Image Credit: Kent Miller/PR PhotosJay-Z was planning to surprise Midtown Manhattan this coming Monday with a performance outside the studio where CBS’ Late Show With David Letterman tapes — until New York City government bureaucrats nixed the set today. It’s an odd decision, given that massive acts like Phish and Paul McCartney have performed on that same Ed Sullivan Theater balcony as recently as last summer without a problem. What makes this Jay-Z gig different, aside from the fact that he’s a rapper and they’re rockers?
“There was discussion of a concert, and ultimately it was decided there would be no permit,” a representative of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting said in a statement provided to EW. “Many permits are granted on the condition that the event is not made public beforehand for capacity and security reasons. This event was made public.” Yet I was unaware of this performance before news of its cancellation got out, and I am a music journalist who works a few blocks away from the site of the concert. How widely was this secret show really known before this? The city office has not answered my request for clarification on what publicity they’re referring to.
More likely, this has something to do with the near-riot that broke out at a free Drake/Hanson show at NYC’s South Street Seaport earlier this week. Perhaps the city is wary of free outdoor concerts by major stars right now. Fair enough — but if that’s the real reason, then why hasn’t anyone moved to cancel the many free concerts still planned at that same South Street Seaport venue this summer? As the Village Voice has noted, the next scheduled show in the free series that would have brought Drake and Hanson to South Street Seaport is a Ke$ha gig, and her fans are surely no older or less potentially unruly than Jay-Z’s. I can’t help thinking the whole thing smacks of a double standard.
UPDATE: Jay-Z got around the denied permit by moving his Letterman performance to the theater’s rooftop, where he was joined by Eminem.
I’ve reached out to Jay-Z’s camp and the city’s for further comment. ‘Til then, what do you think of this news?
(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix)
More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Snoop Dogg raps for True Blood
Miley Cyrus and Bret Michaels on Good Morning America
Pauly Shore shills for Eminem’s ‘Recovery’: Watch the funny clip here
Snoop Dogg barred from Dutch festival
Dr. Dre and Jay-Z’s “Under Pressure” leaks
Glee beats Twilight to No. 1 on Billboard 200 albums chart
Whew, thank goodness Ke¢ha can still perform.
Yet another black man in America getin quashed becuase hes got too much power and too much money. Straight up racism just like my man Young Money and T.I. America cant handle a sussessful African American and that’s for real.
second that
It’s dfulicfit to find smartpeople on this topic, but you seemlike you know what you’re speakingabout! I appreciate it
Show was cancelled due to lack of talent by the so-called performer.
You are clearly an idiot.
Only a fool would claim that Jay-Z has no talent. Me, personally, I dont care for rap music, but i can recognize a good show when I see one, and Jay-Z is one of the best
I claim Jay-Z has no talent. his “lyrics” are just profanity laced garbage and his “music” is just a bunch of machinated noise.
@couchgrouch: have you ever seen him perform? …didn’t think so.
you have no frame of reference, you’re out of your element
I’ve seen televised “performances”, heard his “songs” and am aware of his “lyrics”., all of which are my “frames of reference”. completely unimpressive and is just another rapper yelling profanity over machines which describes pretty much every rapper of the past 30 years. a jr. high student could’ve written Empire State of Mind.
Within the hip hop community, Jay Z is on no one’s top five list. He can hype himself all he wants, but at the end of the day, poetry > slick talk. sorry jay
Within the hiphop community he is on a lot of people’s top five list. ‘Reasonable Doubt’ should be in every hip hop fan’s shelf… Even if you only have five albums.
Jay-Z is talentless as far as musicianship, and generic as far as performance. And yes i’ve seen him perform a couple of times, and actually made it all the way to the end of one of the performances without walking out on it.
He is, however, very talented in the arena of business. That is to say “selling product”. And let’s face it, that’s exactly what the music industry is these days. It’s not music….it’s product.
Every time there’s an article on here about an MC, all the hip-hop haters have to come out of the woodwork to display their ignorance by complaining about how rap is “not real music” and the like. Why don’t you go listen to your Led Zeppelin albums and leave the rest of us alone. Rap is a legitimate style of music and Jay-Z is one of the genre’s most successful and important representatives. You don’t HAVE to listen if you don’t like it. Get over it.
“I don’t like rap so I’m going to discredit it as a genre and say that all rappers lack talent.”–couchgrouch
P.S. “A junior high school student could have written ‘Empire State of Mind’”? Wow.
P.P.S.–I agree 100% with erin above me
Couchgrouch: I’m gonna go ahead and guess that you are white.
couchgrouch needs to cool it with the quotation marks.
ay-z (put a g in front of the a) is a business man..a rapper he is not anymore…there was a time when his lyrics made sense when he was describing the hustles and struggles in the street. Now? “I’m in this party, I’m up to no good/And I should be ducking these clubs, Tiger Woods” ~could you say 2nd grader??? He sucks! Nas owns him
I am not a hip hop fan. Most of it today sounds extremely similar. However, JayZ is not from this current era and he is talented. He and Nas (and Dre when he FINALLY releases Detox) are the last of an era of great creativity and lyrical development. Definately an artist that has grown wih time and among the few musical legends hip hop has produced.
This dude is an idiot but thats what blogs are for
I think you have to consider that Jay-Z is currently more popular than the other two acts right NOW. Yes I know Sir Paul is a legend and is more talented and prolific than Jay but I am talking popularity now. And Phish fans are a bunch of stoners who are pretty mellow. It would have been a mess. The majority of the fans would be cool but you could have a mad rush to the stage or whatever.
I’d disagree with you, but I have a serious case of the munchies right now…
Yes, at the beginning of my earecr, I worked with teens and that was great because I was young enough where they could related to me. Then, my last job I began working with older adults 42+ all developmentally disabled and most dual diagnosed (some type of mental illness). It was easier because I relate more to people that are about 10 years older than me in terms of pop culture. But, I my husband is amazed at how I can have a complete conversation about a television show or sports that I don’t even watch. I’d tell him you need to connect with them (clients) somewhere, so I just really listen to the news and entertainment reports. It is important to always meet people where they are at even with ourselves. Writing this go me thinking how to I connect with myself when I’m feeling detached and do I allow myself to be where I’m at or am I being my harshest critic? I have no idea how I turned what was going to be a fun response into something serious. But, it still is a good question to ask myself.
Jay-Z is not really more popular than phish. But it’s not really a pissin’ match on that one. I mean, phish was happy to have him come out as an unexpected guest at a NY show, and he was gracious enough to accept and go have some fun at their show.
I don’t think its fair, but I’m not surprised considering what happened at South Street seaport. However, if that’s the case why not cancel all the free concerts. I’m sure if it was Justin Bieber it wouldn’t be a problem. Even though his fans can be just as raucous.
maybe it’s because Jay-Z’s “music” is filled with violence and profanity and on every day that ends in a “Y” another rapper is arrested on assault and weapons charges. They’re just protecting their community.
or it could be that jay z caters to a much younger crowd than the 90 year olds who enjoy sir paul’s warbling disguised as music
McCartney’s one of the most respected composers of the 20th century. Jay-Z can’t compose at all and his “lyrics” are just junk.
I didn’t compare Jay-Z to Dylan…resonette did. and for everyone who’s irritated I feel Jay-Z’s “songs” are meritless trash, no one’s actually said why they themselves feel they’re well written. the guy who insulted me above didn’t win me over with his argument. take away violence and profanity from Jay-Z’s “songs” and there’s nothing left. his rhymes wouldn’t pass muster in a 3rd grade English class. counterpoint?
Jay-Z is a businessman with a net worth of over 150 million bucks. He owns a string of successful sports bars. A former CEO of a record company. Is part owner of the Nets. And has had the most #1 albums on the Billboard Albums chart as a solo artist. He is never involved in controversy. He is 40 years old. You need to relax. The whole stigma that rap music is so profanity laced today is bull when most of the rap is mindless ringtone party rap for young kids. Jay Z is a serious artist and he is so popular that an impromptu performance on the top of the Ed Sullivan theater for free would have trampled traffic in that area and created a crazy hazard. Why? Because his fans span from teens to people who are his age….
I did a search on Jay-Z’s “songs” and the FIRST one I checked Forever Young contained profanity and “n****” like every rap “song” ever made. not to mention lacked even a grain of creative merit. serious artist?! gimme a break. he’s just making money because violence sells.
Art isn’t good if it is fascinated with violence, drugs or race and has a swear word in it? I guess Martin Scorcesse, Tarantino, Spike Lee, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, Cormac McCarthy, Toni Morrison, and a slew of others are just interested in exploiting those things and making money… Jay-Z has some of the most intelligent lyrics in any form of rap. Again, ‘Reasonable Doubt’ is a mandatory listen for any music fan, period. Just because you disagree with what someone is saying or how they say it does not make it bad art. Most of the best art is controversial and I doubt most agree with it all.
@Couchgrouch Somehow I doubt you did any “research”. If you actually did, you would have read all of the lyrics that Jay-Z says, instead of just looking for the profanity. Its mostly about his life and the things he has done to get to the point where he is now like running a recording company, etc.
And if you remember Rap didn’t start out as a violent genre, if you can remember the Sugar Hill Gang & Run DMC (so his songs are not like every rap song ever made).
And yes violence does sell, just like every video game, movie & tv show that contains violence. So if they are going to ban 1 artist from showing up, then by your acknowledgment, any and all artists that associate themselves with violence must be banned from appearing in public because their art form ‘lacks a grain of merit’.
The city just needs to let him perform and call it a day.
If anything, look at his record, when it comes to performances. If there are a string of violence outbreaks, then fine – don’t let him perform.
But seeing as how there aren’t any, let the man perform as many other artists already have.
I’ve read Jay-Z’s lyrics and heard his “songs”…they’re crap. there’s nothing artful or creative about them. they have nothing in common with Dylan at all. listen to side 2 of Bringing It All Back Home and find some common ground with Jay-Z. I listened to Sticky Fingers yesterday and there’s no common thread with rap and Moonlight Mile. people always bring up Scorcese and Tarantino when defending rap’s violence. although both directors have made movies with great storytelling, some of their stuff IS exploitative. Death Proof and most of Kill Bill was trash. I have nothing against profanity and violence in principle IF it serves a well written story or song. hell, I’m watching Deadwood on dvd right now. fantastic storytelling and acting. I dropped True Blood. why? it’s just salacious rubbish. like rap. plain and simple…Jay-Z can’t write. he’s a joke. his “songs” aren’t in the spirit of Goodfellas, Blood On the Tracks or Satisfaction…they’re in the spirit of Friday the 13th pt 10., violence for sale with zero creative value behind it. it’s just garbage.
@ couchgrough:
Analyzing Jay-Z’s lyrics and comparing them to Dylan’s is stupid. Two completely different genres, two completely different styles, if you can’t understand rap lyrics, then you can’t understand the content and what it means. It’s like comparing Regina Spektor to an artist whose works you’re much more familiar with and saying she sucks. If you don’t understand her songwriting style, you’re not gonna get what she’s trying to say, and therefore you’ll think all she’s singing is a bunch of gibberish. Open up your mind and your ears and try searching for rappers that aren’t from this era or played on Top 40 radio. KRS-One, Slick Rick, A Tribe Called Quest, Public Enemy, Gang Starr, Nas, Biggie Smalls, Tupac, Common, Talib Kweli, The Roots, Atmosphere, Aesop, Lupe Fiasco, I COULD GO ON. All these rappers have meaningful content in their lyrics and don’t talk about sex, drugs and violence for the hell of it.
@couchgrouch…you’re a d-bag
It’s clearly racist and a hip-hop bias. They seen rap audiences as “violent or out of control” while they don’t assume that for the mostly white audiences of groups like Hanson and Phish.
agreed. this kind of thing happens all the time.
Your story presupposes that Ke$sha has fans.
The sad and unfortunate truth is that she does indeed have fans. Sigh.
Riot and Hanson. Two words I never thought I’d see in the same sentence in the year 2010.
I could care less for Rap itself.
But as far as violence occuring during a Jay Z concert… I have yet to hear of one. Rowdy people = Rowdy concert. i.e. Justin Bieber’s last concert.
If they are going to cancel Free concerts because they think the capacity will be over filled or injuries, violence or something of that nature will happen, then they must cancel free concerts all together.
They are taking 1 genre of music and pretty much banning it.
And as far as the lyrics, when it comes to rap, anyone that has an issue with that must also have issues with the sexual content in Pop music, the violent nature of Heavy Metal and the sometime (but not often) Satanic nature of Death Metal.
Each Genre has its own issues to deal with and the bigger the star the larger the crowd.
@couchgrouch- since you seem to be an expert on the topic, which rapper was arrested today?
Kid Kudi…..
That was a week ago, genius.
jay did say in RS that all of his songs fall under 10 or so categories…
Good lord, I’m soooo tired of ignorant people talking about how ALL rap is nothing but violence and profanity and ALL rappers are criminals. People who say things like this obviously have NO idea what they’re talking about and therefore should stop spewing their ignorance.
I DO know a lot about Hip-Hop and Rap (in fact, I teach a course on it), and I assure you people that you are WRONG, okay? So, just STOP TALKING.
Ah, who cares? I’m pretty sure back in the day, closed-minded middle-aged idiots who clung to their Glenn Miller and Dinah Shore 45 rpms for dear life thought the likes of Little Richard, Elvis and The Beatles were a threat to “real music”. Every generation it’s the same thing; a new form of popular music emerges, the kids like it, and the oldies wet their pants thinking it’s the end of civilization. Hip-hop has a come a long way in the past three decades in terms of social acceptance, and now it has much broader audience age and ethnicity-wise then it did 20 years ago. 20 years from now, dissing hip-hop will look as equally stupid as dissing rock ‘n roll, jazz and classical.
I’m jealous that Cincinnati has very few free concerts. We barely have concerts at all!!
Jay-Z was denied a permit because he has been cited for an RWB…. Rapping While Black
It couldn’t be any simpler. Free rap concerts = violence. Jay Z may be a decent entertainer to some but his music is what McDonalds is to food – junk! Empire is one of the worst songs I have ever heard.