For his initial outing in support of new album “The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse” (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam), multi-platinum rapper Jay-Z is going back to school. The Brooklyn, N.Y.-based artist is on the second day of a 12-city tour that will find him acting as “principal for a day” at a dozen U.S. schools.
At each stop, the rapper will address the student body, take questions, and take part in other principal-type activities before performing for about 300 people at a small venue in the evening. The participating schools are being chosen by host radio stations who have been holding “spirit” contests. The stations announce the winning school on the air on the morning of that city’s tour date.
Yesterday (Nov. 11), the rapper appeared in Hartford, Conn., and today he is in New York. Tomorrow, he’ll continue the tour in Philadelphia, and will hit nine more cities and schools through a Nov. 26 visit to San Francisco.
Tickets to the intimate evening concerts in each market will be available to radio station contest winners as well as consumers who visit local retailers announced on the morning of the show.
Released today, “The Blueprint 2,” the first double-disc set released by a Def Jam artist, is the follow-up to last year’s “The Blueprint.” That set debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and also topped Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
The new album, led by single “’03 Bonnie & Clyde” featuring Beyonce Knowles, boasts guest appearances by Dr. Dre, Rakim, the Neptunes’ Pharrell Williams, Truth Hurts, and Lenny Kravitz.
Here are Jay-Z’s remaining tour dates:
Nov. 13: Philadelphia
Nov. 14: Baltimore
Nov. 15: Washington, D.C.
Nov. 18: Atlanta
Nov. 19: Chicago
Nov. 20: Cleveland
Nov. 21: Detroit
Nov. 22: Houston
Nov. 25: Los Angeles
Nov. 26: San Francisco
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news