Jay-Z marks 10 years of fame with a tour

updated 11:55 a.m. ET June 26, 2006

NEW YORK - As a white-tuxed Jay-Z stood on stage at Radio City Music Hall, celebrating the 10th anniversary of his debut album “Reasonable Doubt” and planning a world tour, it seemed as if a wide chasm separated the hungry rapper who made that dazzling debut and the mogul on the mic.

The Jay-Z of ten years ago was virtually unknown — the hottest Brooklyn rapper back then was The Notorious B.I.G., and Jay-Z wasn’t even signed to a major label when his first record came out.

Now, Jay-Z — also known as Shawn Carter, the president of Def Jam Records — is one of the most successful, respected figures in rap history.

But lest anyone think the rap icon is getting comfortable as a nostalgia act, Jay-Z quickly corrected them on stage Sunday night. Launching into a blistering, mostly unprintable freestyle, he affirmed that even semi-retired, Jay-Z is still the most captivating figure in rap today.

“I am the nicest!” Jay-Z declared, as the sold-out crowd inside the legendary venue stood on their feet, demanding more.

Fans will soon get it. In an interview with The Associated Press on Friday between rehearsals for Sunday night’s commemorative show, Jay-Z announced that he would be going on tour this fall in a jaunt around the globe — Seoul, Beirut, Dubai, Johannesburg and Sydney, to name a few stops.

“There’s a lot of places I haven’t been,” explained Jay-Z. “They’ve heard my music but they’ve never really seen me perform live. ... This really makes me wanna go out and perform. I’m looking forward to going overseas.”

While fans stateside won’t likely see another Jay-Z performance for a while, they may get a chance to her some new music in the future. Though Jay-Z vowed 2003’s “The Black Album” would be his goodbye to the recorded rap game, his recent concert appearances (he staged a major show last year and has made cameos with performers like The Roots) and his guest appearances on tracks like girlfriend Beyonce’s new song have industry insiders rumbling that a new Hova album may be on the horizon.

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