I know this doesn’t exactly classify as underground hip-hop, but shit is dope. From “The Blueprint 3,” dropping in September.

Dope fan collage put together over Jay-Z’s History.

Some were there to celebrate the Obama campaign, while others gathered to hear rap verses. Before the lights dimmed and the show began, numerous pro-Obama shirts could be seen. One featured the phrase ”Barackstar 08,” while another had a massive hand on the front and the words ”Bye, McCain” on the back.

Ohio has hosted other concert/political rallies. One recently in Akron featured Devo, the Black Keys and Chrissie Hynde. But the Last Chance for Change was the sole event to target hip-hop voters. ”I came to see Jay-Z; I’ve never seen him live, plus it’s a good cause and it’s free,” said Julian Rogers of Cleveland.

Rogers, who works for Education Voters of Ohio, an organization that helps shape public-education policy, said he believed the event could mobilize voters.

”I think it’s a good reminder right before the election,” he said. ”I hope that they are here registering people and signing up volunteers for Election Day.”

Nick Wolkiewicz and Rob Malik also came to see Jay-Z.

Wolkiewicz, a preschool teacher visiting from Denver where he volunteers for Obama’s campaign, said the concert was entertaining, but not the most effective way to reach voters.

”I think being out on the street telling folks how to vote and where to vote, and registering people is probably more effective,” he said

Malik, a landscaper from Cleveland, said it was up to the evening’s star to seal the deal for some voters.

”I hope Jay-Z puts that in people’s minds when he’s on stage,” Malik said. ”I hope he’ll shed some light on the process and the importance for some people.”

A pre-show video touting Obama’s policy drew occasional applause, but it was the appearance of LeBron, sporting an Obama shirt, that drew the crowd to its feet.

”First, we’re here to help Obama become president, second we’re here to see Jay-Z,” said the Akron native. ”You hear people talk about change all the time, but they never really go out and make a difference.

”I need everyone in here, moms, dads, cousins, aunts, family to get out and vote on Nov. 4 because this is going to be the most important vote of our lives.”

Between speakers, a DJ played a string of current hip- hop and R&B hits, mixing in declarations to ”Vote for Obama on Tuesday.”

Shortly after 9 p.m., Jay-Z entered with LeBron, fronting a nine-piece band that included a three-piece horn section.

Wearing a thick Cleveland- weather appropriate flannel shirt and gray scarf, the rap star drew applause.

”We here to have fun tonight, but it’s also a very important election coming up,” the rapper said between songs. ”Get out right now and vote. The lines are gonna be long because we the youth are going to show them our power on Nov. 4!”

The rapper’s set included such songs as Can I Live from his revered 1996 debut Reasonable Doubt through his most recent album American Gangster. He dropped hits such as Dust Your Shoulders Off while much of the audience rapped along with him.

Though the concert was mostly about entertainment, Jay-Z turned serious on a few a cappella verses of his song Minority Report about the government’s slow response to Hurricane Katrina victims that featured pictures of President Bush interspersed with pictures of Katrina survivors.

At one point, Jay-Z brought a song to a halt to drive home a point.

”Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther King could walk,” he said to the relatively quiet arena. ”Martin Luther King walked so Obama could run. Obama is running so we all can fly.”

Source:
Ohio.com

The campaign also has created a video playing on the Obama Web site and YouTube that features Obama, running mate Joe Biden and a host of Michigan Democrats and popular entertainers who have hosted voter registration rallies and events in the state.”This is the biggest election of our lifetime,” Obama says in the video. “If you are already registered to vote, get your friends and family to register to vote. If you need more information about where to go, get on our Web site. … Remember, we need to do it by October 6th.”

The Democratic presidential candidate has been a huge favorite with young adults, some of whom have never voted, and with blacks. But unless supporters are registered to vote, they can’t help him on Election Day, something Obama plans to emphasize Thursday during rallies in Grand Rapids and at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

Michigan’s voter registration rolls have seen a net increase of more than 100,000 voters since January, to more than 7.2 million. Secretary of state officials won’t have a final tally until after Monday’s voter registration deadline, but Obama strategists hope to raise the number of new registrants to 150,000.

Obama’s Michigan campaign director, Amy Chapman, sent an e-mail to supporters asking them to volunteer to register voters by Monday’s deadline.

Obama’s wife, Michelle Obama, will push voter registration during a Saginaw rally at Heritage High School early Thursday afternoon before heading to Chippewa Valley High School in Macomb County’s Clinton Township for a late afternoon talk on the economy. Tickets to either event no longer are available.

The campaign also has enlisted hip-hop star Jay-Z, who will perform Saturday at Detroit’s Cobo Arena during a free rally and concert to promote voter registration. Those interested in attending can pick up one free ticket at Campaign for Change offices in Detroit, Dearborn, Southfield and Wayne County’s Canton Township.

Jay-Z, one of Obama’s favorite musicians, has won seven Grammy Awards, is married to singer Beyonce Knowles and is part-owner of the New Jersey Nets.

A spokesman for the Michigan Republican Party has said the number of eligible voters registered to vote already is high in Michigan — 95 percent. His party is focused on identifying supporters for GOP presidential candidate John McCain and on making sure they vote.

Source:
MLive

JAY-Z Nation will premiere on November 5th at 5 pm ET. The launch of JAY-Z Nation coincides with the release of American Gangster, JAY-Z’s new album in stores on November 6th. The channel will feature music from American Gangster as well as other JAY-Z songs and will include personal introductions by the artist himself. JAY-Z will also play some of his other favorite Hip Hop artists and discuss what each means to him.

JAY-Z Nation will also air a special live concert playback from JAY-Z forthcoming performance at the House of Blues in Chicago as well as special editions of Street Certified, DJ Green Lantern: The Invasion, and The Nation’s Top 20 Hip Hop Countdown hosted by JAY-Z.

“JAY-Z is one of the preeminent creative forces in the music industry. Over the last decade, he has truly changed the face of hip-hop and music culture,” said Scott Greenstein, SIRIUS President of Entertainment and Sports. “We are excited to have him take over our airwaves and provide our listeners with this unique and exclusive experience.”

American Gangster, JAY-Z’s tenth studio album, is inspired by the film with the same title based on the life of drug kingpin Frank Lucas. After screening the film, JAY-Z was inspired to create, American Gangster, his first ‘conceptual album’ depicting the birth, rise and fall of a hustler.

JAY-Z Nation continues SIRIUS’ tradition of creating exclusive artist branded channels dedicated to iconic figures at the top of their game. Recent exclusive channels launched on SIRIUS include Grateful Dead Channel, E Street Radio, and Garth Brooks Radio among many others.

To learn more about JAY-Z Nation please visit www.sirius.com.

Source:
CNN Money

The main point of the story was Jay’s trip to the United Nations to raise awareness about the world’s water crisis, and the November 24 airing of “The Diary of Jay-Z: Water for Life,” an MTV documentary following Jay’s experiences as he meets people without access to safe drinking water.

Peep the following link to view the interview:
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3661056

and click below to find out more about Jay’s upcoming documentary “The Diary of Jay-Z: Water for Life” and the World Water Crisis:
http://www.un.org/works/water/jayz.html

I don’t know, man … of course I still respected him as an MC and dope lyricist … I guess I just felt that my definition of hip-hop revolved around certain valuable qualities, and “Big Pimpin’” just didn’t seem like one of them.

However, a verse in what was supposedly his last album made me think different …

Since I know what I’m up against.
We as rappers must decide what’s most important.
And I can’t help the poor if I’m one of them.
So I got rich and gave back.
To me, that’s the win/win.

Jay-Z in “Clarity” from the Black Album

I liked this verse because it made it seem like Jay had some master plan to pimp the industry, get rich, and give back to the hip-hop generation. And in several ways since then, from my perspective, he has made significant contributions. Recently, Jay made another …

I came across an article this week entitled “Jay-Z Helps U.N. Focus on Water Crisis,” which explained that Jay-Z has teamed up with the UN to raise awareness about the world’s water crisis while on his upcoming world tour. In the words of Jay …

“I’m not just gon’ go and do rap songs. I wanna touch, and maybe help, and see what I can do in these areas. As I start looking around me, looking at things in ways that I can become helpful, starting at the first thing, water. Something as simple as water.”

Jay-Z quoted from Soundslam.com

Damn, man … doesn’t that make you feel good? Not neccessarily that there are people in hip-hop who are adamant about helping, but that the whole world has the opportunity to see and acknowledge that now. I think it is the duty of the hip-hop generation to make a difference … not just in the US, but all over the world. And if our most famous representatives become more outspoken and involved in national and world affairs, it will likely influence our educators, business owners and policy makers to become more involved as well.

So big ups to Jay-Z and the rest of the increasingly conscious hip-hop generation. Stay up, and we’ll see what kind of difference we can make. Peace.