Jay-Z at Carnegie Hall: Concert Recap of Recaps

There is an old joke. Someone in New York City asks someone else, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” The other person answers, “Practice, practice, practice.” Hip hop has helped modernize that age-old bit of humor, allowing a new answer, “Hustle, hustle, hustle,” and all the double-entendres that are implied when the hustler on the legendary stage is rap icon Jay-Z.

This is as much a feat for Brooklyn drug-dealer-turned-rapper-slash-mogul Shawn Carter, as it is for hip hop itself, a genre of music which continues to face ridicule and misunderstanding by art elitists and everyday musical bigots. Jay-Z in fact, who has never strayed far enough from a street-level base to become as ‘harmless’ to the general public as a Will Smith for example, forces middle-America (or at least middle-New York) to almost fully accept him and his occasionally raunchy ways. Maybe it’s the gamut of businesses he controls. Maybe it’s the personal connection with the president. Maybe it’s the hanging with Warren Buffet. Whatever it is, if there was one rapper that the establishment would have to let grace the hallowed stage built by Andrew Carnegie, it would be Jay-Z.

Of course, the best way to ensure such a feat would be to follow in the philanthropic footsteps of Mr. Carnegie, thus, the two-day concert event was technically a charity event, benefitting the United Way of New York, and The Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation.

Which is also a clever way to buffer the harsh truth that few mere mortals could attend such a historic event, leaving the sold-out seating full of those who could afford hundreds, if not thousands for entry. While this adds to the fuel of some who recently charge that the rap titan’s wealth and proximity to the stratosphere of entertainment and business gods has removed him from the fans, at least in this case, it was necessary, and for a good cause.

In any event, here are a few interesting pieces from various sources which covered the concerts:

T-Shirts, Tuxes and Rap Without Frills [The NY Times]

Jay-Z Brings Brooklyn ‘Glory’ To Carnegie Hall [MTV]

Jay-Z at Carnegie Hall: Rapper’s Benefit Concert Includes “Glory,” Orchestra and Questlove [HuffPost]

 Jay-Z Celebrates Historic Carnegie Hall Performance at his 40/40 Club [Rolling Stone]