The view from the base of the Statue of Liberty

Go to New York. Take the ferry to Liberty Island. Walk right up to the base of the statue. Point your eyes and your camera up. Shoot. This is what you get.

Photo by:  Finn

Jay-Z owns the Big Apple. He knows it, Mayor Bloomberg knows it, and so does everyone within earshot of his latest album – The Blueprint 3. Songs from the album – ‘Run this Town’ and ’Empire State of Mind’ - are aimed squarely at propogating the myth of J Hova’s absolute dominance of all things New York. 

Jay-Z

If you’re not a New Yorker, you can buy your Jay-Z tickets for the BP3 Tour, same as everyone else. But not in the Big Apple - because Empire State of Mind is also a candidate to replace Sinatra’s New York, New York as the New York anthem song.

And Jay-Z is relentlessly hammering it home – with Alicia Keys to add some oomph, he performed the song at Madison Square Garden on Sept 11, as part of the ‘Answer the Call’ charity concert.

Next stop the MTV Video Music Awards. After that the Yankee Stadium, for Game 2 of the World Series, and then again at the Yankees Parade.

He was even introduced as the Mayor of New York by Bono at the U2 Berlin Wall concert streamed live on youtube.

Is playing BP3 on every available stereo going to change New York’s state of mind about Jay-Z and Empire State of Mind anymore than it already has? Maybe a connection between Empire State of Mind and pictures of the iconic landmarks mentioned in the song might help.

Read the lyrics, check out the video, and see the pictures below of the landmarks and icons mentioned. I’m loath to admit it, but once you make the connection, Jay-Z’s Empire State of Mind is every bit as good as the New York of Frank Sinatra and Robert De Niro.  Read More »

This upward-view photo of the Statue of Liberty was taken from below the pedastal on twelve-acre Liberty Island. Ferries to Liberty Island and nearby Ellis Island are available from Lower Manhattan and New Jersey on Statue Cruises. Both islands include visitor centers, tours and exhibits, and gift and concession shops. On July 4, 2009, Lady Liberty’s crown will open to the public for the first time since September 11, 2001.

Photo copyright by Darren Farrington