S. Samuel
Rap mogul Jay-Z's plans to invade his hometown New York's streets next month is on the verge of approval as details of a proposed live concert have leaked.
According to reports, the chaos is expected to go down less than a week after Independence Day.
Jay-Z is planning a surprise concert atop the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater next month that will turn rush-hour Times Square into a gigantic street party, sources told The Post yesterday. The rapper is close to obtaining the necessary approvals for a July 8 “Late Show With David Letterman” performance, the sources said. The city killed the same plan in the summer of 2010 over concerns about crowd control and security. “If he gets permission from the mayor’s office, it’s going to be off the hook,” a law-enforcement source said. “They’ll have to shut down Broadway around the Letterman building. They’ll have to have a strong police presence. It’s going to be chaos with so many fans.” (New York Post)
The Times Square event would likely have a chunk of the city shut down.
The sources said the concert will likely go off as planned, despite the Bloomberg administration’s decision to pull the plug three years ago. “It is close. There are a lot of logistical concerns,” one said, including shutting down a large swath of Times Square near the theater, which is between West 53rd and West 54th streets. But, the source added, “This would be a great event for New York City.” In 2010, Jay-Z and Eminem moved their concert to the theater’s rooftop, where permits weren’t required, after the city put the kibosh on their initial plan. (New York Post)
The rapper’s new Magna Carta Holy Grail album promotion is currently featured throughout 42nd Street.
Jay-Z has an album coming out, and if you didn’t know about it, you certainly do now. Following Hov’s three-minute ad takeover during the NBA Finals announcing Magna Carta Holy Grail, the hip-hop superstar has descended upon Times Square on Monday (June 24), smack dab in the middle of what some could call the world’s advertising mecca. With larger-than-life, black and white ads illuminating Broadway, Jay’s album promo can be seen from 42nd Street to 49th, glowing in the eyes of the tourist-dense crowd. Images from the NBA Finals spot show Jay at the piano and in the studio, while MagnaCartaHolyGrail.com stands around him in bold letters. The ads detail the Samsung deal the rapper has, encouraging Galaxy users to download the app, available now, to get the album. (Beyoncé smirks across the street in her Pepsi ad, as if she’s beaming with support.) (MTV)
Over the past few weeks, Young Hov has used multiple outlets to promote his upcoming solo album.
Jay-Z does things differently – be it sampling songs from musicals or releasing an album via Samsung Mobile with two weeks notice. To make up for the short lead-in time, Hov is stepping up the promotion. His latest attention-grabbing tactic is a promo video explaining how he’s changing the rules. In his latest Magna Carta Holy Grail clip, Mr Carter hangs out with high-profile buddies and potential collaborators Pharrell, Swizz Beatz and Rick Rubin. They listen to some hot beats before Bey’s better-half explains why he’s changing the rules: “We don’t have any rules, everyone’s trying to figure it out. That’s why the Internet is like the wild west.” (Idolator)
