The Jiggaman will be the first solo Hip-Hop artist to perform at the famed venue, and he might bring Kanye West as one of the guests.
- Dec 9, 2011
AceShowbiz - Though he didn't graduate from high school, Jay-Z stresses that education is "super important" so he encourages people to value it. To help youngsters achieve their goal, the rap mogul announced in a press conference that he has set two charity concerts at New York's Carnegie Hall to raise fund for the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation and the United Way of New York City.
The MC said in a statement, "I don't have a high school diploma or a college diploma, but still for me to articulate, I had to have some form of schooling to articulate my thoughts." He added, "The fact that I can use the arts and my talent to benefit the education of the next generation of artist, entrepreneurs and great thinkers makes for a legendary night."
Calling the Carnegie Hall concert "every artist's dream," the Jiggaman will hold the charity gig for two consecutive nights on February 6 and February 7, 2012. The concerts will mark the first time ever a solo Hip-Hop artist plays at the famed venue. Back in 2001, Wyclef Jean performed there with Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton and Whitney Houston.
"I feel like they bent the rules so that could make sense for me right now, but I'll take it," Jigga jokingly said when presented with the fact that he'll make a history. On a more serious note, the founder of Roc Nation gushed, "As an artist of hip hop, anytime I get a chance to expand and broaden the reach of hip hop, it's a great thing for me."
After the press conference, Jay-Z talked further to MTV News about the charity effort. "We're not just doing a show for the sake of it," he explained. "For all these years, [the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation has] been really grassroots. My mom has been getting on the bus herself and taking kids to orientation and doing this work by herself. Now ... we're building this thing out."
Talking about what he has to offer for the generous people who come to the concerts, the "Empire State of Mind" hitmaker hasn't determined his setlist just yet. "We have to do a rendition of 'N***as in Paris' in Carnegie Hall; it just has to go down," he teased. "I ain't think about that. That'll be great." If it is so, there's a possibility that Kanye West would be one of the performer guests.
Tickets in the private sale will range from $500 to $2500.
