Jay-Z’s BP3 Tour Dates

Like I have said before, if you cannot make it to Jay-Z’s upcoming September 11th, “Answer the Call” show at Madison Square Garden, then you may still be in luck. As expected, Jay will be making some tour stops in accordance to his upcoming Blueprint 3 album, which will make his fans quite happy. Looks like I will make heading to the November 12th show a priority.

You can check out the complete list of tour dates after the break.

Ludacris x Melanie Fiona x Heineken “Red Star Soul” Series

Below, you can check out some exclusive shots of Ludacris and Melanie Fiona that went down in Chicago, as their Heineken “Red Star Soul” concert series takes off. I got the privilege to check out some of these exclusives shots, so I wanted to release them unto you all. Below, you can check out a snippet of Ludacris performing.

Oh, and after the break, you can check out some exclusive interviews of Melanie Fiona and DTPs own, Luda, along with the complete list of dates and performing talents.

Kanye West Live From The Chicago Theatre

It seems as if Fuse TV has announced a legendary TV concert event featuring one of the world’s biggest music icons, Kanye West. On July 25th at 8pm/7c, “Fuse Presents Kanye West: Live From The Chicago Theatre” will bring Kanye’s recent “Stay in School” benefit concert straight to your TV. The event was sponsored by the Kanye West Foundation, a foundation that partners with schools and community organizations to give underprivileged youth access to music production and academic support programs.

For more information about Kanye West: Live from the Chicago Theatre, head here. Also, to find Fuse in your area, click here.

Check out some exclusive shots from the concert and the official poster after the break.

Lupe Fiasco’s Shining Down Single Cover

According to Amazon, the Lupe Fiasco’s single, Shining Down, will drop on July 7th. The final version isn’t that different from the leak some of you may have heard already. Matthew Santos’ chorus is a bit altered now and some of the instrumentation behind Lupe’s words are less extravagant; it’s a bit toned down from the original version but it’s still a very solid track, so be on the lookout for it in a few weeks.

Just as a side note, I am going to Lupe’s concert tonight at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. Just a few weeks ago I was there for Kanye West, and tonight I will be there for Lupe. Wow. So, for the rest of the day, that is what I will be doing. Oww.

Lupe Fiasco Concert

About three or so weeks ago, I announced that Lupe Fiasco would be having a free concert in Chicago, Illinois at Grant Park in conjunction with the Nike 6.0 BMX Open June 26th. Well, things have changed since then. The event has been moved from Grant Park to the Chicago Theatre, in an effort to avoid overlapping with the Taste of Chicago music stage. However, more important than the change of venues, tickets will now cost $20. Tickets are now available starting today at the Chicago Theatre box office or via Ticketmaster.

Also, the doors will open at 8:30 p.m. and the show will begin with Lady Sovereign performing at 9:30 p.m. Lastly, Lupe will go on at 10:15p.m. Regardless if it is not free anymore, I will still be there. Lupe is one of my favorite artists, and $20 for a ticket is not bad at all.

Want Some Lupe Fiasco

Next door to this year’s Taste of Chicago, the Nike 6.0 BMX Open will be underway from June 26-27 in Grant Park. But that is not the good news. The good news is that on Friday, June 26, Lupe Fiasco will be performing a free show in conjunction with the BMX open.

OMG! First a Ye concert in two weeks in Chicago, and now a free Lupe Fiasco show at the end of the month. This is going to be an intense month, no doubt. If you know me, you know that Lupe is in my top three favorite artists of all time, so this is just amazingly, huge news. I’m there, anyone want to tag along? Get at me if you’d like.

Get more details after the jump.

Stay In School

Kayne West will perform this June 11 at the Chicago Theater in Chicago for the “Stay In School” benefit concert, which will be taped and aired on the Fuse network later this summer.

The “Stay in School” event is a collaboration between the community, corporate partnerships, and The Kanye West Foundation, which was founded in 2007 by the late Dr. Donda West to help combat the severe dropout problem plaguing America’s communities, according to a press release.

The event was conceived by David Abrams, a Chicago high school student who was inspired to create an incentive for kids to stay in school after he listened to a story on NPR about a Chicago student turning his education around after his mother offered him two tickets to a Lil Wayne concert if he brought up his grades and stayed in school. Abrams went on to form S.H.O.W. (Students Helping Our World), which is run by a group of teens, supported by parents, and partnered with Chicago Public Schools, the City of Chicago, former Bears quarterback Kyle Orton and the Kanye West Foundation. S.H.O.W. will offer free tickets to students who demonstrate marked improvements in attendance and/or grades in the last quarter of the current school year.

Approximately 3,000 inner-city and Chicago area students will have the opportunity to meet West and experience a behind-the-scenes look at how the hip-hop artist prepares for a concert. Prior to the concert, which will feature West and as-yet-unnamed special guests, the students will attend a pre-show sound check.

Tickets also are available for the general public beginning today, May 21, at Ticketmaster, LiveDaily’s parent company.

Okay, so I found this out earlier today and just went bonkers. And I do not mean like I just won a prize bonkers, I mean Kanye West-will-be-in-Chicago-in-a-few-weeks bonkers. Anyway, I am going to be buying my tickets today, so if you are down for going with, please feel free to contact me and let me know if you would like to go together.

Poets, Prophets, Preachers

This upcoming July 5-7th, there will be a conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the DeVos Performance Hall. The tagline? A seminar for those serious about reclaiming that art of the sermon. The speakers? Rob Bell, Peter Rollins, and Shane Hipps. I have to just say right now, I am seriously excited about this. If I have the time and money, which I will, I am going to be there. This just seems like an awesome opportunity.

For more information on the conference and dates, schedules, prices, etc., click here.

TOMS Shoes

And this April 16th, TOMS is asking us to help raise awareness by going barefoot for the day. So, check out the video above to support TOMS Shoes.

Poetic Justice League 4 America

I just had the opportunity to hear the Poetic Justice League 4 America for the first time this past week and was very impressed by their poetry, motive, and what they stand for– justice, love, hope, compassion. The poetry and words are full of depth and cut right to the core of the heart, providing inspiration and hope. Nonetheless, there will be a CD release party hosted by the Poetic Justice League 4 America this upcoming Saturday, April 4th, 2009. So if you have free time, come on down and enjoy good poetry, coffee, and most importantly, community. The details are below.

Hosted By:
Poetic Justice League 4 America

When:
Saturday, April 04, 2009 at 7:00 pm

Where:
Katie’s Cup Community Coffeehouse
502 Seventh Street Rockford, Illinois 61104

Description:
Another chance to catch the new CDs!