Jay-Z Close to Sony Deal— or Maybe Warner

Live Nation deal sign of industry upheaval

(NEWSER) - Rapper Jay-Z is about to decamp from record label Def Jam and sign a $150 million deal with concert promoter Live Nation, reports the New York Times. The deal, Live Nation's biggest to date, will give the superstar financial backing for tours, his own record label and other related ventures such as talent consulting. It reflects the ongoing scramble in the music business as CD sales plunge and fans download more and more of their music. More»

(NEWSER) - Jay-Z confirmed to RapRadar today that he has left Def Jam Records after more than a decade. The news follows an unconfirmed report on HitsDailyDouble that the rapper bought out his contract for $5 million. Jay-Z, 39, owed Def Jam one more album, but he was eager to move on to his new Roc Nation venture under the Live Nation umbrella. His Blueprint 3, with Kanye West as a producer, is expected out this year. More»

Rap's up-and-coming name follows in the footsteps of Kanye West, Andre 3000

(NEWSER) - The premise of Kanye West protégé Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon: The End of the Day is that he’s “not on the same planet as other rappers. The truth is that he’s not in the same genre,” writes Julian Benbow for the Boston Globe. The debut album “is a lot of things. It’s spacey, adventurous, and ridiculously intriguing if only because it’s so different. But it’s not rap”—more like “experimental and emotional hip-hop.” Elsewhere: More»

(NEWSER) - Jay-Z's new Blueprint 3 seems to have critics divided. Some see flashes of brilliance showing the rap veteran at his best, while others see a mediocre effort that relies too much on celebrity.

• Jay-Z sounds "hungrier than he has in years on about half the tracks, while sharing time with guest stars or grappling with undercooked production on the rest," writes Greg Kot for the Los Angeles Times. "Yet even at three-quarters speed, Jay-Z can still be formidable."

Says his generation 'disarmed' the N-word

(NEWSER) - Becoming a teen drug dealer was “natural” for Jay-Z, and it didn’t scare him a bit, given his environment in the projects, he tells Oprah in her O Magazine. “At some point, you become addicted to the feeling. The uncertainty and adrenaline and danger of that lifestyle,” the rapper says. He was shot at once, but made it through: “When you're a kid, with little bony arms—no wonder nobody could aim.” More»