Jay Z

JAY-Z has shared a video for “4:44,” the title track from his newly released solo album. Previously a TIDAL exclusive, the nine-minute visual is composed of various clips, from viral videos and news segments to footage of JAY-Z performing “Drunk In Love” with Beyonce.

The 4:44 album, which was produced entirely No I.D. and Hov, was certified platinum within a week after its release.

Watch the video above and download the track on DJcity.

Related: Watch Playboi Carti’s ‘Magnolia’ Video

MAKJ at Club Glow at Soundcheck in Washington, D.C. on March 30, 2017. (Photo source: Facebook)

MAKJ has an excellent track record on DJcity. The majority of his releases have made the daily Hot Box chart, many of which have also appeared on the monthly Top 50.

His latest offering, a throwback-style remix of Joan Jett’s 1982 anthem, “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll,” is likely to do the same. The track features moombahton and twerk influences and a prominent Jay-Z sample.

“I love the idea of blending genres,” MAK tells us. “I’ve always done it in my sets, and I wanted to make something I could play live, hence the idea of mixing Joan Jett with Jay-Z. They say opposites attract.”

Preview the remix below and download it exclusively on DJcity.

Follow MAKJ on Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, and Twitter.

Related: MAKJ Selects Tracks for DJcity’s Spotify Playlist

DJ Khaled, Future and Jay Z (Source: Tidal)

DJ Khaled has teamed with Jay Z and Future for a new single called “I Got The Keys.” The track, which is set to appear on Khaled’s upcoming album Major Key, follows the release of the project’s lead single, “For Free” featuring Drake. Khaled also dropped an accompanying visual that includes cameos from Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Pusha T, A$AP Ferg, and more.

Watch below and download “I Got The Keys” on DJcity.

DJ Khaled, Jay Z & Future – I Got The Keys video.https://t.co/2DhuIDLnsD

— Only Hip Hop Facts (@OnlyHipHopFacts) June 27, 2016

Related: DJ Khaled Talks Legendary Miami DJs With Nardwuar

Jay Z dropped his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, 20 years ago today. The project, which contains the singles “Dead Presidents,” “Ain’t No Nigga,” and “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” is considered one of the greatest rap albums of all time. To celebrate the anniversary, Power 106’s Vin Rican has returned with a new episode of WaxOnly, a series that showcases the samples behind classic hip-hop songs.

Related: Jay Z Remixes Fat Joe and Remy Ma’s ‘All the Way Up’

Jay Z‘s Roc Nation Management has launched Roc Nation Latino and named bachata star Romeo Santos as CEO. The division, which will focus on developing and cultivating talent, marks Roc Nation’s expansion into the Latin market.

Santos, who is one of the most important figures in Latin music, has also joined Roc Nation as an exclusive management client. In addition to his successful solo career, Santos is the former lead singer of bachata group Aventura, which is best known for its 2002 smash, “Obsesión.”

Jay Z said in the press release: “Romeo has had tremendous success as a composer and producer and can spot true talent. This is a tremendous step for Roc Nation. We recognize there is a huge Latin market that is part of global culture. We’re proud and ready to enter into true partnership with an individual that intimately lives and knows that culture.”

Romeo Santos also said: “With this next step and phase in my career I see a great opportunity to give back all that I have learned during the past few years to new talent. Not only do I idolize Jay Z as an artist but also as a business mogul. Jay Z is a visionary who was able to recognize that in our Latin Culture there is a lot of talent. I am grateful for his trust and that he has seen in me an ally for all Latinos.”

Related: 50 Greatest Latin Songs of All Time, According to Billboard

Fat Joe and Remy Ma‘s rap anthem “All the Way Up” has received a new verse from none other than Jay Z. The original, which also features French Montana, is currently number 51 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It is Joe’s highest-charting single as a lead artist since 2007’s “I Won’t Tell.”

Stream the remix below and download it on DJcity.

Related: Watch DJ Reddi’s ‘All The Way Back’ Routine

Jay Z painting by David Cain. (DeviantArt)
 
British DJ/producer duo LINQ has released a house remix of Jay Z’s classic, “99 Problems.” The rework, which starts off at 126 BPM, transitions down to the original 93 BPM, and then goes back up. Stream the remix below and download it on DJcity.
 

 
Related: Scratch Bandits Crew Remix Jay Z’s ‘Big Pimpin”

Jay Z (photo via Facebook)
 
Jay Z and Timbaland won a lawsuit on Wednesday over an Egyptian sample that’s used in “Big Pimpin’,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
 
A judge in Los Angeles ruled that Osama Fahmy, nephew of composer Baligh Hamdi, lacked standing to pursue the claim that Jay Z and Timbaland illicitly sampled his uncle’s song “Khosara Khosara.”
 
Fahmy argued that the Egyptian concept of “moral rights” applied to Jay Z’s license for “Khosara Khosara” and required the rapper, Timbaland, and their record label to get Hamdi’s family’s permission to sample it.
 
However, Jay Z and Timbaland claimed that Fahmy could only hold moral rights in Egypt, where a license they received from EMI in 2001 specifically excluded its use.
 
Listen to “Big Pimpin'” and “Khosara Khosara” below.
 

 

 
Related: The Samples Behind Nas’ Classics

 
The Wall Street Journal has published an inspiring profile of one of hip-hop’s most trusted sound engineers, Young Guru.
 
Born Gimel Keaton, the 41-year-old has been Jay Z’s engineer for 16 years, recorded Eminem and 50 Cent early in their careers, and has been in the studio with other superstars: Beyoncé, Drake, Rick Ross, Rihanna, and Snoop Dogg. He’s also served as Jay’s tour DJ since 2010.
 
In addition to making songs sound better, Young Guru is a visiting lecturer at USC and a frequent guest speaker at colleges such as NYU and MIT, among others.
 
“He’s expanded the idea of what an engineer can be,” Cornell University’s Patrick Gillespie told WJS. “Engineers are no longer sitting in the back room. They’re out front, creating things, showing the world what can be done.”
 
Grammy-nominated rapper Common told WSJ:
 

“He truly is a scientist, a musician, a visionary . . . Sometimes technology doesn’t get to the core energy of a project, but he knows how to manipulate it where you feel like you’re getting something authentic and organic. He uses technology at its highest level.”

 
Related: Young Guru Explores Los Angeles with Google Glass

 
Jay Z relaunched his newly-acquired Tidal music streaming service on Monday with help from some of the world’s biggest musicians. Artists such as Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Calvin Harris, Daft Punk, Jack White, and Coldplay reportedly own an equal share of the company.
 
The ambitious project has raised eyebrows, with many wondering how Tidal can compete with behemoths like Spotify and the soon-to-relaunch Beats Music. After all, Spotify has 15 million paid subscribers, and Beats has Apple, Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine behind it.
 
However, Jay explained in a recent interview with Billboard that his motives for the relaunch are not solely financial. It turns out that the multi-millionaire rapper has a bigger mission in mind. Here’s what we learned:
 
He believes music is undervalued.

“Imagine your life without music. It’s a very valuable part of your life, and like I said, that’s why we got in this business. It seems to be going the other way. People are not respecting the music, and [are] devaluing it and devaluing what it really means. People really feel like music is free, but will pay $6 for water. You can drink water free out of the tap, and it’s good water. But they’re OK paying for it. It’s just the mind-set right now.”

 
He wants writers and producers, not just artists, to be successful.

“For someone like me, I can go on tour. But what about the people working on the record, the content creators and not just the artists? If they’re not being compensated properly, then I think we’ll lose some writers and producers and people like that who depend on fair trade. Some would probably have to take another job, and I think we’ll lose some great writers in the process. Is it fair? No … I’m just saying the producers and people who work on music are getting left out — that’s when it starts getting criminal. It’s like you’re working hard and you’re not receiving. In any other business people would be standing before Congress. They have antitrust laws against this kind of behavior. It almost seems like when it applies to music no one really cares who’s cheated. It’s so disorganized; it’s so disconnected from reality.”

 
He says that Tidal allows artists to be more creative.

“I know this is going to sound crazy, but maybe [artists] start attempting to make a ‘Like a Rolling Stone,’ you know, a song that doesn’t have a recognizable hook, but is still considered one of the greatest songs of all time, the freedom that this platform will allow art to flourish here. And we’re encouraging people to put it in any format they like. It doesn’t have to be three minutes and 30 seconds. What if it’s a minute and 17, what if it’s 11; you know, just break format. What if it’s just four minutes of just music and then you start rapping?”

 
He needs independence.

“We talked to every single service and we explored all the options, including creating a white label with a service. But at the end of the day we figured if we’re going to shape this thing the way we see it then we need to have independence. And that became a better proposition for us — not an easier one, mind you.”

 
However, he believes Tidal and Beats can both be successful.

“My thing with Jimmy is, ‘Listen, Jimmy; you’re Jimmy Iovine, and you’re Apple, and truthfully, you’re great. You guys are going to do great things with Beats, but … you know, I don’t have to lose in order for you guys to win, and let’s just remember that.’ Again, I’m not angry. I actually told him, ‘Yo, you should be helping me. This is for the artist. These are people that you supported your whole life. You know, this is good.'”

 
He says that artists will make more money from Tidal than Spotify.

“Will artists make more money? Even if it means less profit for our bottom line, absolutely. That’s easy for us. We can do that. Less profit for our bottom line, more money for the artist; fantastic. Let’s do that today.”

 
Related: Indie Artists & Labels Offer Streaming on Their Own Terms