Jay performs his song to daughter Blue Ivy Carter and a host of other hits at the famed venue, with help from Alicia Keys and Nas.
By Rob Markman

Jay-Z performs at Carnegie Hall
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

NEW YORK — From Marcy to Madison Square and now from Crooklyn to Carnegie. Jay-Z has come a long way since releasing his 1996 debut, Reasonable Doubt, and the magnitude of his travels wasn't lost on the God MC when he performed at Carnegie Hall on Monday evening (February 6).

The swanky crowd filled the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall for the first of two benefit concerts, which joined Jay's Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation with the United Way of NYC to raise money for gifted high school students who aren't financially positioned to attend college. The premium-priced charity tickets brought out the likes of Liza Minnelli and New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia.

With a full orchestra that included ?uestlove and Young Guru playing DJ, Hov took the stage at 8:45 p.m. ET after a dramatic string build. Emerging from the stage's side door in a white tux jacket toting a gold bottle of Ace of Spades champagne, Jigga began his evening shouting, "Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Hov," the iconic opening line from 2003's "Public Service Announcement."

Those who thought Jigga would conform to the stuffy artistic standard typically associated with the famed concert hall were mistaken. Jay strutted across the stage drinking from his gold bottle promising the crowd, "It's just tea."

On this night, Hov pledged to eradicate the divide that separates musical genres, only differentiating between good and bad music. "All those lines that divide us, we gonna step on 'em," he announced to the electric crowd.

As he's done most of his career, Jay continued to stomp out the misconceptions that rap can't be considered highbrow art as he tore through radio hits and street favorites like "U Don't Know" and "Where I'm From." Jay did balance things out when he invited Alicia Keys onstage for "Empire State of Mind" but got extra-gritty on the very next song, making way for Nas to perform his own "N.Y. State of Mind" from the Queensbridge MC's 1994 classic Illmatic. There was a perfect juxtaposition throughout. The biggest musical clash came when Jay performed the "Annie"-sampling "Hard Knock Life." Jigga rapped the song's verses, while the wealthy crowd song the downtrodden chorus. By the time Hova rolled into the set's next song "Izzo," a marijuana smell filled the air. That must be a first for Carnegie.

Ever the master of ceremonies, the Brooklyn rap juggernaut slowed things down properly easing into "Girls, Girls, Girls," then "Song Cry" and then "Glory," the song he released days after the birth of his and Beyoncé's first daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. "One hand in the air for Blue," he screamed before delivering his heartfelt daddy raps.

"I didn't think I was gonna make it through that one, that was tough," Jay said at the close of the number.

The veteran MC launched into the set-closing "Encore," but fans know by now that despite his exit at the end of the Kanye West-produced track, he would be back for more. During Jay's overtime session, he re-emerged onto the stage with a Yankee snapback, diamond chain and black tee. Ever the showman, Jay climbed into the balcony and performed an array of hits from his early catalog like "So Ghetto," "Ain't No N---a" and "Can't Knock the Hustle."

By the night's close, Jay-Z had kicked in another door. He wasn't the first rapper to play Carnegie Hall, but lord help the MC who has to come after him.

Share your thoughts on Jay-Z's first Carnegie Hall show in the comments!

• Jay-Z Performs At Carnegie Hall

Judges Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, Adam Levine and Cee Lo Green kick off second episode with a Prince medley.
By John Mitchell

Cee Lo Green on "The Voice"
Photo: NBC

The blind auditions continued on Monday night's (February 6) two-hour episode of "The Voice," with each judge picking up two more contestants to fill out the 12-person teams they'll take to the battle phase later in the season.

The episode opened with a flashy medley of Prince hits "1999," "Little Red Corvette" and "Kiss" performed by judges Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, before the crew got right to business with the auditions.

Team Christina
Aguilera picked up two acts, including the evening's first performers: platonic duo the Line. The pair's rendition of Tom Petty's "American Girl" got all four judges' attention, but despite much protest from Shelton, they picked Aguilera. Shelton later told the camera he thought they were "fooled by flash and boobs."

She also scored an interesting choice in chanteuse Lindsay Pavao, who got Shelton and Cee Lo to swivel their chairs too. In one of the more unique performances of the night, Pavao transformed a Trey Songz tune into a ballad that Green compared to Fiona Apple. It was that uniqueness that won Christina over, and Pavao chose to join the "Beautiful" singer's team.

Team Adam
After being denied by two different singers, the Maroon 5 frontman picked up his first team member of the night in 50-year-old Kim Yarbrough — who revealed during an interview segment that one of her many past odd jobs was working security for the Dave Matthews Band. Her soulful rendition of Rufus and Chaka Khan's "Tell Me Something Good" had all the judges dancing in their seats, but Adam won her over after asking for her name. When she said "Kim," he corrected, "No, your name is Chaka Khan, baby." Which is probably what any aspiring diva wants to hear after an audition.

Levine also added the night's final contestant, 23-year-old Angel Taylor, to his team. The Los Angeles native grew up in an abusive household and turned to music to get through the tough times. Her performance of Adele's "Someone Like You" packed an emotional punch.

Team Cee Lo
The night's two most compelling stories came from Jamar Rogers and Angie Johnson, both of whom opted for team Cee Lo. Rogers is a 29-year-old former drug addict from New York who was also featured on "American Idol" during season eight alongside his best friend and eventual finalist Danny Gokey. During his addiction, he contracted HIV. Now that he is clean and sober, Rogers volunteers for food-delivery services for the disabled in the Bronx. He also idolizes Cee Lo, so it's good that the "Forget You" Grammy winner turned his chair around for Rogers' performance of the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army."

Cee Lo also picked up Staff Sergeant Angie Johnson, who was discovered and pushed to audition for "The Voice" after her fellow soldiers uploaded a video to YouTube of Johnson singing Adele on a military base while deployed in the Middle East. The video eventually tallied over a million views, which gave Johnson the confidence to hit the stage with a gutsy rendition of Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker." "I love a girl with guts and confidence," Cee Lo told the singer.

Team Blake
Blake's first choice of the night fit firmly in his country wheelhouse: North Dakota native Gwen Sebastian, a musician who agreed with her drummer husband to hold off on having kids so she could take a go at being a performer. After her performance of "Stay," Shelton remarked, "You are a great country vocalist ... and I'm a country guy. I'm your man."

A more surprising choice for the country superstar came late in the show, when he promised he'd do everything he could for Jermaine Paul, a backup singer who has toured the world with Alicia Keys. Keys even sent Paul a video message wishing him good luck. He made a surprising song choice in Avril Lavigne's "Complicated," which also earned props from Cee Lo, who told Paul he could "hear the swag" in his voice. And even though it looked like Paul was favoring Cee Lo, he opted to move out of his R&B comfort zone and into Shelton's country/rock genre.

Four singers got the ax during the show when no judges swiveled around to offer a spot on their team. The judges went back and forth over country crooner Neil Middleton and pop singer Dez Durmon and ultimately regretted their decisions to pass on the singers. Durmon in particular had the judges all worked up, and when they turned around to see a handsome Yale football player standing in front of them, they practically slapped themselves across the head. "And it's a good-looking guy," Shelton sighed.

Such is the point of "The Voice," though. Durmon would have been a sure thing if the judges had gotten a look at him beforehand, but it's all about the pipes — at least for now — on NBC's reality hit, which kicked off its season to some pretty great post-Super Bowl ratings.

Who was your favorite singer on the latest "Voice" episode? Let us know in the comments!

• Christina Aguilera
• Adam Levine
• Blake Shelton
• Cee Lo Green

'He has his own paintbrush and his own colors,' Neptunes producer tells MTV News, nominating Rozay for 'Hottest MCs in the Game.'
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Ricky Louis

Rick Ross
Photo: Getty Images

When it comes to MCs, Pharrell has worked with some of the greats. Skateboard P has produced and rhymed with the likes of Jay-Z, Kanye West, T.I. and Snoop Dogg, and for this year's hottest MC in the game, P has a nomination: "Rick Ross is on his way, he's working his way. He's been doing it for a minute, and he's been really consistent," the Neptunes producer told MTV News on Friday in Miami.

The debate rages on, and Sunday, February 19, the "Hottest MCs in the Game VII" will premiere on MTV2. During the half-hour special, MTV's Hottest MCs Hip-Hop Brain Trust will gather at the roundtable and decide the top five rappers in the game. Beginning February 13, MTV will reveal MCs 10 through six online, but only one spitter can snag the #1 spot.

If Pharrell has his way, Rozay will conquer all in this highly contested debate. "That guy is an animal; he's an animal with it. Lyrically, he's crazy, and he's just got a very distinct style, it's his own," P campaigned. "There were a lot of comparisons made at the beginning of his career, but along with the test of time, he's proven that he's his own person and he has his own paintbrush and his own colors."

Skateboard might be just a bit biased as he reveals to MTV News that he and the Bawse have some very exciting things in the works — then again, Pharrell has worked with a number of MCs who could contend for the crown. "He and I have something special too. We have a special record too, but we're still working," the multiplatinum producer said. "I'm happy to be a part of it."

Tune in to MTV2 on Sunday, February 19, at 10 p.m. ET/PT to catch "MTV2 Presents: Yo! MTV Raps Classic Cuts," then watch "Hottest MCs in the Game VII" immediately after at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT before capping the night off with "Sucker Free Certified" at 11 p.m. ET/PT.

• Hottest MCs In The Game VII Is Coming

• Rick Ross
• Pharrell Williams

'Lonely Boy' follow-up is light on bells and whistles, heavy on what made them the sensation they are today: killer live sets.
By James Montgomery

The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach in "Gold on the Ceiling"
Photo: Warner Bros.

There are no dancing actors/security guards, precocious street-fighting children or cameos by "Sir" Todd Bridges in the Black Keys' new "Gold on the Ceiling" video. But don't let their absences sway you — in a lot of ways, this was the video the Keys were born to make.

The clip, which premiered Monday night (February 6) on MTV, features only the Black Keys (and various members of their road team) doing what they do best: playing live, in gloriously gritty fashion. It's not only a nod to their roots — for close to a decade, they hammered out gigs (and miles) aboard a rusty van — but it's a powerful reminder to their detractors that they are, first and foremost, a positively killer live act.

Of course, it was also probably a matter of necessity. The Black Keys are rather busy these days, what with their smash album and world tour, so shooting a live video (in part during their MTV Hive-sponsored El Camino release party at New York's Webster Hall) undoubtedly made their management happy, but you get the feeling that Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney probably delighted in making a concert clip. After all, it fits rather nicely with their anachronistic ways. Of all the monster rock acts currently lumbering, the Black Keys seem the most natural fit for a live video. No bells or whistles, no special effects, just a band, a stage and some grainy footage. It's easy.

So while "Gold" may be lacking in all those things (not to mention odd, inbox-baiting cameos), it is by no means a lesser video. If anything, it represents everything that makes the Black Keys the band they are — hard-charging, unpolished and seemingly not-of-this-era, indebted to their past yet still pushing forward and always determined to do things on their own terms. Big-selling album and high-profile second single be damned, the Black Keys just want to do it live and do it loud. It's what got them here, after all.

What did you think of the Keys' latest video? Share your reviews in the comments below!

• MTV First: The Black Keys' 'Gold On The Ceiling'

We're hoping for a Beyoncé sighting and some NY-centric rap cameos for Hov's first-ever concert at the famed venue tonight.
By Rob Markman

Jay-Z
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

Jay-Z has seen it all and done it all — or so we thought. Just when it looked like there was no new ground for Hov to cover, the multiplatinum rap superstar announced he would be performing a pair of shows at New York's famed Carnegie Hall.

For the first time ever, Jay will hit the Carnegie Hall stage on Monday night (February 6), followed by a second show on Tuesday, and it's all for a good cause. Proceeds from the privately sold premium-priced tickets will go to Jigga's Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation and the United Way in an effort to put low-income New York City students in a position to attend college.

When Hov first announced the concert dates back in December, he told MTV News that he wasn't sure what the night would bring, but Jay-Z fans know the rap mogul often has a trick or two up his Maison Martin Margiela sleeves. Here are some things we hope to see:

"Glory" featuring B.I.C.
Two days after wife Beyoncé gave birth to the couple's daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, Big Poppa Jay dropped "Glory," a dedication track to daddy's little girl. The Pharrell-produced track featured the "Streets Is Watching" rapper like we've never seen him as he rhymed about the joys of fatherhood. Hopefully, Jay will perform the track ... and maybe even roll out Baby Blue in a stroller for her first public appearance? It would be an incredible, if highly unlikely moment.

Beyoncé
"Crazy in Love," "Déjà Vu," "Upgrade U," Jay and Queen B have no shortage of hit records to perform. Granted, Beyoncé is probably on some type of musical maternity leave (and deservedly so). But it sure would be nice to see B make her first post-birth appearance onstage and hand-in-hand with hubby Hov.

"N---as in Paris" — Multiple Times
People love Paris. While out on the Watch the Throne Tour, Jay-Z and Kanye West would perform their fan-favorite "N---as in Paris" multiple times each night. On the final stop in Vancouver, the duo rocked the song a record-breaking 11 times. So how many times will he rock the song at Carnegie Hall? "We have to do a rendition of 'N---as in Paris' in Carnegie Hall; it just has to go down," Jay laughed back in December. "I ain't think about that. That'll be great."

Rap Guests
Jay has a ton of rap friends. From Big Daddy Kane to Kanye West, Hova's list of hip-hop collaborators is as long as his paper — maybe longer. Will he bring out the LOX for "Reservoir Dogs," Eminem for "Renegade" or Nas for "Black Republican"? You never know with Hov.

New Material
During our December interview with Jay, the God MC hinted that 2012 would bring a new solo album for him and possibly another from the Throne. It's still early in the year, but how cool would it be for Jay to debut some fresh material for the Carnegie audience? It's for charity after all!

What are you expecting when Jay-Z plays Carnegie Hall for the first time? Tell us on our Facebook page!

• Jay-Z