 First edition | |
| Author | Zack O'Malley Greenburg |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Biography, non-fiction |
| Publisher | Portfolio |
Publication date | 2011 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover), E-Book |
| Pages | 304 |
| ISBN | 978-1591848349 |
Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner To Corner Office is a biography of hip-hop mogul Jay-Z authored by Zack O'Malley Greenburg, released in March 2011 by Portfolio, the Penguin Random House business imprint.
From the official blurb: [1] Empire State of Mind reveals the story behind Jay-Z's rise as told by the people who lived it with him, from classmates at Brooklyn's George Westinghouse High School and the childhood friend who got him into the drug trade, to the DJ who persuaded him to stop dealing and focus on the music. Now with new interviews with industry insiders like Russell Simmons, Alicia Keys, and J. Cole—more than one hundred in total—this book explains just how Jay-Z propelled himself from the bleak streets of Brooklyn to the heights of the business world. Noteworthy sources interviewed for this biography include Fab Five Freddy, Russell Simmons, Damon Dash, Alicia Keys and J. Cole.
The book was cited by Bloomberg as "one of the year's best rock books" [2] and praised by other outlets including CNN, which dubbed it "a superb guide for your career, even if you are looking to be an investment banker or grocery store manager instead of a hip hop legend.” [3]
Alicia Augello Cook, known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Columbia Records. After disputes with the label, she signed with Arista Records and later released her debut album, Songs in A Minor, with J Records in 2001. The album was critically and commercially successful, selling over 12 million copies worldwide. It spawned the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Fallin'", and earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002. Her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), was also a critical and commercial success, selling eight million copies worldwide, and producing the singles "You Don't Know My Name", "If I Ain't Got You", and "Diary". The album garnered her an additional four Grammy Awards.
Christopher George Latore Wallace, better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta rap, he is widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Wallace became known for his distinctive laid-back lyrical delivery, offsetting the lyrics' often grim content. His music was often semi-autobiographical, telling of hardship and criminality, but also of debauchery and celebration.
Shawn Corey Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of the most influential hip-hop artists. He was the CEO of Def Jam Recordings and he has been central to the creative and commercial success of artists including Kanye West, Rihanna, and J. Cole.
Earl Simmons, known professionally as DMX, was an American rapper and actor. He began rapping in the early 1990s and released his debut album It's Dark and Hell Is Hot in 1998, to both critical acclaim and commercial success, selling 251,000 copies within its first week of release. DMX released his best-selling album, ... And Then There Was X, in 1999, which included the hit single "Party Up ". His 2003 singles "Where the Hood At?" and "X Gon' Give It to Ya" were also commercially successful. He was the first artist to debut an album at No.1 five times in a row on the Billboard 200 charts. Overall, DMX sold over 74 million records worldwide.
Russell Wendell Simmons is an American entrepreneur and record executive. He co-founded the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. Simmons' net worth was estimated at $340 million in 2011.
"Ether" is a diss song by American rapper Nas, from his 2001 album Stillmatic. The song was a response to Jay-Z's "Takeover", a diss track directed towards Nas and Prodigy.
Kasseem Daoud Dean, known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, DJ, and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the age of 18, he started to gain recognition in the hip hop industry through his family's record label, Ruff Ryders, as well as his friendship and work with East Coast rapper DMX. Working with DMX as his producer, DJ and hype man helped Dean gain prominence as a high-profile personality in hip hop.
John Bayas, also known as The Original Jazzy Jay or DJ Jazzy Jay, is an American hip hop DJ and producer.
The Blueprint 3 is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released September 8, 2009, on Roc Nation, through distribution from Asylum Records and Atlantic Records. It is the third album in the Blueprint series, preceded by The Blueprint (2001) and The Blueprint2: The Gift & The Curse (2002). Production for the album took place during 2008 to 2009 at several recording studios and was handled by Kanye West, No I.D., The Neptunes, Jeff Bhasker, Al Shux, Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, The Inkredibles, Swizz Beatz, and Timbaland. The album also features guest appearances by Kanye West, Rihanna, Drake, Kid Cudi, Young Jeezy, J. Cole and Alicia Keys among others.
Gregory Skyler Taylor, known professionally as Skyzoo, is an American actor and rapper. He has released a number of notable solo and collaborative albums, including Cloud 9: The 3 Day High with 9th Wonder in 2006, The Salvation in 2009, A Dream Deferred in 2012, Music For My Friends in 2015, and his most recent solo album All the Brilliant Things. Skyzoo has also released a plethora of non-commercial mixtapes including Corner Store Classic and The Great Debater throughout his career, and has worked with artists such as Jill Scott, Wale, Lloyd Banks, Tyrese, Dr. Dre, Raheem Devaughn, Black Thought, Jadakiss, Talib Kweli, Spike Lee, John Legend, and others. Skyzoo has headlined or co-headlined often-yearly tours throughout Europe, the United Kingdom, Africa, Australia, and Asia, and he owns and operates the independent record label First Generation Rich.
"Empire State of Mind" is a song performed by American rapper Jay-Z featuring American singer Alicia Keys from the former's 11th studio album, The Blueprint 3 (2009). It was released on October 20, 2009. Produced by Al Shux, the song features a music sample of "Love on a Two-Way Street" performed by The Moments. It was originally written by Angela Hunte and Janet Sewell-Ulepic as a tribute to their hometown, New York City. The following month, they submitted it to Jay-Z's label Roc Nation, whose reviews were a discouragement. They later took the suggestion of an associate of EMI Music Publishing and resubmitted it to Jay-Z, who kept the "New York" singing part on the hook, changed the verses, and recorded it. The song's title, similar to New York State of Mind, is a wordplay and tribute to New York's nickname and could also be a reference to Empire State Building in Manhattan, New York City.
Bridget Kelly is an American singer and songwriter from New York City. In 2008, Kelly, a pop and R&B recording artist, who has written songs for fellow American singers such as Kelly Clarkson, secured a recording contract with American rapper and hip-hop mogul Jay-Z's record label Roc Nation.
"Empire State of Mind Broken Down" is a song by American musician Alicia Keys from her fourth studio album, The Element of Freedom (2009). It is an answer song to the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Empire State of Mind" performed by Jay-Z featuring Keys. Produced by Al Shux and Keys, the song gained international airplay and download sales although it was only officially released in the United Kingdom as the second single from The Element of Freedom.
Alexander Shuckburgh, who is also known as Al Shux, is a British record producer and songwriter from London, England. Shux has worked with musical artists Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Plan B, Tinie Tempah and Lana Del Rey.
Zack O'Malley Greenburg is an American writer, journalist and former child-actor. He is a senior editor at Forbes magazine, where he covers music, media and entertainment. He is also the author of three books: 3 Kings: Diddy, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z and Hip-Hop's Multibillion-Dollar Rise ; Michael Jackson, Inc.: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of a Billion-Dollar Empire ; and Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner to Corner Office. He has a fourth book in progress, A-List Angels: How a Band of Actors, Artists, and Athletes Hacked Silicon Valley. He played Lorenzo Odone in the 1992 film Lorenzo's Oil.
Run-DMC was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture and one of the most famous hip hop acts of the 1980s. Along with Beastie Boys, LL Cool J and Public Enemy, the group pioneered new school hip hop music. The group was among the first to highlight the importance of the MC and DJ relationship.
The 2010 show was hosted by Mike Epps. DJ Khaled was the host DJ and DJ Premier DJed the cyphers.
Here in Times Square is a concert television special featuring American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. Recorded at Times Square in New York City, the concert featured Keys and various guests performing songs from Keys sixth studio album Here (2016) and her previous albums, as well as covers. The concert was directed by Hamish Hamilton and recorded on October 9, 2016. It aired on BET in the United States on November 3, 2016 and later in other countries.
3 Kings: Diddy, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z and Hip-Hop's Multibillion-Dollar Rise is a non-fiction book by Zack O'Malley Greenburg published by Little, Brown in March 2018.
Hip hop music can incorporate elements of classical music, either using live instruments or with recorded samples. Early examples of classical music instrumentation in hip hop date to the 1990s. In the 2000s, artists such as Nas, Kendrick Lamar, The Black Violin, and DJ Premier began to prominently use classical music elements. Classical hip hop's biggest hit so far would be the 2009 Jay-Z and Alicia Keys duet Empire State of Mind, which has been described as an orchestral rap ballad. Post Malone would also flirt with the style as well on some of his songs.