China: Nine nations in one?
Thanksgiving turkey conundrum? The solution: Taobao
"Haibao is coming"
Nuclear fallout Beijing: Mao's underground city
'Stateless in Shanghai': Nov. 21 and 22
Fans of rap and hip-hop, take this down: Jay-Z is coming to Shanghai. Probably. The Grammy-winning rapper reportedly will be performing at the Hongkou Soccer Stadium on Monday, October 23, as part of a tour that will also see him making stops in Taipei and Seoul, according to Shanghai Daily.
Jay-Z's agent contacted us two months ago. And we decided to cooperate after seeing that Black Eyed Peas was a box-office success last month," said Sun, "Jay-Z is the leading trendsetter in American hiphop. He's more highly regarded than the Black Eyed Peas in the same industry.
However, conflicting information from his label's own site also has him listed as playing Singapore ... on the very same night. Unless Jay-Z plans to magically perform at back-to-back concerts, there are either going to be a lot of unhappy Singaporean fans or a bunch of crushed Shanghaiers.
This upcoming tour was announced a couple weeks ago, when Jay revealed that he would be partnering up with the UN for a campaign aimed at "bringing attention and relief to the many parts of the world where lack of safe drinking water is destroying communities and lives." A documentary will air on MTV in November.
"It's a huge responsibility, and humbling at the same time," Jay said, after the [UN] conference, about the role he's taking on. "I wanted to go to these [countries I've never visited before] to just tour and play music. Of course, I can't go to any place without touching the culture and seeing what's going on."
There's no word on whether anyone from the Roc-A-Fella family will tag along for the fun, but there's a very good chance that his girlfriend will be in attendance.
Arguably the greatest rapper alive (if he does say so himself), Jay-Z is a rap icon that has remained relevant for more than a decade in the industry. In 1996, he released his first album, Reasonable Doubt (which was recently performed in its entirety for a 10-year anniversary concert at Radio City Music Hall), and reached his commercial peak in 1998 with Vol. 2, Hard Knock Life. His most recent album (the Grammy-winning Black Album) was supposed to be his last, but that'll probably change the way things are going these days. Although the man is supposed to be retired from music right now, he's been quite busy lately. A mash-up EP with Linkin Park. Producing. Performing at Live 8. Cameo appearances (Kanye West, Beyonce). Being voted best rapper ever. Keeping track of his clothing line. Part-owning a basketball team. It seems that the CEO of Def Jam didn't get the memo about his own retirement.
On October 23rd, if all goes well, Shanghai will trump Singapore. Keep an eye out.
Jay-Z at Hongkou Soccer Stadium, October 23, 2006 at 19:30. Ticket prices range from 100 to 800 RMB.
More ticket information here.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
post to facebook
If anybody gets more information about this: to confirm that Jay-Z is playing on that date or otherwise, please post here, I'm very keen to know as I think this will be a great show. Also, I notice on the Rocafella website that the Hong Kong date is still listed as TBC, anybody have any info about that?
Mike
if anybody knows what it is happening in shanghai, about the politic situation... sounds really bad !
You could call up the Hongkou Football Stadium ticket office to confirm. They're already selling tickets, I hear.
http://blog.hiphoproom.net/eb/article.asp?id=230:
The censorship guys will have alot of fun trying to decipher Jay-Z's lyrics for "culturally incorrect" thinking.
Singapore, Shanghai, what's the difference? ;-)
I can't see anything on Singapore's ticketing site sistic.com.sg so I think you guys in Shanghai will be the lucky ones.
"The censorship guys will have alot of fun trying to decipher Jay-Z's lyrics for "culturally incorrect" thinking."
They'll get paid off. if Ice-T, Jin and Common can make it happen, I think Jigga can do his thing.
"if anybody knows what it is happening in shanghai, about the politic situation... sounds really bad !"
Honestly, it might be a good look for China. Tells people around the world that China is loosening up.
Then again, we'll see how this goes... I think with all the buzz going around, he'll do the gig. Singapore is probably more ready for a good Jay-Z caliber show compared to the mainland, however, China needs this, Jay-Z has an opportunity to really open up his fan base (and there's a lot of potential fans for the taking in the "middle kingdom") and he's planning on opening the 40/40 club out here. C'mon, ya'll... the ball is in his court. He'll come back with the 45.
-- MoJo
BTW, Rock-A-Fella and Def Jam don't update their site as much as they should... I would check back in a couple weeks and see what develops.
Sooo, when is Jin the MC gonna come here? That'd be interesting to see.
Jin was already here earlier this year... but I wouldn't be surprised if he returned to Shanghai sometime later this year.
Let's hope a lesson is learned from the JayZ situation.
The time has come to start using rap/hip-hop to uplift, educate and promote understanding and consciousness. After we pass a certain age, the lyrics have to change. After we have attained a certain stature, we have to graduate to a higher level. The fans on the other hand has to be a mixture of youth and over twenty-five and we who write rap/hip-hop lyrics have to write and sing material that suites an older crowd.
There is no doubt that lyrical content in rap/hip-hop has to change.
Anyway, the rap form of saying poetry comes from the African "Manding-Congo' and Cushi linguistic system of Africa. That language system is 'tonal' JUST LIKE CHINESE. Therefore, rap sang in Chinese can be done due to the similarities between some African language/syntax forms and some Chinese dialects.
"Rap, Rhyme and Rhythm: Rapsody in Hip-Hop, Rhythm and Rhyme," at http://www.buybooksontheweb.com
http://community.webtv.net/pabarton
http://members.tripod.com/pointingbird/lostfeatherintl/id59.htm
http://www.soundchristian.com/man
As one who studies rap/hip-hop culture and who also does some linguistic studies, the form of 'poetry' that rap-hip/hop uses comes from the African Manding-Congo linguistic family. That language family spread from Africa all the way to Melanesia, Southern China and Hawaii, then the Americas between 100,000 years ago to 30,000 years ago.
Take a listen to the languages from Western Sudan, Cameroon, Congo, Nigeria and such places -- take a look at the names of people. All are similar or identical to Chinese names. Take a look at some of the features of people from South Africa to Nigeria - many have similar features except for Africans having 'yellowish-brown to blue-black' complections and curly hair, while the Chinese are fairskinned to a 'yellow-brown' complection.
As far as rap/and Chinese accepting of it. We have to remember that rap/hip-hop is first an ancient African form that uses the very same 'tonal' and linguistic 'syntax' as Manding-Congo languages. That form, tonality and syntax is found in some Chinese, South Indian, Melanesian languages.
Also, the development of Reggae is responsible for the form that became 'rap/hip-hop,' that form is called 'toasting' and 'dubbing.' Both are Jamaican forms.
Reggae music in Jamaica is one of the very many industries that Jamaican-Chinese and Afro-Mamaicans cooperate in to create some very good music. Added to that, there is a Jamaican Chinese people called 'Black Chinese' (many Chinese mails stolen and sent to the Caribbean to work married African women and were accepted in the African culture and African-American culture during the 1800's - in fact one African-Amerian Austronaut has Chinese Ancestors from Cambodia) with great musicians and band leaders like 'Byron Lee and the Dragoneers' who are master performers and musicians and are in the Reggae and Calypso music industry. There are also many other Chinese like the Chins, the Kongs and other great reggae music producers.
So, rap and hip-hop will suit the chinese language and sense of loving color variations very well. Moreover, the Chinese language and the Manding-Congo language type which is where 'rapping' (to say poetry and recite the history of the African Kings - a feat also expressed on drums and with harps and stringed instruments), will be easy for the Chinese.
Of course, rap/hip-hop in China will have to suit the Chinse cultural values, just as much of it has to suit the cultural values of African-Americans over 25 who listen to a very different type of rap/hip-hop compared to what teenagers listen to.
nubianem@webtv.net
http://sexyloveromancepoems.blogstream.com
Manding-Congo linguistic family? Afro-Mamaicans? Wow. And all this time I thought rap came from the Bronx. Anyhow, it sucks that Jay-Z isn't performing. Anyone know if he's still coming to Shanghai, doing a club appearance, anything?