Talk about an evolution

Rapper Jay-Z wants his shows to be more visual than hip hop shows normally offer. The mega star gets rave reviews on all his studio releases and his numerous collaborations but feels something is missing. Jay-Z wants to push the live performance envelope and see how far he can go.

Live hip hop show and great performance are not usually found in the same sentence. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Jay-Z talked about where he looked for inspiration: "In hip-hop, there’s not many great performers. I look outside the genre, measuring myself against others. I look at Madonna’s production and envy that."

He goes on to say: "Daft Punk’s set, I’m like, what the. . . . And I look at the way U2 can command an audience. Bono’s a performer pretty much like I am. He’s not a dancer; he’s not jumping around. He’s having a conversation. He’s using his stillness as movement."

The rapper will be performing at a few festivals in England this summer. He wants to make a favourable impression on people who may not have heard his music before. He is thinking about ways to improve his stage presence.

Jay-Z summed up his thoughts: "If you want to be a headliner, you better put on a headline show."