It’s been a good week for hip-hop king Jay-Z. On December 6, he received a three-year probation sentence, as opposed to jail time, for pleading guilty to stabbing music executive Lance “Un” Rivera in 1999. And Tuesday (December 11), his record label announced that the rapper would release Jay-Z Unplugged the following Tuesday (December 18).
Jay-Z taped the live performance November 18 at MTV Studios. Jay-Z was backed by hip-hop band the Roots, and the performance features singers Mary J. Blige and Roots protege Jaguar in the set. The program airs tonight (December 12) on the music video channel.
Jay-Z is the first hip-hop artist to release an unplugged album. His sixth album, The Blueprint, released in September, has exceeded sales of 1.5 million.
The following is the Jay-Z Unplugged track listing: “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)”; “Takeover”; “Girls, Girls, Girls”; “Jigga What, Jigga Who”; “Big Pimpin'”; “Heart Of The City (Ain’t No Love)”; “Can I Get A…”; “Hard Knock Life (The Ghetto Anthem)”; “Ain’t No”; “Can’t Knock The Hustle/Family Affair,” featuring Mary J. Blige; “Song Cry”; “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)”; and “Jigga That N–.”
