Hooverphonic

The band launched into an extended European tour in September of 2003. For a list of albums and singles, see: Jay-Z discography. In 2003 the band released a live album entitled Sit Down And Listen To Hooverphonic, featuring a selection of songs from the band's previous studio albums, as well as new recordings such as Antarctica and The Last Thing I Need Is You. Damon Dash had left Roc-a-Fella Records in late 2004 to pursue other ventures; the label will be retained as a Def Jam imprint. The album went platinum in Belgium and won the group ZAMU's Best Pop/Rock Band and Best Album awards in 2002. On January 3, 2005, Jay-Z was appointed the new President and CEO of Def Jam Recordings. Jackie Cane retains the dreamy elements of Hooverphonic's previous works, most notably on songs "Nirvana Blue" and "Human Interest", but tracks like "The World Is Mine" (the first single) and "Day After Day" have a clear Broadway showtune quality to them. The lead single "Numb/Encore" debuted at #14 in the UK.

Driven to the brink of insanity by the pressures of fame, Jackie quits show-business and returns home to attempt reconciliation, where her sister poisons her and then commits suicide. It debuted at #1 in the US Billboard Album Charts, #12 in Australia and #38 in the UK. Categorized by some as a "trip-hopera" (but referred to by the band as a "pop musical"), the album tells the fictional story of the title character, a lounge singer catapulted into stardom at the expense of her relationship with her twin sister. It features remixes of songs from the rock band's two studio albums, Meteora and Hybrid Theory; and also several from the rapper's albums including his latest, The Black Album. 2002 saw the group shifting gears again, this time releasing the concept album Hooverphonic Presents Jackie Cane. On November 30, 2004, Jay-Z released Collision Course, a collaboration with Linkin Park. On the heels of Tree's success, the band became the first Belgian outfit to headline Rock Werchter in 2001. On June 18, 2004, Jay-Z appeared live with the jam band Phish at Keyspan Park in Brooklyn, performing some of his hit singles with the band.

Highlights from the album are the string-laden "Out Of Sight" and "Mad About You". Kelly accused Jay-Z's entourage of attacking him. The band followed up Milk with 2000's The Magnificent Tree, which expounds on the sound of Milk but with a much darker tone. This release was timed to coincide with the Best of Both Worlds Tour, which played half of its dates before being cancelled in November 2004 after R. The single "Club Montepulciano" was a minor college hit in the U.S., and "Renaissance Affair" was featured in commercials for the new Volkswagen Beetle. Kelly released a follow up to their Best of Both Worlds album in October 2004 entitled Unfinished Business, which includes 11 previously unreleased tracks by the duo. A marked departure from their debut, the album is driven less by breakbeats and samples and more by organic string elements and traditional song structures. Jay-Z and R.

With Arnaert on vocals the band released Blue Wonder Power Milk in 1998. As a result, many copies were destroyed and an original is now a rare find. Sadonius left Hooverphonic shortly after the release of A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular and was replaced by Geike Arnaert. DJ Danger Mouse was sent a cease and desist order from EMI, The Beatles' record company, due to illegal sampling. The original members of the group were vocalist Liesje Sadonius, keyboardist Frank Duchêne, guitarist and programmer Alex Callier, and guitarist Raymond Geerts. It combined the a capella version with instrumental samples of The Beatles' White Album. The band achieved international recognition through the inclusion of the track "2Wicky" (from A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular) on the soundtrack to Bernardo Bertolucci's 1996 film Stealing Beauty (Io Ballo da Sola). The most controversial of the ensuing remixes was by DJ Danger Mouse, entitled "The Grey Album".

The band originally called themselves Hoover but later changed their name to Hooverphonic due to complaints by The Hoover Company as well as discovering that other groups were already using that name. In 2004, an a capella special edition of The Black Album (which sported a red CD cover) was released with the intention of allowing others to create remixes. They quickly expanded their sound to the point where they could no longer be pigeonholed into one genre. The album featured the Top 10 singles "Change Clothes" and "Dirt Off Your Shoulder", one of a number of Jay-Z singles produced by Timbaland. Hooverphonic is a Belgian music group formed in the mid-1990s as a trip-hop outfit. In 2003, Jay-Z toured with 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes and Sean Paul while finishing work on what was announced as his final album, The Black Album. Sit Down And Listen To Hooverphonic (2003). The Blueprint 2 was later reissued in a single-disc version, The Blueprint 2.1, which retained half of the tracks from the double-album.

Hooverphonic Presents Jackie Cane (2002). Jay-Z's next solo album was 2002's The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse, a sprawling double-album which included the Top 10 single "'03 Bonnie & Clyde", a duet with his girlfriend, Beyoncé Knowles of Destiny's Child. The Magnificent Tree (2000). Kelly, Best of Both Worlds, in 2002. Blue Wonder Power Milk (1998). Two side projects followed The Blueprint: a late 2001 MTV Unplugged album (featuring The Roots as Jay-Z's backing band), and a collaborative album with R. A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular (1996). The feud between Jay-Z and Nas escalated until 2003, when the two MCs ended their rivalry peacefully.

The latter responded to Jay-Z with both an underground single entitled "Stillmatic" and a track, "Ether", on his 2001 LP Stillmatic, and the pair's resulting rivalry became one of the most talked-about subjects in the hip hop community. The Blueprint also includes "Izzo (HOVA)", a top ten hit, and "Takeover", a song which puts on blast rivals Prodigy of Mobb Deep and Nas. Eminem was the only guest artist on the album, appearing on the track "Renegade". Although it never surpassed Reasonable Doubt's status in the hip hop community, The Blueprint contained a balanced blend of street credibility and mainstream appeal, and received recognition from both audiences.

2001's The Blueprint is considered to be one of the best hip hop albums produced thus far. Kelly, Kanye West, The Neptunes and Snoop Dogg. His next album, The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, was originally intended as a collaboration album with many guests from Roc-a-Fella's roster, including Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek and Amil, as well as Scarface, Just Blaze, R. Carter, which was another big hit in spite of continued criticism for his pop-oriented sound, and a large roster of collaborators that many felt crowded out Jay-Z himself.

3: Life and Times of S. In 1999, Jay-Z released Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life, continued this evolution towards a pop-oriented market. This included several huge singles, including "Can I Get A..." (featuring Ja Rule and Roc-a-Fella artist Amil), "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)", "Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originators '99)" (featuring Jaz-O and Amil), "It's Alright" and "Money Ain't a Thang" (with Jermaine Dupri). The next year, Jay-Z released Vol.

In spite of the success, Jay-Z's image was tarnished by what his core audience perceived as pandering to mainstream audiences with a more pop-friendly sound. 1, peaked at #3 on the Billboard album charts, and helped establish his career and mainstream success. In 1997, Jay-Z's follow-up, In My Lifetime, Vol. Blige), "Dead Presidents" and "Feelin' It".