Jay Z launched Tidal, a subscription-based music streaming in October 2014. The music service features audio and high definition music videos with curated editorial. The main idea of the service is to bring major revenue streams back to the music artists themselves as the idea of an artist-owned streaming platform was stated as to "restore the value to music by launching a service owned by artists."
Up and coming rapper, Chinx Drugz, died at the age of 31 when an unidentified man opened fire on his vehicle while he was parked in Queens, New York on Sunday. Jay Z honored the fallen rapper him with a few words during the concert hours after the tragedy. He said to the crowd:
"(A) young man got killed in Queens named Chinx... We are seriously under attack like never before. Rest in peace to Chinx. And we still killing each other. We need to understand that we are kings and queens."
"I can't understand how we're under attack... and we're killing each other"- Jay Z shouting out the memory of Chinx Drugz #TIDALXJAYZ
— Sowmya Krishnamurthy (@SowmyaK) May 18, 2015
Jay just stopped the concert to pay love to Chinx and to say we are Kings and Queens and we shouldn't kill each other. Protect our own
— RIP Chase (@iluvfashion618) May 18, 2015
"People left the hood, they don't wanna go back. No, people go back to the hood and get killed." #TIDALXJAYZ
— Joe Berg (@JoeBleedsBlue) May 18, 2015
Jay reunited with his former Roc-A-Fella Records team, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, and Freeway with a performance at the concert. Freeway had this to say to BET about reuniting with the Roc Boys:Aw man, it felt like a million bucks. It was a great feeling to be back out there with my brothers and rock out with the fam. It almost brought a tear to my eye. That was the foundation that I built my career on. It was a great feeling. I know the fans appreciate it, because everywhere I go they ask, “Wassup with the Roc? When are y’all getting back together? When y’all doin’ this? When y’all doin’ that?” So for us to get back together to perform was a great thing.
The deaths of Freddie Gray, Mike Brown and Trayvon Martin have been on the forefront of many news stations over the past few years. At the the Tidal concert, Jay Z used his lyrics to talk about this very important issue. He had this to say:
"You know n--s die for equal pay right?Check out the artists tribute to the issue below.
You know when I work I ain't your slave right?
You know I ain't shaking and jiving and high-fiving, and you know this ain't back in the days right?
Well I can't tell, how the way they killed Freddie Gray right?
Show down Mike Brown, how they did Tray right?
Let me continue choking n--s
We gon' turn style, I ain't your token n--."
Check out the full concert above.
CONVERSATION