Music of Thursday, 5 October 2006

Source: ghanamusic.com

Jay-Z Arrives Today For Sell-Out Concert Tomorrow

This evening, the world?s highest selling and most expensive hip-hop King ? Jay Z is expected to touch down in Accra.

Riding alongside Jay Z will be none other but the Mobo Awards? Best International Female Artiste Beyonce Knowles, his girlfriend.

Jay Z, whose arrival and performance have been massively announced is expected to arrive with a large Def/Jam crew who are expected to make his performance at the Accra International Conference Centre one of the biggest ever organized in the country.

At the Accra International Conference Centre tomorrow, October 6th, Jay Z will thrill patrons with some of his hottest Hip-Hop songs.

Also expected to perform on the show tomorrow night will be MOBO?s Best African Act Award Winner, Batman, KORA Award Winner, Reggie Rockstone, Stars of the Future winners Irene Logan, Jayne Fara Awindor and two of Ghana?s most sought-after musicians Obrafour and Wutah.

Jay Z, who has been famous in America since 1996, shot up to fame with an uncommonly accomplished debut album ? Reasonable Doubt.

Two years later after this release, his hit single Hard Knock Life, featuring a naggingly infectious sample from the musical Annie, brought him international recognition.

Then in 2001, his masterpiece, The Blue Print, perhaps the most consistently mature cohesive hip-hop album to date, assured his status at the top of rap?s mountainous pile. But that was not the only contributing factor to Jay Z?s ?ride to fame?.

His other release in 2003, The Black Album, coupled with his relationship with rump shaking R & B Beauty, Beyonce Knowles has consolidated his status in the industry.

The Jay-Z concert in Accra forms part of a seven-week world tour to spread awareness on the world?s water crisis.

Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Angola are the only African countries the superstar would visit. The Ghana leg is being organised by number one events company, Chater House.

In some of the countries during the tour, Jay Z will join the UN's efforts to improve water and sanitation in developing countries, as he spreads the word about the water crisis among the planet's youth during his international concert tour.

The tour will be filmed as an MTV documentary, ?Diary of Jay-Z: Water for Life? ?In the beginning, when I was going out on a world tour, I was going out to play music,? the Def Jam president said earlier this month.

?But I said to myself, I can?t go to these places I?ve been, and not go out and see the people that have been touched by my music for over 10 years.

Well, I?m not just going to go over there and rap to them. I?m going to help and see what I can do in these areas?, he said.

Jay-Z said of the initiative: "Partnering with someone with a huge voice such as MTV, people that knew what they were doing, who know their way around countries, like the UN; it was a smart partnership for myself."

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan joined Jay-Z in announcing the initiative at the UN headquarters in New York in August.

?Most of us take water for granted, but, for more than a billion people who lack access to safe drinking water, this is an inconceivable dream,? he said at the launch.

?The water crisis - like many issues confronting our world - can only be fully addressed with the active participation of young people everywhere,? he said.

?Working with MTV and Jay-Z, all of us at the UN hope this campaign will motivate the youth to take action both in their own lives, and in support of broad eco-friendly initiatives.?