Celebrity Mound

As Jay-Z transitioned from hit song to hit song at a Carnegie Hall concert Monday night, so did the lighting, changing from red to white to blue.

The veteran rapper then performed his latest hit, “Glory,” about his 1-month-old daughter with Beyonce, Blue Ivy Carter.

“I didn’t think I was going to make it through that one,” he said, sounding emotional. “That was tough.”

It was one of the many jams Jay-Z performed at New York’s famed venue, his latest achievement in music domination.

The rapper is the second hip-hop act to perform at Carnegie Hall. Wyclef Jean did so in 2001 with Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton and Whitney Houston.

Jay-Z was joined by fellow New Yorkers Alicia Keys and Nas. He was backed by an orchestra of 30-plus and a band that included Questlove of The Roots and neo-soul singer Bilal. It was one of two shows for charity planned this week.

The Grammy-winning rapper, born Shawn Carter, started off in a black-and-white tuxedo, bowtie and black sunglasses, commanding the stage with confidence in a somewhat unfamiliar territory: The audience was mostly men in suits or tuxedos, and women in conservative dresses. About 2,800 people filled the hall.

Though some tickets were sold to the public, most were offered in a private sale, going from $500 to $2,500. The proceeds will benefit the United Way of New York City and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation, which helps low-income students cover college costs. Students from Jay-Z’s foundation also attended the show.

Jay-Z, who released his debut album in 1996, performed more than two dozen hits including “Hard Knock Life,” “99 Problems” and “Dirt Off Your Shoulder.” Classic New York anthems also entertained the audience. The orchestra played a medley of Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” and Gil Scott-Heron’s “New York Is Killing Me.”

Changing into a black tux, Jay-Z performed “Empire State of Mind” with Keys, who wore similar attire. Nas followed with his song “N.Y. State of Mind.”

“Make some noise for the Giants,” yelled Jay-Z, giving a shout-out to the recent Super Bowl champions.

Jay-Z changed outfits once again, this time to a black T-shirt, black pants and a black cap. He traveled to the second floor and began to rap songs from the top of a chair.

He gave shout-outs to some of those missed in music, from the Notorious B.I.G. to Aaliyah to Don Cornelius. He also gave a shout-out to Liza Minnelli, who waved to the audience before Jay-Z hit the stage.

ALL PROCEEDS FROM UNPRECEDENTED PERFORMANCES BENEFIT UNITED WAY OF NEW YORK CITY AND THE SHAWN CARTER SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION

In his most intimate performances in years, Shawn “JAY Z” Carter will headline the first ever hip-hop focused series at Carnegie Hall, in the Stern Auditorium, raising millions for the United Way of New York City and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation on February 6, 2012 at 8:00pm and February 7, 2012 at 9:30pm.  Concert goers will get a once in a lifetime experience as JAY Z takes the stage at the New York landmark to raise dollars that will help boost on-time graduation rates in underserved New York City schools and put college within reach for low-income students across the five boroughs.

“It’s every artist’s dream to play a venue as legendary as Carnegie Hall,” commented Shawn “JAY Z” Carter.  “The fact that I can use the arts and my talent to benefit the education of the next generation of artists, entrepreneurs, and great thinkers makes for a legendary night.  I’m proud to be a part of the continuing work of United Way of New York City and expanding the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation.”

Poverty has the strongest correlation to dropout rates. New York City has the largest income gap in the U.S., and thirty percent of children in New York City live in poverty. Because of statistics like these, coupled with the fact that thirty-nine percent of New York City students who enter high school will not graduate on time, United Way of New York City, The Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation and Shawn “JAY Z” Carter are engaging activists and philanthropists to provide resources and opportunities for students.

“United Way is dedicated to helping low-income New Yorkers build better lives, and we know that the greatest antidote to poverty is education,” said Gordon J. Campbell, CEO, United Way of New York City.  “For more than 20 years, we have been active in early childhood centers and public schools, working with educators, families and students to address barriers to success inside and outside the classroom.  We are so pleased to partner with JAY Z and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation, who share our belief that every child deserves a great education.”

“It will be a thrill to welcome JAY Z to Carnegie Hall as he joins an illustrious list of top popular artists who have appeared at the Hall throughout its history,” said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director.  “It’s wonderful that he and the United Way of New York City have come together with the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation for these performances, putting a spotlight on an important cause, creating greater access to higher education.”

Private ticket packages will go on sale Monday, December 12th. For information on these private sales, please visit www.unitedwaynyc.org orwww.shawncartersf.com.

In addition, a limited number of single tickets will be offered to the public on Monday, January 30th, 2012 at 11:00 AM (EST).   For more information on limited single tickets, please visit www.carnegiehall.org as of January 30.

When the hip-hop czar played the University of Arizona for a paycheck of $750,000 last month, he demanded perks including a black Maybach with tinted windows, a 72-degree dressing room with Sapporo beer, vodka, tequila, two bottles of $300 champagne, “good quality” peanut butter and jelly, one martini shaker, 12 shot glasses and Marlboros, TheSmokingGun.com reports. But alas, the school nixed the booze, butts and car.

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