Monday, September 13th, 2010

Jay-Z Opening Performance x Dynasty “Intro” & “Run This Town”

Eminem Opening Performance x “Won’t Back Down”

This was one of, if not THE greatest experiences I’ve ever had. Since I can’t think of a close second at this moment in time, I’m gonna say this concert was it. To be in center field of Yankee Stadium, in the middle of New York City, the capital of the world, the birth place of Hip-Hop, rockin out with 53,000 fans – the most passionate fans in sports, submerged in all that history, witnessing the first concert ever performed at the Stadium, headlined by 2 of the best of all time (Jay-Z and Eminem), and inviting some of the best to ever do it to perform as guest stars (Kanye West, Dr. Dre, Drake, Nicki Minaj, 50 Cent, G-Unit, Swizz Beatz, Chris Martin, and Beyonce) was just a once in a lifetime experience.

The greatest part about my night is that none of the artists or fans in attendance had an ego. Everyone that was at Yankee Stadium knew that this night was bigger than any individual. To see the most “hardcore” people in the industry do nothin but SMILE the whole night from excitement and disbelief was the icing on the cake. As much as these artists have accomplished and witnessed in their lives, you could tell that THIS moment was their greatest experience of their life, as it was mine. I’m just glad I got to witness.

Funniest Moment: Watching a the po-lice singin and dancin while in uniform, in the middle of the crowd like they were in a nightclub.

Most LIVE Moment: Nicki Minaj comin out and performing Monster. (That song just sounds insane in a stadium.)

Most Historic Moment: JAY-Z perform Renegade with Eminem and Light Up with Drake.

Most Chilling Moment: Eminem performing Lose Yourself with the lights low and Yankee Stadium glowing.

Most Gangsta Moment: G-Unit comin out in fireman suits with glow in the dark piping, performing I Get Money in the dark!!!

Oh Shit Moment: The ATMOSPHERE! The energy was insane!!! Sitting in floor seats, center field, Yankee Stadium, New York City, the Capital of the World, listening to the best artists in Hip-Hop and seeing how amazed and happy their faces were on the big screen.

People in Our Section: Diddy, LeBron James, Alexander Ovechkin, Will Smith, Amber Rose, Slaughterhouse, Asher Roth, The Real Rick Ross, Fabolous, DJ Clue, Gale (Oprah’s Chic)

Eminem Performs “Lose Yourself”

Jay-Z Performs “Public Service Announcement”

Allow me to re-introDUCE MYselfffff!

Jay-Z Performs “Big Pimpin”

Jay-Z Performs “Hard Knock Life”

Jay-Z Performs “Biggie Tribute”

Jay-Z x Swizz Beats Perform “On to the Next One”

Jay-Z Performs “Empire State of Mind”

Jay-Z Performs ”Jigga My Nigga” x ”H To The Izzo” x ”Best of Me” x ”Where I’m From” x ”Dirt Off My Shoulder”

Jay-Z x Drake “Light Up” Yankee Stadium

Jay-Z waited until the sun went down at Yankee Stadium to bring out Drake. And for the first time, they performed “Light Up” off the compact disc, Thank Me Later. Celebrate with a toast.

Jay-Z x Kanye West x Nicki Minaj “Power (Remix)” x “Monster” (BEST OF THE NIGHT)

Jay-Z brought out the big guns last night at Yankee Stadium. Early into his set, he and Kanye West performed “Power (Remix)” and then ushered in Nicki Minaj for “Monster”.

Jay-Z x Eminem Perform “Renegade”

50 cent x G-Unit Perform “I Get Money”

Eminem Brings Dr. Dre To Yankee Stadium

Along with Eminem, the Doc made a house call in the Bronx last night at Yankee Stadium. After Dre performed “Still D.R.E.”, Em recited Snoop’s verse for “Nuthin’ But A G Thang”. Some ‘ol funky shit!

Jay-Z x Coldplay’s Chris Martin Perform “Heart of the CIty”

Jay-Z’s got a long list of friends. And one of them includes Coldplay lead singer, Chris Martin. He sang the chorus to “Heart Of The City” and then played the keys to “Clocks” as Jay recited the lyrics to “Lost”. Afterward, they took it up a notch with “Viva La Vida”. Stadium status, indeed.

Jay-Z x Beyoncé Perform “Forever Yong”

Jay-Z brought the missus to work last night at Yankee Stadium and for a second time performed the final track on the Blueprint 3. That girl bad. That girl tough!

Think Different from gchavezpooley on Vimeo.

Reporting from Las Vegas - What would appear to be a natural — a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. super fight — might not be. Egos, greed and grudges could get in the way.

“It’s a simple negotiation,” Ross Greenburg, HBO Sports president, said minutes after Pacquiao knocked down welterweight world champion Miguel Cotto twice en route to a 12th-round technical knockout Saturday.

“There’s so much money to be made. If it doesn’t happen, there’ll be a revolt. Nothing else is acceptable, and I’m speaking on behalf of the American public and the sport itself.”

But obstacles exist. Will the rich rivals fight over who gets more than a 50% cut of the purse? Of course. Can Mayweather and Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, set aside their deep personal dislike? Perhaps.

Richard Schaefer, the Golden Boy Promotions chief executive who has promoted Mayweather’s last three fights, expressed confidence that he’d be able to work with Arum to make a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight.

Schaefer told The Times he planned to speak today with Mayweather and Arum. Pacquiao said, “It’s my job to fight. It’s my promoter’s job to pick the fight.”

Said Schaefer: “Bob and me — how often have we failed to make a big fight?”

Yet, that deal is expected to require a diplomatic effort on a scale usually reserved for the State Department.

Mayweather (40-0, 25 knockouts) formerly fought for Arum’s promotional company Top Rank after being an Olympian but left, saying he felt obscured by the popularity of former stablemate Oscar De La Hoya. The mega paydays that followed, against De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Juan Manuel Marquez, have emboldened the unbeaten star’s public statements that Arum shorts his fighters, including Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs).

Arum bluntly said this week that a deal will not hinge on whether he likes Mayweather — “and I don’t,” he said.

Pacquiao, usually polite, this month directed some verbal blows at Mayweather, saying he doesn’t think the fight will happen because of Mayweather’s attitude.

“I’m sure he doesn’t want to fight me,” Pacquiao said. “With Floyd, boxing is like a business. He doesn’t care about the people around him watching. He doesn’t care if the fight is boring. As long as the fight is over and he gets the money, it’s good. I want the people to be happy. If I was in the audience, I’m going to watch the boxing because it’s a good fight.”

Mayweather hasn’t launched back, but he does strongly believe he’s the world’s best fighter and has made it pretty clear he deserves the larger purse. He was considered the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter before retiring for more than a year and watching Pacquiao seize the title with the battering of De La Hoya, Hatton and Cotto.

Cotto went to the hospital after suffering facial cuts in the loss but said he planned to fight again, with possible foes being Shane Mosley or Antonio Margarito.

As for Pacquiao-Mayweather. . . .

“All we can do is try to encourage both sides to sit at a table and hammer out a deal,” said Greenburg, who likened the situation to the 1971 deal between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, when Ali returned from boxing exile to face the champion Frazier. They settled on a 50-50 purse split of $5 million, Greenburg said.

Why not 50-50 again, with so much cash available?

Mayweather and Pacquiao have displayed tremendous greed. Pacquiao kept asking for more money to fight Hatton in May until the Hatton camp nearly walked.

Now, Pacquiao probably will be able to say his fight with Cotto easily surpassed Mayweather’s million-seller against Juan Manuel Marquez in September. But Schaefer already has a reply.

“How did Pacquiao-Marquez do versus Mayweather-Marquez? How did Pacquiao-Oscar do versus Floyd-Oscar?” Schaefer said, well aware of the disparity.

Greenburg made it clear: “Floyd’s calling the shots for this fight to happen.”

And Arum’s matchmaker at Top Rank, Bruce Trampler, said it’s naive to believe intangibles like “the good of boxing” will influence the deal.

“This has nothing to do with that,” Trampler said. “These are two businessmen who are going to do what’s best for themselves.”

Said Schaefer: “Getting them together is a mega-fight that has to be made. We’d all have to be morons to not let this happen.”

[via: LA Times]