JAY-Z LENDS EARS TO LINKIN PARK SHINODA AND FORT MINOR

Rap and Hip-Hop star turned mogul, Jay-Z, recently took time out to lend his ears and his expertise to the side project of Linkin Park vocalist Mike Shinoda. The two got friendly when they teamed up for the mash-up last year, and Jay-Z gladly offered up his expert opinion on Shinoda’s Fort Minor record.

Shinoda told us that they shared a similar perspective when it came to music and hip-hop, and he counted on Jay’s honesty and taste as he was cutting the songs in the studio.

“You know, after sitting down with him a little bit and working with him on that we just kind of realized we saw eye to eye on some of things, and at that point I started thinking about the Fort Minor record and the first ideas for the album came up, and really I was just doing them casually. Over time more and more people kept telling me, ‘You should do this. This is great. You need to put this out, and Jay was one of those people who were really supportive. I got him on board and he didn’t write anything. He didn’t write any lyrics or music, but what he did, what he did to me was just as important because when you’re in the studio you listen to a song a million times and it’s important to get a fresh ear, a person who can listen to it for the very first time and tell you with their expert opinion what they think of the song.”

Fort Minor will tour in support of the new album, The Rising Tied, with hip-hop artists, Little Brother. Dates kick off January 4 at the Nokia Theater in New York City.