NEW YORK (Jive Records) - The most anticipated musical event of 2004 will kick off on
September 30th, when R.
Kelly and
Jay-Z join forces on stage in
Chicago for the opening night of 'The Best Of Both Worlds,' a nationwide tour that will take the multi-platinum duo to more than 40 cities around the country, ending up in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 28th.
Ever since fans were treated to a taste of the superstars on stage together at Jay-Z's sold-out Madison Square Garden concert in 2003, consumer demand for a repeat has been building to unprecedented heights.
Broadcast-quality video of R. Kelly and Jay-Z talking about their upcoming concert tour is available for downloading as an MPEG file at ftp://download.point360.com/sitrick (login is 'tour'; password is 'clip').
Jay-Z has released 10 consecutive multi-platinum albums since 1996 and has sold over 25 million units. Jay-Z has been nominated for Grammy Awards, as well as Billboard Music Awards and Radio Music Awards. This year Jay-Z is the leading nominee for the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, with 6 nominations including Video Of The Year.
In addition to his success as a musical artist, Jay-Z has multiple businesses including 40/40 restaurant, Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc-A-Wear and Roc-A-Fella Films. He is also responsible for the Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund (scholarship fund for high school students in Brooklyn), The Annual Jay-Z Toy Drive and Team Roc.
R. Kelly, who will be releasing his 8th album Happy People/U Saved Me on August 24, 2004, has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. In 1997, he won three Grammy Awards for his inspirational hit 'I Believe I Can Fly' from the motion picture 'Space Jam.' In addition, he won Billboard Music Awards in several categories, including Hot 100 and R&B, in 1994, 1996, 1999, 2001, and 2003. In 1999, R. Kelly won an American Music Award for R&B/Soul Favorite Male Artist, and in 2003 he won both a Vibe and a BET Award. Just last month, he won seven R&B/Hip-Hop Awards at the 5th annual Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards show.
One of the most sought after songwriters and producers of this era, R. Kelly has written and/or produced for Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Kelly Price, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Toni Braxton, Mary J. Blige, Maxwell, B2K, Jennifer Lopez, Nick Cannon, Twista and Britney Spears.
