Get Into An “Empire State Of Mind” In Honour Of JAY-Z’s 52nd Birthday

BYHayley Hynes3.4K Views
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JAY-Z/SpotifyJAY-Z/Spotify
Happy Birthday Hov!

It’s December 4th, which means that today, hip-hop icon JAY-Z turns 52. The rapper has had a huge year, so to celebrate with him we’ll be streaming classic throwback hits all day, including 2009’s  “Empire State Of Mind,” featuring Alicia Keys.

Whether you’re a New Yorker or not, you have to admit that there’s something about the four minute and 36-second long song that gets you excited for and inspired by the bright lights of the Big Apple. As a Brooklyn native, remembering and paying tribute to where he came from remains an incredibly important theme throughout Jay’s discography.

Seeing as he only lasted about a day on Instagram, we likely won’t be getting too many sneak peeks into how the father of three chooses to celebrate this year – we can only speculate that he’ll do it big, in true Hova style.

Which JAY-Z track do you have on repeat today? Drop a comment and let us know. 

Quotable Lyrics:

Cruisin' down 8th St, off white Lexus
Drivin' so slow, but BK is from Texas
Me, I'm out that Bed-Stuy, home of that boy Biggie
Now I live on Billboard and I brought my boys with me
Say what up to Ty-Ty, still sippin' Mai Tais
Sittin' courtside, Knicks and Nets give me high five
N*gga I be Spike'd out, I could trip a referee (come on, come on, come on)
Tell by my attitude that I'm most definitely from


About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.
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