Jay-Z and Eminem are teaming up for what promoters are calling one of the biggest concerts in hip-hop history.
You can finally accuse Eminem of understatement.
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"We've done things together," the Detroit rapper told interviewers when announcing his blockbuster doubleheader with Jay-Z, a New Yorker. "But I'm not sure we've ever done anything this big."
With the superstar duo set to stage their massive Home and Home concerts -- a pair of sold-out shows at Detroit's Comerica Park tonight and Friday, followed by two at Yankee Stadium Sept. 13 and 14 -- the superlatives are coming thick and fast.
The heaviest ticket demand one Live Nation executive has ever experienced. A once-in-a-lifetime production for an industry veteran who has staged Super Bowl shows.
There's historical significance, too. "They're putting hip-hop on the same playing field as anything else," says L.A. hip-hop journalist Scott Sterling, citing rock's storied history of concert spectacle.
Eminem, 37, is riding a career resurgence that has propelled him to the front row of pop culture. Recovery, which heralds his liberation from drug addiction, is the year's best-selling rap album (2.4 million copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan), commandeering Billboard's No. 1 spot for nearly two months.
Jay-Z, 40, has become bigger than rap with clothing lines, restaurants, Broadway shows and other business ventures, making him hip-hop's top moneymaker. The rapper known for his clever rhymes and cool deliveries (and his marriage to Beyoncé) will open for U2 this fall in Australia and New Zealand.
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SOURCE: USA Today
Brian McCollum
