Update: Jay-Z continues Oasis beef, hints at Blueprint 3

Update: Something Jay-Z is good at: rap battles. Something Jay-Z is terrible at: retirement.

Those two worlds collided (kind of like that Jay-Z/R. Kelly album, only without the pepper spray and lawsuits) Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden when the Jigga Man was brought out as a special guest to close Kanye's West's Glow In The Dark Tour.

Kanye asked the crowd if he could play them one of the beats he'd just made in Hawaii. After they agreed, he silenced them and the DJ played a track that started low, chopped and screwed and quickly got frantic with a repeated "Jockin' Jay-Z." Before long, the man himself came out on stage. And Jay once again fired at the Brothers Gallagher from the first line of the song:

"That bloke from Oasis said I couldn't play guitar / Well someone should have told him I'm a fucking rock star / Today is gonna be the day that I'm gonna throw it back to you."

Here's video of the event from Kanye.


BLUEPRINT 3 from kwest on Vimeo.

Guess the wonderball is in the Gallagher brothers' court now. Also, both Ye and Jay shouted out Blueprint 3. Theoretically, then, Blueprint 3 might exist, which, given Jay-Z's "A Billie" verses, could be his best work to date post-retirement. But it also makes Jay's case for the worst retiree in American history. (Incidentally, Brett Favre is making a pretty strong case these days himself. At least Jay didn't force a trade to Cash Money so he could suit up against Roc-A-Fella in the playoffs).

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Last time: How much fun would it be if music had a fantasy draft where you could pit megastars up against one another in a winner-take-all battle royale? There would be strategy, of course. Ignore your sense of musical morality and pick The Jonas Brothers as soon as humanly possible (they’re like The Beatles, man), but don’t start them on a school night. Bench Robert Smith on Friday (we’re told any other day he’s fine, though) and Bono on Sundays (apparently they just get gory). And under no conditions should you start Matisyahu on Saturday. The man simply refuses to do work that day.

Now, one of the coolest plausible scenarios from this music-critic wet-dream is the concept of seeing those genre-spanning international superstar match-ups. It would be like “We Are The World” gone wild. Mick Jagger wrangling Bob Marley into a metaphorical dreadlock as Stevie Wonder signs, seals and delivers a masterblaster to AC/DC. These international ego clashes simply don’t seem to happen. Or do they?

Two of the top potential draft picks of that fantasy list of star power from the mothership and her former colony are the walking soundbytes known as the Brothers Gallagher and the busiest retired MC on the planet, Jay-Z. And these two exchanged jabs in regards to this weekends’ Glastonbury Festival in London, resulting in one of the most bizarrely entertaining covers hip-hop has seen in some time.

As it was announced in February, Jay became the first hip-hop act ever to headline Glastonbury amid much contention. One of the key doubters who rallied against the hip-hop mogul headlining the bill was Oasis rocker Noel Gallagher, who cited the festival’s tradition of guitar music and told NME that a hip-hop headliner for Glastonbury was “just wrong” and “I’m not having it.”

“If it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it,” Gallagher continued. “If you start to break it, then people aren’t going to go. I’m sorry, but Jay-Z? No chance.”

Never one to back down from his haters (See: Jay-Z vs. Nas, Jay-Z vs. 50 Cent and, if you’re really bored, Jay-Z vs. Cam’ron), Jay fired back not in a dis song, but by opening his festival set with a sing-a-long version of Oasis’ smash hit “Wonderwall”. And yes, Jay went all Lil Wayne on them and showed off his junior-high band level guitar skills. To his credit, he knew most of the words (or at least as many as Noel remembers on his more forgettable nights), and really won over the crowd with the cover and the ensuing “99 Problems” mashed up with AC/DC’s “Back In Black” signature guitar riffs.


 
Jay called the night “amazing” and said it was a historic night for both he and Glastonbury when he spoke to MTV. He also explained the cover. “That’s my sense of humour,” Hova said. “I have a sense of humour like a Brit, so I thought people would appreciate that. Noel Gallagher was one of the biggest detractors so I figured that was a cool way to start the show.”

Jay says he often plays the song at his restaurant “on Friday nights... After we’ve had a few drinks it works really well. That’s why I knew it so well.”

Related links:
Jay-Z on MySpace
Rocafella.com
YouTube: Jay-Z (ft. Lil' Wayne) - "A Billie"

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