Alicia Keys Suggests New Jay-Z Collab Could Be Coming Soon

BYGabriel Bras Nevares1132 Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
60th Annual GRAMMY Awards - Show
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Recording artists Alicia Keys (L) and Jay-Z attend the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS)
Alicia Keys posted a message thanking fans for their support of her and Jay-Z's "Empire State Of Mind," which hit 1 billion Spotify streams.

Jay-Z & Alicia Keys' "Empire State Of Mind" is one of the biggest hip-hop songs of the past 20 years, and at this point, it's a beloved classic in both their catalogs. As such, it's no wonder the track recently joined Spotify's billion-streams club, as it surpassed this benchmark recently and may have set the stage for a comeback reunion. Moreover, Keys recently posted a social media message thanking fans for their support of the track, which included a short clip of her standing next to Hov. "1 Dream, 1 Song, 1 Billion streams [prayer hands emojis]," she captioned her online post. "Thank you! We love you. What’s next…. [eyes emoji] [shushing emoji]."

Furthermore, this has a lot of fans speculating on whether or not this duo will come out with another collaboration or maybe another initiative or announcement. Either way, we know that Alicia Keys stays in the spotlight and is always active when it comes to either new music or advocacy. As for Jay-Z, he's definitely more of a reclusive billionaire if those even exists, although he's no hermit. Still, this status means that when he pops out to perform for, say, Tom Brady's Hall Of Fame ceremony and not for hip-hop fanbases, a lot of fans raise their eyebrows.

Alicia Keys & Jay-Z's Teaser

Nevertheless, we'll see what Alicia Keys and Jay-Z do next, yet there's still so much to discuss and appreciate about "Empire State Of Mind." "He had this idea, he wanted to build it out," the former said of the background of her collaboration with the latter. "He wanted to make it the New York energy. The crazy part of that story that I just love is that he actually couldn’t get in touch with me because you go through the different channels, management, all these different places."

Meanwhile, Alicia Keys and Jay-Z don't just collaborate in the musical realm, but also in community. For example, she and Roc Nation partnered to donate $60K to help a seventh grade arts program at a performing arts school stay afloat for students. There's a lot of power they wield, and while their uses of it aren't always perfect, the effort is heartening. Still, there are many possibilities as to what this teaser could mean, so keep your eyes and ears on alert.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
...