S. Samuel
Grammy-winning rappers Eminem and Jay-Z have been chosen to headline the upcoming Oxegen Music Festival in Ireland.
Em’s Ireland performance will be his latest since hitting the stage in the Irish Republic in 2003.
The festival, which is Ireland’s biggest, takes place between 9 and 11 July at Punchestown racecourse and attracts hundreds of music lovers from Northern Ireland. The Detroit rapper is headlining the event along with Muse, Kasabian, Jay-Z, Black Eyed Peas, The Prodigy and Florence & The Machine. Other names booked to play the 2010 event include Paolo Nutini, Faithless, Stereophonics, David Guetta, Vampire Weekend, John Mayer, Calvin Harris, Newton Faulkner, Gossip, Temper Trap, Empire Of The Sun, Goldfrapp, La Roux, Wolfmother, Rise Against, The Coral and Broken Social Scene. (BBC News)
Jay-Z is also scheduled to headline the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival this summer in Tennessee.
Headliners will include Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, Dave Matthews Band and Kings of Leon, in what is currently the Grammy-winning band’s only scheduled U.S. show of the year. Bands already announced this afternoon include Ingrid Michaelson, The xx, Regina Spektor, Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers, Wale, Mayer Hawthorne & The County, Phoenix and more. (Billboard)
Jay recently spoke on hip-hop having a global reach.
“The world is inspiring me,” he said in an interview. “I get out and see the world and more of the world is accepting of our music and what we do. I’m just inspired by the whole thing and how big hip-hop can be and how much of a phenomenon it is. You couldn’t imagine hip-hop being at the World Series. I touched the championship trophy before A-Rod and the Vince Lombardi trophy before the Saints. You couldn’t imagine that happening 10 years ago. How about five years ago? I’m saying that to say that the journey hip-hop has taken and we are right now, there’s no imitation to it … still. Still!” (MTV)
Last year, Jay released a statement speaking on the significance of performing at a concert alongside rock acts like Kelly Clarkson.
“On the show as well were Third Eye Blind and Kelly Clarkson,” Jay explained. “I thought that to be the oddest pairing ever but, soon realized, it’s what I’ve always professed. There is no such thing as black music or white music only good or bad music. It’s stupid cool to like things that are not like you, and that goes for outside of music. If you’re an African American you can have a Jewish friend…I think concerts like this should happen more often…I’m putting that into the universe..next up Taylor Swift and Uncle Murda!!” (Rap Radar)
Check out a past Jay-Z concert down below:
