openentrance – What’s Really Going OnWhat’s Really Going On

JAY-Z will celebrate his 40th birthday in style on Friday (04Dec09) – with a U.S. number one single, the queen of the Grammy nominations as his wife and a reputation as one of the key cultural figures in the world.

The rapper, who scored a third week at number one with New York anthem Empire State of Mind on Thursday (03Dec09), is now one of the coolest 40-somethings on the planet and, as he celebrates his birthday with his stunning wife Beyonce, WENN would like to wish him the very best. WENN trawled through the archives and dug out 12 fascinating facts about Shawn Carter:

- Born to Gloria Carter and Adnes Reeves on 4 December, 1969, Jay-Z is the youngest of four children. – He went to the same high school as the late Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes.

- He began his music career as part of a local New York rap group called Original Flavor; he joined the crew with his childhood friend Jaz-O. – He claims to be able to count the number of women he has slept with on one hand. – Jay-Z wed his longtime love Beyonce on 4 April, 2008 in New York.

- He became the first non-athlete to have his own line of sneakers when he launched the S. Carter Collection in partnership with Reebok in 2005. – While serving as president of Def Jam from 2004 to 2007, Jay-Z successfully launched the careers of Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Kanye West and Young Jeezy. His four proteges have all gone on to earn multiple Grammy nominations; the only one who’s yet to win the prestigious prize is Jeezy.

- He became part-owner of the New Jersey Nets basketball team in 2005 after paying a whopping $4.5 million (£2.81 million) for his share. He plans to move the NBA team from their current home in East Rutherford, New Jersey, to his native Brooklyn, New York by 2011.

- Jay-Z partnered with Budweiser in 2006 to serve as a brand director and oversee their TV and print campaigns.

- Jay-Z holds the record for the most number one albums in Billboard 200 chart history with 11. He surpassed Elvis Presley’s tally of 10 when The Blueprint 3 hit the top of the countdown in September (09). The only other artists who can boast the same accolade are the Beatles, who also have 11.

- Jay-Z has been nominated for an impressive 35 Grammy Awards in his career to date and has claimed eight. He has five Grammy nods for the January (10) awards.

- He is one of the big name producers behind new Broadway musical Fela!, joining forces with Hollywood couple Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith. The musical celebrates the work of late Nigerian star Fela Kuti.

Beyonce Knowles is the latest celebrity to be added to a US investigation into claims that many stars have fallen victim to illegitimate snooping, with the internal state department declaring that 127 celebrities have had their personal details illegally accessed. Investigators took a sample list of 150 stars and found that 127 of them had suffered an invasion of privacy, with Knowles’ passport file said to have been accessed more than 100 times. Other victims include model Anna Nicole Smith and presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has issued an apology over the security breaches.

Source

R&B superstar Beyonce Knowles is set to receive a $1 million paycheck this October for playing at the Bermuda Music Festival in October.

AND

Retired supermodel Tyra Banks has been immortalised in wax at the Washington, D.C. branch of Madame Tussauds.

This was a mistake and not a dress malfunction as with Janet in the Super Bowl. B is a entertainer and was “getting her groove” on too hard and ….ooops!

Look at that big smile…Shake, Shake, Shake it Off! Big Ups Beyonce!

After much anticipation and media hoopla here in DC, The Beyonce Experience is truly that, AN Experience. From beginning to end, the energy was there. With pyrotechnics, bright lights, set and 5+ costume changes, Beyonce spanned her 10 years of experience in the game chanting classic Destiny Child’s songs from No, No, No to her solo classics such as today’s hit Irreplaceable.

Her cast of dancers, men and women + a very skilled all women’s band comprised of members from all over the world added to the creativity and “feel” of the Show. For all live music and Beyonce fans, definitely put it on your agenda to NOT miss this SHOW. Be prepared of 2 hours of non-stop action!

In regards to Robin Thicke…his opening performance is just O.K. You can tell that he is “NEW” and needs some work. His sound is good, but dance moves and energy was lacking. 

Dates and Locations for the rest of The tour are as follows: Read the rest of this entry »

Word is that Jay-Z is leaving Island Def Jam and heading over to Columbia Records. The Jigga Man would take with him ownership of his own master recordings which has to make him an attractive hire to Columbia co-chair Rick Rubin, who produced Jigga’s hit ‘99 Problems.’ Oh yeah, and if you didn’t already know, Columbia is the home of Beyonce also.

So why is Jay-Z leaving? Sandrarose.com reports that L.A. Reid has grown wary of HOV’s hands-off leadership approach, but some sources say it has to do with Jermaine Dupri’s arrival as president of the Island Urban music division in February.

If this all plays out as expected, you’ll have Jay-Z and Bey on Columbia and JD and Janet on Def Jam. Who do you think is the winner?