Joystiq

99 problems for Jay-Z and an executive producer gig for NBA 2K13 is one of them

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 08:50:00 EST

Shawn "JAY Z" Carter-Knowles will serve as the executive producer of NBA 2K13, 2K Sports announced this morning. Mr. Z will curate the soundtrack and "lend artistic vision" to the world's top (by default for past few years) NBA video game.

Jay-Z's selection of 24 songs (including six of his own tracks) for the game's soundtrack can be found after the break. NBA 2K13 will hit the court on October 2.

Continue reading 99 problems for Jay-Z and an executive producer gig for NBA 2K13 is one of them

99 problems for Jay-Z and an executive producer gig for NBA 2K13 is one of them originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You crazy for this one, Happy Giant: Jay-Z wants his Facebook game 'to be better than a Zynga game'

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:40:00 EST

When Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter isn't busy keeping it real, he's got an empire to run. That means everything from his bread and butter (music production - it's perpetually Jay's "final album") to his assorted business ventures (everything from clothing to pro sports teams). And this week he added one more job to that list: game developer. Er ... not exactly. You see, Jay-Z has conscripted "high-end brand service" company Happy Giant to craft a Facebook game, entitled (fittingly enough): Empire.

The game left closed beta this week, and we grabbed its creator, Happy Giant's Michael Levine, to discuss the game's famous progenitor, its mobile aspirations, and keeping it real. We're told that last one is pretty important to Mr. Carter.

"This is anything but a typical licensing deal," Levine said. Apparently, former Sony Music chairman Tommy Mottola is a partner in Levine's other business venture, a kid-focused virtual world known as "Planet Cazmo," and he proposed a meeting with Jay-Z's former lawyer. "A guy named - and this is his real name - Michael Guido," Levine said.

From there, Guido introduced Happy Giant to Jay. "We really worked closely with them for the last nine months, with Jay and his team, just trying to make everything as authentic as possible." How authentic, you ask? Apparently to the point of contention over which rule set the cee-lo minigame would contain. Again, we're told Jay likes to keep it real.

Continue reading You crazy for this one, Happy Giant: Jay-Z wants his Facebook game 'to be better than a Zynga game'

You crazy for this one, Happy Giant: Jay-Z wants his Facebook game 'to be better than a Zynga game' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jay-Z is a gamer; likes Madden and, uh, you know, stuff like Madden

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EST

When celebrities get on board for a game, the inevitable pitfall is the dreaded interview where said celebrity awkwardly tries relating to the "gamer" crowd (trust us, we know all about it.) With DJ Hero dropping this week, celebrity sponsor Jay-Z sat down with MTV News to talk about how much of a gamer he is (hint: not so much) and his support for the cultural awareness opportunities inherent in the recently released turntable title.

"Immediately, of course, with the success of Guitar Hero, you know, [DJ Hero] piqued my interest, and then on top of that it was something from the hip-hop culture. So, anytime you can, you know, I can expand the genre and introduce it to new audiences and widen it -- you know, the reach of what hip-hop can do -- you know, I'm interested in that," Jay-Z explains in the video interview (embedded after the break).

As far as Jay-Z's gaming roots, that's another story altogether. "I was really a gamer," Jay-Z urges. "Like, ask any of the guys. Like, I used to -- Madden and all these type of games," Jay-Z awkwardly cobbles together, "I was, like, really a problem. Like, those were my things -- for awhile." Presumably, until, you know, he got all that other stuff that impresses us, right? It's okay, Mr. Z -- you don't have to impress us with your gaming prowess, too. It's not like we have the numbers of "the guys" to fact check your claims anyway.

Continue reading Jay-Z is a gamer; likes Madden and, uh, you know, stuff like Madden

Jay-Z is a gamer; likes Madden and, uh, you know, stuff like Madden originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DJ Hero Renegade Edition's Jay-Z, Eminem compilations detailed

JC Fletcher — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST

When you get home with your gigantic DJ Hero Renegade Edition box, make sure to get everything out of it. We know the temptation to just unfold the case/table thing and start playing the game with that kind of irresistible-looking novelty controller will be overwhelming, but if you turn the package over and shake it, exclusive greatest-hits CDs from Jay-Z and Eminem will fall out.

Rolling Stone got the full list of tracks on both sets. Jay-Z's disc sticks exclusively to past hits, but Eminem's includes a brand-new song, "Taking My Ball." That's right, the "unreleased tracks" mentioned on the box is really unreleased track. And it'll premiere on Eminem's Sirius radio station over a week before the game comes out, so it's more like no unreleased tracks.

After the break, as a reminder, we've included the full list of the songs in the actual game.

Gallery: DJ Hero Renegade Edition

[Via Kotaku, This is 50]

Continue reading DJ Hero Renegade Edition's Jay-Z, Eminem compilations detailed

DJ Hero Renegade Edition's Jay-Z, Eminem compilations detailed originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Activision remembers DJ AM's work on DJ Hero

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST

Late last week, Adam 'DJ AM' Goldstein tragically and suddenly passed away. He was known in the world of gaming for his work on DJ Hero, contributing both music and ideas to the upcoming music/rhythm project. We watched as he and Travis Barker warmed up the crowd for Eminem and Jay-Z just a few short months ago at E3 2009.

Having worked with Goldstein so closely as of late, we asked Activision for comment. VP of music affairs Tim Riley told us over the weekend:

We are deeply saddened by the loss of DJ AM, who was a tremendous talent, a trusted partner and friend to DJ Hero. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family. AM was instrumental in the making of DJ Hero and we hope that his work on the game will be a fitting tribute to his creative spirit and musical talent.

Joystiq would like to offer our condolences to DJ AM's family, friends, and anyone else effected by his passing.

Activision remembers DJ AM's work on DJ Hero originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DJ Hero Renegade Edition packs Jay-Z/Eminem CDs, fancy case/stand

Justin McElroy — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:51:00 EST

click for Renegade Edition gallery

If you have the urge to spend even more than $120 for DJ Hero, we've got great news. When the game launches, you'll have the option of picking up the "Renegade Edition" of the game, which includes a special turntable, a hardshell case that converts into a stand and a two-disc CD set of Jay-Z and Eminem music that features some previously unreleased tracks. Not that this comes as a complete surprise.

Now, we could take or leave the CDs (Music that you don't pretend to play? What, is it for babies?) but the case/stand actually sounds pretty slick. Here's hoping the price (which we have no clue on, naturally) is right.

Gallery: DJ Hero Renegade Edition

DJ Hero Renegade Edition packs Jay-Z/Eminem CDs, fancy case/stand originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jay-Z and Eminem headline DJ Hero event

Griffin McElroy — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 01:30:00 EST

Though our invites to tonight's Activision-sponsored party touted Guitar Hero 5 as the rhythm game to-be-previewed, the marquee in front of the Wiltern Theatre testified otherwise -- the real star of the evening will apparently be DJ Hero.

Oh, and the "secret guest appearances" Activision teased in the invitation are a tad different than we expected as well -- we'll apparently be laying eyes and ears on the musical talents of Eminem, Jay-Z and noted plane crash survivors Travis Barker and DJ AM. Fairly appropriate, considering the night's DJ Hero branding, no? Like, one of the performers has "DJ" in his name.

We'll let you know if we get to lay eyes on Activision's record spinning title. We'll also let you know how our faces are doing at the end of the evening after the aforementioned performers rock (rap?) them off.

Gallery: DJ Hero: Jay Z and Eminem's Shindig

Jay-Z and Eminem headline DJ Hero event originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 01:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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USA Today: Jay-Z/Eminem limited edition DJ Hero pack coming

JC Fletcher — Fri, 29 May 2009 09:30:00 EST

According to a USA Today article, Activision has turned to Jay-Z and Eminem to provide some added value to a special edition release of DJ Hero. In addition to the game, the bundle reportedly includes greatest-hits CDs from both rappers, possibly with new tracks; an "advanced version of the controller;" a DJ stand and a metal traveling case. The two musicians will serve as "consultants" to Activision, and will, of course, contribute tracks to the game.

Another collaborator, DJ Shadow, put four screenshots of DJ Hero up on his website that finally show some gameplay. It appears to be very similar to Guitar Hero, except sometimes the note line moves a bit, which we believe indicates switching tracks on the crossfader.

[Via NeoGAF]

Gallery: DJ Hero

USA Today: Jay-Z/Eminem limited edition DJ Hero pack coming originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 May 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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