social media today (March 30), as the impending re-launch of Jay Z's new streaming service Tidal inches ever closer. With big name stars like Rihanna, Coldplay, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Taylor Swift and more throwing their support behind the hi-fi Spotify competitor, surely a new album or big announcement is set to come during the 5 p.m. press conference, right? Well, if you're expecting Rihanna's hotly anticipated "R8" album, you're still in for a long wait.
  • Kendrick Vs. Everybody: How Did 'To Pimp A Butterfly' Sell Compared to Recents from Kanye West, J. Cole, Nicki Minaj and More?

    Kendrick Lamar was certainly king of the Billboard 200 this week, as To Pimp A Butterfly sold three times as many copies as any other record on the market during the last week. Part of the hip-hop game, more so than any other genre, is arguing about who's no. 1. Generally that means a ranking of who can drop the best bars, but money—regardless of what Jay Z and Jermaine Dupri tell you—is most certainly a thang. So how does the most hyped performer in recent years stack up against industry giants in terms of sales?
  • 5 Surprising Hip-Hop Ghostwriters: Will Smith, Dr. Dre and Jim Jones Had Curious Helpers with These Hits

    The hot news in hip-hop today is the rumor that Compton rapper Skeme may have ghostwritten songs for Iggy Azalea, including "Fancy," the no. 4 song of 2014. This news probably surprises no one, despite denials from the performer herself and mentor T.I. that anyone else had a hand in crafting her hits. And if anyone is that shocked or appalled by the news...perhaps they should check out the history of hip-hop. You'll be surprised at how many songs are actually written by the least likely of performers. Here are just a few examples.
  • Jack White, Jay Z to Release Insane 7" 'Magna Carta Holy Grail' Vinyl Set on Friday

    Jay Z and Jack White have finally teamed up at long last. (It's just the collaboration you didn't know you needed.) Just a few months shy of Hova's two-year Magna Carta... Holy Grail anniversary, today (March 18), the rapper/mogul and White announced that they'll be partnering up for a special, limited edition vinyl release of Jay Z's 12th studio album.
  • Kanye West to Headline Saturday at Glastonbury 2015: Full Lineup Pending

    Kanye West has been a busy man on Twitter today. If you finished sifting through the random nudes he uploaded of his wife Kim Kardashian, hilariously captioned "SWISH!!!!!!" then you would have seen his latest update announcing that the "All Day" rapper is going to be headlining the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury on Saturday night. The announcement was confirmed by Glastonbury on their website.
  • Damon Dash Is Done Talking About Jay Z

    Dame Dash and Jay Z helped build Roc-A-Fella Records into a massive success starting in the late 1990s. The two had a falling out after Jay Z unseated Dash and fellow partner Kareem Burke after he accepted the CEO position at Def Jam Recordings, which bought Roc-A-Fella. Now, after the two have not spoken in years, Dash is done talking about Jay Z, as he mentioned on Power 105's 'The Breakfast Club' Friday, March 13.