Jay-Z, Eminem Close Yankee Stadium Shows With Kanye West, Drake

Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, 50 Cent also make appearances at last of four Home and Home concerts.
By Jayson Rodriguez


Jay-Z performs at Yankee Stadium on Monday
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

NEW YORK — Like a good cleanup man in baseball, Jay-Z delivers big hits on a consistent basis.

On Tuesday night (September 14) at Yankee Stadium, the Brooklyn rapper closed out the fourth of his and Eminem's Home and Home shows (two in Detroit, two in the Bronx) with a performance that would make A-Rod envious.

"Break a record in this bitch, Hov," he rapped during a freestyle right after the opening number, the intro to his The Dynasty: Roc La Familia album. "Hit them with that BALCO."

The Roc Nation head, however, wouldn't need any performance-enhancing substances to give him an extra boost on this night. He confidently cruised through 90 minutes of material; Jay-Z was just as cool as the fall night.

Kanye West quickly arrived onstage two songs into the show for a mini-set of his own, riding shotgun with Hov on the "Power" remix and "Monster."

Jay-Z grabbed the crowd's attention again minutes later with an anecdote about his exit from the venue the night before. The legendary MC said on the way out after Monday's performance he ran into rap pioneer Kool Herc. Jay said he asked Herc to join him for Tuesday night's festivities, thanking Herc for creating hip-hop culture. "We wouldn't be here without you," he said.

"You ready for me to get out of here yet?" 'Ye asked Hov, bringing it back to the present.

"Not yet, we going all the way tonight," Jay-Z responded.

The Chicago star then burst into his "Good Life."

Next, Swizz Beatz joined Jay for "On to the Next One" before Eminem and the iconic lyricist traded verses on their collabo "Renegade." Eminem was agile onstage next to Jay-Z and appeared in arguably the best shape of his career.

"Go to war with the Mormons/ Take a bath with the Catholics," Em rapped. "In holy water/ No wonder they try to hold me under longer/ I'm a mother----in' spiteful, delightful, eyeful/ The new Ice Cube, mother----ers hate to like you."

Earlier in the evening, Eminem brought the capacity crowd to its feet by bringing out 50 Cent, who then brought out G-Unit's Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo with him. The trio from Queens sported glow-in-the-dark gear as the lights cut out during 50's performance of "I Get Money." Later, Fif ceded the stage to Em, and the Detroit superstar brought out Dr. Dre.

The hulking producer treated the crowd to "Still D.R.E." and "Nuthin' but a G Thang" sans Snoop Dogg; Eminem, though, filled in admirably for the Long Beach lyricist.

D-12 also took the stage during Em's set; the group dedicated their hit "My Band" to their fallen friend Proof.

The outfield was filled with fans, and their phones made the grounds look like a Lite-Brite as the screens lit up the stadium.

Jay-Z shouted out hip-hop's fallen heroes during his performance. He picked up Pimp C's "Big Pimpin' " verse a cappella and later ordered the DJ to play the Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy" and "One More Chance."

The show was smooth, but not without any hiccups. Drake delivered a stirring version of his "Light Up" with Jay-Z; the Toronto star sported a Blueprint 3-designed Yankees fitted cap to pay homage to Hov. "Welcome to the stage a man that's been getting busy as of late," Jay told the audience. "He goes by the name Drizzy Drake."

But minutes later, Drake stumbled through his and Nicki Minaj's "Up All Night." Hov offered a mulligan to Drake and later a olive branch when he told the crowd during his final song that he may have to offer the Young Money rapper a "free verse" to make up for messing up his sound.

Although Jay's most memorable performance involved his guest stars (Beyoncé also joined him, as did Nicki Minaj), this time it was a familiar face that helped him with the most moving part of the show. Memphis Bleek and Jay-Z ran through a series of the latter's past numbers as an encore.

"I got a million of these," Jay repeated twice, as he introduced songs ranging from "Jigga My N---a," "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" and "Where I'm From."

"For anyone that hasn't been down since Reasonable Doubt," Jay-Z told the crowd shortly after midnight, "you can head to the [exit]."

If you were at the Home and Home shows, share your reviews in the comments!

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Jay-Z, Beyonce, Usher Support Alicia Keys At AIDS Charity Ball

Jay, Janelle Monae, Swizz Beatz were among performers at Keys' 8th annual Keep a Child Alive event.
By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Hillary Crosley


Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz
Photo: Stephen Lovekin/ Getty Images

Alicia Keys has proven to be as selfless in real life as she is in song.

The singer held her 8th annual Keep a Child Alive Black Ball event in New York on Thursday night. The fundraiser brought out Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Usher, Jay Sean, Janelle Monae, Jennifer Hudson, Whitney Houston and more.

Jay-Z and Keys' husband, Swizz Beatz, performed "On to the Next One," and Jay later performed "Empire State of Mind." Monae also hit the stage, as did Keys and Sade, who performed a duet, "Love Is Stronger Than Pride."

"It's my heart and soul," Keys told MTV News about the organization she co-founded. "Since the beginning, we've been very driven to do incredible work. I'm proud to show what four to five women who are very dedicated can do."

The organization benefits children and families who have been affected by AIDS but can't afford to purchase medicine; the event reportedly helped raise $2.4 million.

This year, Keep a Child Alive introduced the "Buy Life" T-shirt. The shirt features a large barcode on the garment; donors can buy the shirt and scan the code with their smart phones to make a donation to the charity. Every time the code is scanned by a phone, a donation goes through. Ryan Seacrest, Kim Kardashian and Katie Holmes are among the celebrity spokespeople appearing in ads for the shirt.

"It's like a dream to me to be among these people singing and performing, and opening people's eyes to what Keep a Child Alive can do," Keys said.

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With Japan Fashion Week about to kick off its latest installment on October 15, Tokyoites got a chance to let their dogs upstage the event with a dog fashion show yesterday.

Click 'View Gallery' above for more pictures.

Dogs on the catwalk

In a city renowned for it's love of cats, with cafe's dedicated to them, this was a chance for the dogs to strut their stuff (albeit on a stage named after their foes -- the catwalk).

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Katy Perry Announces European Tour Dates

California Dreams Tour will kick off February 20 in Lisbon, Portugal.
By Jocelyn Vena


Katy Perry
Photo: Jemal Countess/ Getty Images

Katy Perry is taking her act on the road in 2011 for her California Dreams Tour. The "Teenage Dream" singer will kick off the tour on February 20 in Lisbon, Portugal, with the European dates wrapping up April 5 in Glasgow, Scotland. More info about the tour can be found on her website. No opening act has been announced yet.

Perry hasn't yet updated her site to reflect any of the dates for the U.S. stops on her tour, but she did tweet, "P.s. My dates in the USA, AUS & MORE are being put in soon of COURSE! Don't you worry...."

Perry has been clear that she wants the tour to be a spectacle. "I hope that it's going to engage all of your senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch," she explained at the VMAs last month. Previously she explained that the tour will be a feast for the eyes.

"I guess I'm looking forward to making music videos on this new album ... and I'm really excited about incorporating the look and the idea of some of the songs on tour and making a massive production of it," she said. "I'm gonna want a lot of visuals. I want it to be 10 times better than when I was on tour last."

In addition to announcing her tour, Perry also tweeted a teaser video for her forthcoming "sparkling" "Firework" music video. The teaser shows stills of Perry at a courtyard party in a European city. Other shots from the video show revelers dressed in underwear jumping into a pool. But the video takes a more serious turn when it shows those who have overcome adversity finding their inner fireworks with real fireworks blasting behind them.

Perry didn't go into details about the clip's concept, but she did thank the people she worked with on Twitter. "Not gonna stop shooting till the sun comes up cause we are a LIGHT in a dark place!" She wrapped the shoot on September 30, saying, "I want to thank all the magical people that brought their sparks to this video the past few days ... your light reminded me of my purpose."

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Michael Jackson Doctor Conrad Murray's Trial Set For January

Murray is charged with involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death.
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Dr. Conrad Murray
Photo: Toby Canham/ Getty Images

More than a year after Michael Jackson's death, the pop icon's former personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, was in court Monday (August 23) where a judge finally set a preliminary date of January 4, 2011, in the cardiologist's involuntary-manslaughter trial.

TMZ reported that Murray's legal team won a request to get a fluid sample from Jackson as part of their defense strategy questioning the accuracy of levels of the surgical anesthetic propofol found in Jackson's body. The Los Angeles County Coroner's office determined that Jackson, 50, died as a result of acute propofol intoxication.

Murray has pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of involuntary manslaughter and has admitted to giving Jackson propofol, a strong anesthetic usually used during surgery but allegedly employed by chronic insomniac Jackson as a sleep aid. Murray's lawyers have said the physician did not administer any drugs that "should have" caused Jackson's death. The investigation into his death was equally lengthy, lasting more than eight months, after which Los Angeles prosecutors charged that Murray gave the King of Pop a lethal combination of propofol and other painkillers and sedatives in the hours before the singer was found dead in his rented Los Angeles mansion on June 25, 2009. Murray faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

After hearing from both sides in the case at the January court date, the judge, Michael Pastor, will determine if there is enough evidence to mount a full trial.

Jackson's mother and father, Katherine and Joseph, were in court on Monday, according to Radar Online, sitting in the front row as Judge Pastor set the preliminary hearing date. Pastor granted a protective order covering all evidence in the criminal case, meaning it cannot be released to anyone other than the lawyers, paralegals and investigators in the case.

Murray's defense team reportedly asked for access to three fluids collected by the coroner's office, including ones taken from syringes and an IV tube to re-examine test results. Pastor ruled that the coroner's office must preserve the samples, and if defense attorneys and prosecutors cannot agree on the request, he will schedule a hearing on the matter.

After court let out, a group of Jackson supporters gathered and sang an impromptu verse that featured the lines, "Conrad Murray is a cold man," while holding up signs that read "Justice for Michael Jackson" and "Love Unites Us, Peace Drives Us, Judgment Day 4 All."

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