It’s been a good couple of weeks since the MTV VMAs in New York and it is unfortunate that everyone will remember this year’s show for the Kanye West-Taylor Swift incident. It’s a shame really because the show featured one of the greatest live performances ever to have been screened by MTV. When I say live, I actually mean live and not someone dancing and lip syncing on stage! I am of course talking about the closing song performed by Jay Z and Alicia Keys. Everything about it was perfect from Jay Z’s entrance into the building to opening Alicia Keys’ piano solo before the beat dropped. The anticipation was at fever pitch and when the curtain finally dropped and Jay Z started rapping the lyrics to the song “Empire State of Mind”, the hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end. I knew at that moment that I was witnessing something special.

The crowd clearly agreed with me, as Jay Z had to practically shout the lyrics because the noise in the building was deafening.

At 39 years of age, fellow rappers have questioned what the New York based MC is still doing. What they don’t understand is that like a fine wine he has actually improved with age and is currently the best of the bunch. The lyrics to Empire State of Mind are a poignant tribute to the fine city and like all the great songs it provides hope and inspiration as well as some typical bravado. As Jay raps:

“I’m the new Sinatra,
And since I made it here,
I can make it anywhere,
Yeah they love me everywhere.”

As Alicia tempts you with to visit the Big Apple with the chorus;

“In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
There’s nothing you can’t do,
Now you’re in New York,
These streets will make you feel brand new,
Tig lights will inspire you”.

Tracks like this show the power of hip-hop and why it is still the greatest form of music. The mixture of classical, rock and jazz were all present in that performance. Since that performance I have been unable to listen to the album version, instead preferring to listen to the live performance. You should do the same and you will see why hip-hop is far from dead.