WHY is this guy on the cover or RS much less in it?! HOW is he a rock act?! He belongs on the cover of some rap magazine. You must be out of good bands, or ANY bands to cover..

dear dennis,,,,,yes, rap sucks holy hell, but if you have been paying attention, RS is and has been a leading magazine for folks interested in pop culture in general,,,not just rock music. but don’t get your undies in a bunch, just turn the page and you just might find something that does speak to you. and once again, rap sucks!

Get over it, Dennis. Hip hop has been a major part of rock n’ roll history for the last 25 years, and Jay is the king.

Jay z is probably the most respectable rapper out there, hes not all about bitches and hoes like the rest, he is unique and deserves another cover

Hannah’s right… and i’m angry. I HATE this guy!

Nono, Fydo… hip hop has never been a part of rock n roll history, its been a part of hip hop history..

Best thing this shmuck ever did was Beyonce.

Well.. and a thing i saw on SNL with Lenny Kravitz. I admit, that was pretty good.

don’t tell jay what he can and can’t do. he is respected by every one from rock,pop,rap, actress, actors,blues artist ,r&b,and country do i really have to list all them people? just because you closed minded racist people can’t see beyond what your little minds can handle. don’t make him any less of a entertainer as the next man ,i ‘m black and i opened my eyes to all sorts of genres, exspecailly country and rock .and it’s a shame that you people come on here and try to seperate music. it just entertainment it’s not that serious. and for those who don’t know blacks envented rock .so yea .move around with that.i’m not here to tare anyone down .i’m here to unify people in general and help open the eyes of close minded sheltered idiots such as some of you ..i hope and pray that yall arn’t adults acting/talkng like that.i really do!

don’t tell jay what he can and can’t do. he is respected by every one from rock,pop,rap, actress, actors,blues artist ,r&b,and country do i really have to list all them people? just because you closed minded racist people can’t see beyond what your little minds can handle. don’t make him any less of a entertainer as the next man ,i ‘m black and i opened my eyes to all sorts of genres, exspecailly country and rock .and it’s a shame that you people come on here and try to seperate music. it just entertainment it’s not that serious. and for those who don’t know blacks envented rock .so yea .move around with that.i’m not here to tare anyone down .i’m here to unify people in general and help open the eyes of close minded sheltered idiots such as some of you ..i hope and pray that yall arn’t adults acting/talkng like that.i really do!

So what’s your definition of a rocker, Dennis? A white guy with a guitar? Jay rocks just fine. Don’t be so narrow with your definition of rock. If it rocks, it’s rock.

julie, you kinda make sense with the unity thang, then trash the whole concept by calling people with different music tastes as “close minded idiots”, and “racists”. you also claim that it is just entertainment, then play the “race” card at your convienience. you can’t have it both ways. just who is the close minded one here?

Someone get Al Sharpton on the line, we got another one..

Who said anything about race?!

moron!

Someone get Al Sharpton on the line, we got another one..

Who said anything about race?!

moron!

Hannah: good.

MM: Lame.

Julie: Dumb (and can’t spell “invented”).

Jay Z: NOT rock.

Jay-Z may not be pure rock but he is most definitely a rock STAR known around the world. He often incorporates rock and roll in his music (99 Problems, Guns and Roses, adding a Jimi Hendrex drum solo on his current tour, etc.) and he has the respect from some of the most influential figures in rock. People like Rick Rubin, Bono, Lenny Kravitz, Paul McCartney have all recognized Jay-Z as a rock star.

You obviously have a one-sided vision of what constitutes rock. It’s not all about loud guitars and long hair. You sound like the idiot that would bitch about the Beatles making the cover of RS in the 60s. Thank God the internet wasn’t around back then.

With that said, I can’t wait to get my copy so I can read the Jay-Z interview. He’s always a fascinating subject to me.

… but didn’t the Beatles have long hair and guitars? Yeah, I sound just like “that idiot”… Speaking of idiots…

Ripping off samples from rock songs is different from actually writing rock songs, just so ya know…

But fine. I won’t die on this hill. There is nothing rock about this guy but clearly people like him anyway.. thats fine, I like Eminem. I’m just a fan of rock music.

this argument is moot. unless y’all just started reading the 40-year-old rolling stone magazine this issue, RS has put britney spears, jerry seinfeld and the cast of star wars on the cover. rolling stone is obviously not solely a rock magazine. this whole debate is just masturbation.

Dennis shut the fuck up before I am forced to get the Black Panthers to kick your sorry ass!

He is there for a reason so turn the next page.

Jay-Z’s a rock star now? Please somebody start a good rock band before I am forced to jump off the Capitol Dome!!! Fuck Me!

MML has a point… DAMN!

Wow. I can’t believe this is such a divisive issue… If Al Gore and Kid Rock can have cover shots, why not Jay-Z? Really, rock and roll is more a state of mind than it is a definition of rhythm and rhyme. Much like Johnny Cash before him, Jay-Z has the respect of people from all genres of music… and Johnny Cash was never such a great guitarist or singer himself either. He was a great songwriter and his songs told stories, like Jay-Z does. I am not a huge fan of Jay-Z’s music either, but come on people! Rock and roll is all about change and keeping an open mind.

Hi Man,

J Z always looks cool to me but theres one thing He is missing in his life Now: J Z pls go and marry Beyounce, this is the right time, She is beautiful!!!!

Dennis A. please learn to appriciate MUSIC!!!! that is what rolling stone is about! perhaps try listening to the lyrics of ANY jay album or perhaps reading them. then and only then can you say he doesnt belong on the cover!

hey dennis how about opening your mind to new things and atleast trying to appreciate what jay is doing as a musician! it is unbelieveable!

A few things that are arguable, but admitted by most:

Jay-Z is a pop culture icon and a true talent.
Rolling Stone is pop culture magazine.

With this in mind, it should not surprise anyone that Mr. Carter (CEO of Def Jam Recordings, might I add) would grace the cover of this publication.

I understand that some of you might not “get” rap music. But any honest person with the gift of sight, hearing and intelligence can see that it is a powerful and influential force in America’s modern era….and Jay-Z is the leader. I salute him.

He has contributed to music as much, if not more, than your favorite rock artist.

Here’s a snippet of his thoughts on the Don Imus-fueled hip-hop backlash:

“I missed the part when this stop being about Imus/
What do my lyrics got to do with this sh!t?/
Scarface the movie did more than Scarface the rapper to me/
Still that ain’t to blame for all the shit’s that happened to me/
Are you saying what I’m spittin’/
is worse than these celebutantes showing their kitten? You kiddin?/
Let’s stop the bullshitt!n’/
‘Till we all without sin, let’s quit the pulpittin’.”

Jay-Z – “Ignorant Sh!t”

Aside from all the loose rap, having the ever accomplished Mr. Shawn Carter in the new Rolling Stone was the element of suprise(just like any other cover),so we should all glorify it. Rolling Stone deserves another feather in the cap for making history once again.

“L’chaim!”

wow… those lyrics were amazing. with poor spelling and everything.. yea, real contribution to music.

Hey, not everyone writes great lyrics and rock isn’t an english lit class, but dont talk him up as the best and tell me these are the best of the heap. Thats sad.

And thanks, mbc. I am actually a huge fan of music, thats why i hate rap.

Jay-Z – possibly the most relevant and innovative lyricist of the last decade, rap OR rock – doesn’t belong on the cover of Rolling Stone?

Yet Kid Rock, Fall Out Boy, Maroon 5, and Panic At The Disco DO belong on the cover of Rolling Stone?

You picked the wrong argument, kid.

The problem isn’t that Jay-Z is on the cover of Rolling Stone. The problem is that Radiohead ISN’T on the cover of Rolling Stone.

Jay-Z trumps almost all important rock bands of the modern era, in relevance, in articulateness, in consistency, in self-awareness, in originality, in contribution to culture, in raising social awareness, and in record sales.

I can’t argue against The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Pixies, Queen, Radiohead, The Arcade Fire or any of the other relevant, original musicians of the past few decades, but, as a longtime fan of rock music myself, I can’t see how you could possibly still be interested in a genre so populated with recycled ideas and inauthentic statements.

You just don’t get it, kid.

Hov saw you coming, too:

“Those who think Hov’s fingers ‘bling-blinging’ either haven’t heard the album or they don’t know English / They just know what the single is and single that out to be the meaning of what he’s about / And being i’m about my paper, not mingling much, that shit kept lingering / But, no dummy, that’s the shit I’m sprinkling an album with to keep the registers ringing / In real life I’m much more distinguished.”

- From his worst album

“Same sword they knight you they gonna good night you with.
Shit that’s only half if they like you.
That ain’t he even the half of what they might do.
If you don’t believe me ask Michael
See Martin, see Malcolm
You see Biggie, see Pac, see success and its outcome.
See Jesus, see Judas
See Ceasar, see Brutus…”

Alright, now I’ll stop.
While I kick raps, you can kick rocks…

HA-HA, I love it!

“The problem isn’t that Jay-Z is on the cover of Rolling Stone. The problem is that Radiohead ISN’T on the cover of Rolling Stone.”

I rest my case. Think that one over.. and get back to me.

Kid.

(However, I did say hannah and MML had a point. You should have stuck with that.. no you look stupid all over again).

oh, and this has gotten WAY outta hand.. you retards can bicker all you want. Later!

I suppose there’s no use trying to convert people who don’t get it.

I’ll rest my case on that with: Jay-Z’s a fucking genius. If someone doesn’t get that, I suppose they don’t deserve to.

In defense, my point about Rolling Stone not putting “Radiohead” on the cover is that Radiohead is probably the most successful and critically acclaimed “big” band in the world and Rolling Stone chose to put Kid Rock on the cover instead of them the month their record came out.

I’m agreeing with you that Rolling Stone often makes bad decisions on which artists to put on the cover,$ but I think Jay-Z’s contribution to music and culture is unprecedented and deserves to be recognized by the most respected music magazine in the world – much more so than 90% of the bullshit, copycat rock acts of our time.

Dennis, you can’t compete, so you make some powderpuff comment and run away. When it comes to mental gymnastics, you’re a FAT SLOB!

You guys are waaaay out of line. I love Rock-n-Roll but I’m gonna say this “1 TIME ONLY” which rock band have you guys listed has tied Elvis Presley for ten #1 studio albums on the BillBoard charts…NONE of them …Jay-Z has! so with that I rest my case they should put him on the cover he is only second to the Beatles…. That’s crazy for a Rap artist to be there…Micheal Jackson can’t even say that…Now let me go rock out to some “99 problems!”

Jay Z is a terrific artist and certainly deserves a Rolling Stone cover. And I’m a white boy from St. Louis who listens to Credence Clearwater Revival. Jay Z has stood the test of time – “The Blueprint” is one of my favorites because it has some samples from 70’s R&B. The thing to remember is that Jay Z has real talent and originality, and hopefully hip hip will bring us another MC in the coming years to pass the torch.

fuck yall punks hating on jay.. He;s the best yall better live with that. He’s fresher, richer, flyer then yall fav artist ROck, Blues, RNB watever ya like.

Jay-z is GREAT! His record sellings and chart toping albums speak for themselves. Sad that everything in America also ends up going back to race. His color has nothing to do with music nor his talent. THey are calling this man the new Alan Greenspan:

There is something quite alarming on the recently released “Blue Magic” music video.

The song, by the wildly successful rap artist and businessman Jay-Z, is on an album of songs accompanying/inspired by the Ridley Scott movie “American Gangster,” starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crow.

But it wasn’t sex, drugs, violence or explicit language that shocked my conscience.

It was the Euros.

The Jay-Z video flashed large stacks of $500 Euros.

When I start seeing rap stars flashing euros instead of U.S. dollars, I know our economy is in trouble.

Jay-Z carries a lot of weight. Just look at what happened when he began boycotting Cristal champagne.

It’s sad that rap stars can no longer show their style with a good old $500 U.S. bills (featuring President McKinley) and now need to flash $500 Euros (featuring some sort of suspension bridge).

I don’t need the chairman of the Federal Reserve to tell me about the state of our economy. I just need Jay-Z, the new Alan Greenspan.

I don’t blame Jay-Z. A stack of €50,000 in Euros would equal $72,000 in U.S. currency. And you’d need 144 $500 bills to equal a stack of 100 $500 Euros. I don’t know if even Jay-Z has that large a money clip.

When I start seeing rap stars throw around the Canadian Loonie, then I know our economy is really in trouble.

Hi, I am the intelligence that Dennis
left in the operating room:

Please ignore anyone, including myslef who has time to “hate” anything, especially music. “99 problems” by Jay-Z was one of the hardest “rock” tracks of 2003, and he din’t sample any one…just him and rick reuben rockin’ out!

p.s. didn’t MML end this argument already…

If this Dennis A’s side B, then this is worst record ever made.

his music is unoriginal, and way too mainstream. nothing fresh about it. every song sounds the same.
great business man tho.

his music is unoriginal, and way too mainstream. nothing fresh about it. every song sounds the same.
great business man tho.

It’s always a great thing, when an artist can cause a reaction like these….He must be doing something right….Make History…..HOV!

GODDAMN THIS IS HOT. TAKE THAT ALL LAME SOUTH RAPPERS TRYING TO BECOME MILLUIONAIRES SLAPPING BITCHES. THIS IS A REAL MC, CEO, DAMN SOMEBODY GIVE HIM A PHD. GUY’S A GENIUS. NEXT TO THE BEATLES????. A BROOKLYN RAPPER NEXT TO ELVIS??????? EXPECT HIS GLORIOUS FACE ON THE COVER OF TIME MAGAZINE KIDS. MAKING HISTORY.

Leave the hip hop and rap to those who give a shit. Rock n’ Roll is where it’s at! can i hab it li dat
can i hab it li dat
can i hab it li dat
can i hab it li dat
can i hab it li dat
Please give me a break. Rock On!

DEAR MR.ROCK-ON:

I AM.WE ARE.URS STOLE.WE STAR.

HA!