Mary J. Blige & JAY-Z: Heart of the City

5/1/2008    7:30 PM

At long last, with over 70 million combined albums sold worldwide and 12 Grammy wins collectively, Mary J. Blige & JAY-Z have announced that they will embark on a historic co-headlining tour, stopping at HSBC Arena on Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 7:30PM.

 The "Mary J. Blige & JAY-Z:  Heart of the City" tour marks the first time in more than 15 years that an African American male/female bill of this stature have co-headlined a national concert tour.  The "Mary J. Blige & JAY-Z: Heart of the City" tour is the pinnacle of Mary and Jay's long-time collaboration which began in 1996 with the classic "Can't Knock The Hustle."  The multi-Grammy award-winning powerhouses are two of the most successful artists of our time whose influence stretch far beyond any musical borders.

This will be Jay-Z's first arena tour since his successful Jay-Z and Friends Tour in 2004 and the first to feature material from his 2006 Kingdom Come album and 2007's critically acclaimed American Gangster album. A multiple Grammy, American Music Award and VMA award winner, Jay-Z has continued to set the bar for all artists and entrepreneurs. Co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records, he currently is the president of Rocawear, part owner of the New Jersey Nets and co-owner of the successful 40/40 chain. Most recently, Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter held the title of President of Def Jam Records where he helped guide the careers of superstar artists and multiple Grammy nominees such as Rihanna, Ne-Yo, NAS, Kanye West and Young Jeezy.

Mary J. Blige is a truly iconic artist whose longevity in the music business is a rarity.  Her 8th and current studio album, Growing Pains, reached platinum in three weeks and is grabbing the hearts of the critics and fans alike.   People magazine says "There are three things you can count on:  death, taxes and good Mary J. Blige albums."