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Jay-Z, R Kelly joint album
25/01/2002 11:30 - (SA)
New York - Two heavyweights of rap and R&B are teaming up for a joint album
and tour.
Rapper Jay-Z and singer R Kelly, both Grammy winners and
multi-platinum artists, have collaborated on the disc The Best of
Both Worlds, which is scheduled for release on March 26.
They announced the project on Thursday at a grandiose, rambling
news conference at The Waldorf-Astoria hotel that featured
introductions by attorney Johnnie Cochran Jr and testimonials from
impresario Sean "P Diddy" Combs and singer Ronald Isley of the
Isley Brothers. Members of their entourages sat nearby, dressed in
fur and sipping Christal from gold-encrusted goblets.
R Kelly is best known for inspirational hits such as I Believe
I Can Fly, but also raunchier songs such as the recent hit
Feelin' On Yo Booty. Jay-Z's hits include Girls, Girls, Girls
and Izzo (H.O.V.A.).
They've previously collaborated on two hits: R Kelly's Fiesta
remix and Jay-Z's Not Guilty.
"It's like mad scientists in the basement," R Kelly said. "Jay
is real creative, I'm real creative, and you want to get together
and mix potions."
Jay-Z is on Def Jam Records while R Kelly is on Jive. Def Jam
will promote the disc in the United States and Canada, while Jive
will do so in the rest of the world. While R&B and rap stars
frequently do guest spots on each other's records - such as
Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule, and City High and Eve - a joint album
is rare.
The first single is the sexually explicit Honey, which played
at the news event as Combs, Cochran and others bobbed their heads
to the beat. When a reporter asked what the album's message would
be for young people, R Kelly said: "This album is not Disneyland.
... It's up to the parents to bring the kids up the way they
should."
Besides the album and upcoming tour, the two also announced they
would headline an all-star Urban Aid concert for LifeBeat to raise
funds for Aids charities. The April 9 event will air live on BET
from New York's Beacon Theatre, representatives said. - Sapa/AP
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South Africa
