Jay-Z On His First Number 1 Single, Already (Village Voice cover story)
January 20, 2010 by Marsha Gosho Oakes
Filed under News
Gracing the cover of the NY Village Voice this week, there’s an interesting article inside examining the context of Jay-Z’s first number one single, “Empire State Of Mind” – including how he almost chose Mary J Blige for the chorus before getting Alicia Keys on board.
Excerpt:
Everyone loves Jay-Z—not just his friends. And so everyone wants a unique, time-specific version of him. “Empire State of Mind” is the closest we’ve come to consensus. He had to move forward, to go up. It’s hard to believe, a dozen solo albums and countless playlist staples later, but it’s true: This is his first #1 single. Now we have the quintessential Jay-Z song. It may not be the most lyrically penetrating or sonically progressive. It may not be the best. In fact, it isn’t. But what it does is unite: At some point this summer, the song was booming from every car in every state in the country.
Click to read “Jay-Z’s ‘Empire’ Strikes Back at Last” [Village Voice].
British born writer and dreamer of Zimbabwean and Irish descent with hands and ink indelibly marked in music and culture, Marsha Gosho Oakes is Editor and Founder of SoulCulture. Has also written for likes of Blues & Soul, MySpace UK, HipHopDX, Dazed&Confused, Shook, Undercover and MOBO. MGoshoOakes.com
“Everyone loves Jay-Z”
Urgh!