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From : LiveTalkRADIO
Added: Oct 31, 2009
© Roc Nation, Atlantic Empire State of Mind is a single by American hip hop rapper Jay-Z, released as the third single from his studio album The Blueprint 3 (2009) on his Roc Nation label. It features guest vocals from R&B and soul singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. The song is an anthemic ode to Jay-Z's and Keys's native New York City, featuring sampling of "Love on a Two-Way Street" by The Moments. It also contains elements of electropop and orchestra pop. Jay-Z and Keys performed the song at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. New York based Hip Hop artist, Syler, released the album The Empire State of Mind on June 3, 2008. A year later Jay-Z came out with a song of the same name. It is also the plate music for New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. PRODUCERS Al Shux, Janet "Jnay" Sewell-Ulepic, Angela Hunte SAMPLES Love on a Two-Way Street by The Moments, The Breakthrough by Isaac Hayes BACK GROUND Empire State of Mind is an anthemic hip hop song that features sampling from "Love on a Two-Way Street" by The Moments with influences of electropop and orchestra pop. It has been said that fellow New York MC Nas (who himself has a song called "N.Y. State of Mind") was supposed to be featured on the song but declined because of a busy touring schedule, an on going divorce case with his ex wife Kelis, and his ongoing work with Damian Marley on their collaboration album titled Distant Relatives, but he would be featured in the official remix. The title is a reference to New York's eponym "The Empire State", as well as the Billy Joel song "New York State of Mind" and Nas's song with the same title. The song is an anthem to Jay-Z's hometown, New York City. The song peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is currently on the BBC Radio 1 Playlist. MUSIC VIDEO The music video was filmed on October 1, 2009, in Harlem, Times Square and around Ground Zero of New York City. The video was directed by Hype Williams. THE BLUEPRINT 3 The Blueprint 3 is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released September 8, 2009 on Roc Nation in the United States. The album was released digitally on September 11, 2009, and its United Kingdom and international release followed on September 14 that same year. It is the final installment in The Blueprint trilogy, preceded by the critically acclaimed The Blueprint (2001) and its follow-up The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse (2002). The entire album was leaked on August 31, 2009. When asked about the leak, Jay-Z stated: "It's a preview. I'm excited for people to hear the album. I'm very proud of the work I've done, so enjoy it". Upon its release, The Blueprint 3 received generally positive reviews from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 65/100 from Metacritic. The album sold an estimated 476,000 copies in its first week and it became his 11th US number one album, breaking the record he had previously shared with Elvis Presley.
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