Jay Z knows a thing or two about creating a moment. Last year on July 4, the veteran Brooklyn MC made the music world stop when he dropped his 12th solo album Magna Carta… Holy Grail.

Before fans even got to hear the 16-track LP, Hov was making headlines just based off of the album’s revolutionary release. In an unprecedented deal with Samsung, Jay made MCHG available for free to Samsung Galaxy users and earned himself a platinum plaque from the RIAA before the album even hit traditional retail outlets days later.

It was a bold move, which at the time was just important as the music that Jay released on the album. Yes, there was hype and a lot of it, but when the smoke cleared, the business-minded MC left fans with a look into his elevated lifestyle.

On “Holy Grail” he spoke of the mounting pressures of fame and on “Picasso Baby” he rapped of high-brow art (while still managing to keep it dirty). The Frank Ocean-assisted “Oceans” dealt with deep-rooted racism and classism and “Jay Z Blue” tackled the struggles of being a new father and husband. Then, of course, there were club bangers like “Tom Ford” and “F—withmeyouknowigotit.”

On the one-year anniversary of Hov’s latest, we wanted to hear from you. How do you feeling about Magna Carta… Holy Grail today?

Here’s What You Said

Rob Markman

Mentally been many places, but I'm Brooklyn's own. Hip-hop gives me life!

@RobMarkman

With reporting by James Lacsina

When Busta Rhymes asked Eminem to co-star on his new single “Calm Down,” the Dungeon Dragon got a little more than he bargained for. What started as a simple three-minute song, with a few verses and a hook, turned into a nearly six-minute rap throw down.

“Originally, the song was like three minutes and eight seconds. I had two 16-bar verses on it and the hook that’s there,” Busta explained to MTV News on Wednesday.

Busta sent the song to Em, expecting to get a standard 16-bar rhyme, but Slim Shady sent him a performance more than three times the usual length. “Eminem’s verse comes on and it’s like 42 bars,” Busta said.

The length and intensity of Em’s verse made Busta a bit uncomfortable. Though the two came to the Scoop DeVille-produced track as collaborators, Bus acknowledges that there was a “respectful competition” between them.

“You’re not just gonna mop the floor with me on my record,” Bus remembers thinking to himself. “I didn’t expect any less because that’s what Em does, but that’s what people know Busta Rhymes for doing.”

Busta says he went back to write a longer verse to match Em’s rhymes and that’s where “Calm Down” began to turn into an anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better affair. After that, the two decided that Eminem would mix the record in his Detroit studio, but after traveling to the D, the maniacal MC and music producer called an audible.

“I’m in there, Em hears the verse. He’s vibing for ...

Beyoncé has some of the most memorable lyrics in music today, so when she decides to switch up a line or two in concert, her Bey Hive will surely notice.That’s exactly what happened after Saturday’s Cincinnati, Ohio On the Run tour date.

Bey, who is on tour with her hubby Jay Z, took the stage in a white wedding dress and a veil to perform her 2006 infidelity-ode “Resentment.” Now fans and the media are wondering if she is secretly throwing shots at her husband, who has been rumored to have been unfaithful, though the claims are unsubstantiated.

On the recorded version of the song Beyoncé sings, “Been ridin’ with you for six years,” but on Saturday changed the line to, “Been ridin’ with you for the past 12 years.”

The change is a bit odd; the track was released eight years ago in 2006, yet Bey only added six years to the lyric for reasons only she knows.

That wasn’t the only change, however. The “Crazy in Love” singer also seemed to direct her angst at an unknown mistress by adding the lyric: “She ain’t even half of me. That bitch will never be me.”

Could Beyoncé be stung by Jay’s unfaithfulness? Sure, it’s possible, they’re human. But speculators should also consider that the couple’s On the Run tour is also a narrative-based experience and maybe, just maybe it’s all part of the show.

Whatever the case, the rumors don’t seem to be affecting the couple too much because on Wednesday ...

Katy Perry may like to play with magic, but a group of Christian rappers don’t see the fun in her #1 single “Dark Horse.”

In 2008 Flame, Grammy Award-winner LeCrae and John Reilly collaborated on “Joyful Noise,” a bouncy ode to Jesus Christ. Now the MCs are claiming that Perry and her team lifted their track and they filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, claiming copyright infringement according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The suit claims that Perry’s tongue-in-cheek track left Flame’s song “irreparably tarnished by its association with the witchcraft, paganism, black magic, and Illuminati imagery evoked by the same music in ‘Dark Horse’.”

The suit not only names Perry, but Juicy J, Dr. Luke, and Capitol records as well. Take a listen for yourself, what do you think? Did “Dark Horse” lift from “Joyful Noise?”

Rob Markman

Mentally been many places, but I'm Brooklyn's own. Hip-hop gives me life! @RobMarkman

God works in mysterious ways; that’s the belief that Cardo has subscribed to after producing Jeezy and Jay Z’s new single “Seen it All.”

The track, which was released Tuesday, features the Snowman and Hov recalling their drug-filled past over a beat marked by swirling flutes, a lush string section and pounding 808s. It’s a new sound for the Fort Worth, Texas native, who made his name producing for Wiz Khalifa.

“I was definitely at the crib. This was in November of 2012 when I made the joint,” he recalled during a phone conversation with MTV News on Wednesday (July 2). “I was just in a whole ‘nother mood when I made the joint. The sample is from a Japanese artist named Tazz and the song’s called ‘Twilight.’ It just made me picture the Japan night life and the culture, with the neon lights and the people. I wanted to make something very melodic, and atmospheric.”

Originally, Cardo meant to send the beat to Big Sean and Travis Scott, but after an e-mail mix-up, the track ended up with Jeezy. “I never had Jeezy or Jay Z in mind for it; Big Sean was a person I pictured on it, and Travis Scott,” he said. “I sent to Jeezy by accident. I had two beats named under the same [name] in my folder for some reason and it got duplicated. I don’t know what happened; sometimes I’ll name the beat the same thing for some damn reason.”

After receiving ...

Robin Thicke is a man on a mission. On Tuesday (July 1), the soulful singer dropped his seventh album, Paula, a 14-track LP mostly dedicated to winning back the heart of his estranged wife, actress Paula Patton.

Since their legal separation back in February, Thicke has campaigned at both the Billboard and BET Awards, singing and pining for Patton’s affection, acceptance and forgiveness. Today, however, he called in the reinforcements and cast nine adorable girls and boys to star in his “Still Madly Crazy” music video, which he premiered with ABC.

Thicke, who doesn’t appear in the video, sings about longing for better and more loving days. Meanwhile, the kids put on a pretend “wedding,” mouthing the song’s lyrics, giving out flowers and throwing cake at one another.

Whether or not the video will help to bring Robin and Paula back together remains to be seen, but you have to admit, it’s pretty adorable to watch. And sad.

ABC US News | ABC Sports News

Rob Markman

Mentally been many places, but I'm Brooklyn's own. Hip-hop gives me life! @RobMarkman

Chris Brown has this whole bad boy of R&B thing going on, and while most artists find it hard to recover from controversy, Jermaine Durpi feels Breezy’s drama will only make him a bigger star. How big of a star? Try Tupac Shakur big!

“He’s a star, though. I told people when he came out of jail, he’s going to be Tupac,” Jermaine told Hot 97 reporter and famed blogger Miss Info, when the two spoke at the radio room for the 2014 BET Awards.

“He’s an R&B singer and a singer’s music is supposed to go farther than rap. And, it stretches over different boundaries,” the multiplatinum producer continued, drawing a comparison between Chris and the late hip-hip icon. “To me, he’s going to be more famous than Tupac. I mean, he’s a star, and I can’t front on it.”

On Sunday night at the award show, Breezy made his first televised performance since being released from jail on June 2. First, Brown put all of his dance moves on full display with “Loyal,” and then later in show he took the stage with August Alsina and Trey Songz to perform the “I Luv This Sh–” remix.

To keep the momentum going, Brown released the finished version of his new track “New Flame” onto SoundCloud last night. The mid-tempo love groove features Rick Ross and Usher and is sure to build even more anticipation for Breezy’s upcoming X LP.

Read More →

Busta Rhymes promised that when he and Eminem finally released “Calm Down,” that there would be a whole lot of rapping and the Dungeon Dragon did not disappoint.

The track won’t be on iTunes until July 1, but on Monday (June 30), Beats Music posted the audio to their YouTube page. The Scoop DeVille-produced track starts with the same unforgettable horn stab that House of Pain used on their 1992 hit “Jump Around.” The beat banger drops his concussive drums and sets the stage for an all-out lyrical assault.

Busta sets things off with his patented growl. “Oh my lord, lower the casket down/ Sprinkle the ash or get your a– kicked, pow,” he raps before turns his bravado up, bragging of his rhyme prowess for almost three minutes straight.

When Eminem finally takes over, he tosses the inspirational rap he’s displayed on songs like “Monster” and “Not Afraid” and goes into full “8 Mile” battle mode.

“Who raps nasally, eyes hazely/ Rhymes crazily, but sounds like a anus,” he spits in his tightly packed rhyme couplets before sending a shout to MTV’s own Sway Calloway.

“Don’t make me go take it back to the days of old/ Of Sway and Tech radio when I was taking so much no doze and LSD, I almost fell asleep on the Wake Up Show,” he goes on.

Excuse us while we go listen again.

Rob Markman

Mentally been many places, but I'm Brooklyn's own. Hip-hop gives me ...

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Music’s biggest stars gathered at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday for the 2014 BET Awards. There were some breathtaking performances and some pretty important awards given out. Pharrell Williams took home a pair, while Young Money brought home three statues as a collective.

Check all the winners below.

Best Female R&B/Pop Artist: Beyonce

Best Male R&B/Pop Artsist: Pharrell Williams

Best Group: Young Money

Best Collaboration: “Drunk in Love” – Beyonce feat. Jay Z

Best Male Hip Hop Artist: Drake

Best Female Hip Hop Artist: Nicki Minaj

Video Of The Year: “Happy” – Pharrell Williams

Video Director Of The Year: Hype Williams

Best New Artist: August Alsina

Best Gospel Artist: Tamela Mann

Best Actress: Lupita Nyong’o

Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor

YoungStars Award: Keke Palmer

Best Movie: “12 Years a Slave”

Subway Sportswoman Of The Year: Serena Williams

Subway Sportsman Of The Year: Kevin Durant

Centric Award: Jhene Aiko

Best International Act: Africa Davido (Nigeria)

Best International Act: IK Krept & Konan

Coca-Cola Viewer’s Choice Award: August Alsina

Rob Markman

Mentally been many places, but I'm Brooklyn's own. Hip-hop gives me life! @RobMarkman

Pharrell Williams’ win-streak continues. On Sunday (June 29) Skateboard P opened up the 2014 BET Awards in the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, singing his Miley Cyrus-assisted single “Come Get It Bae.”

Unfortunately for fans, Cyrus didn’t hit the stage with Williams, but the Neptunes producer did create a huge moment when he brought out Missy Elliott to perform a verse from her 2003 single “Pass the Dutch.”

214629216 by YardieGoals

It was quite the surprise, but for those wondering where Miley was, she was at home making a shrine for her Alaskan Klee Kai puppy Floyd who passed away in April.

“#solostonerselfiesunday makin summmm pretty jewlz to adorn the #floydshrine

Rob Markman

Mentally been many places, but I'm Brooklyn's own. Hip-hop gives me life! @RobMarkman