Jay-Z Reaches Out To New Audiences Through College Tour

Jay-Z
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — Notorious B.I.G. had a classic line about, let's just say, mingling at Penn State in "It's All About the Benjamins." Earlier this month, Jay-Z finally got to hit the campus, reaching the students in a slightly more appropriate manner. Most of Hov's current tour stops are at higher-learning institutions because that gives him the chance to perform for new audiences, he said.

"This one, I wanted to gear specifically to colleges," Jay explained on Monday at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan, where he was promoting the "DJ Hero: Renegade Edition" video game. "I wanted to get out and see a lot of the kids. Like playing Penn State — I never played Penn State or UCLA. I wanted to do something different. I'm always trying to reach people that I'm not typically in front of. Just like with 'DJ Hero.' It's like another thing to bring the music in front of the widest audience possible. A lot of times, people judge hip-hip and have never been to a live show or experienced hip-hop. How do you have an opinion of it unless you've sat through a concert or seen someone perform? We're all different. We're all individuals."

Jay is already mapping out yet another tour for the top of the year. J. Cole, N.E.R.D. and Wale are his openers this time around, but he says that his friend and collaborator Young Jeezy may be on the bill for the next jaunt.

"Yeah, that's a possibility," Jay affirmed. "Young Jizzle. I got a great relationship with him. I think he's one of those guys that's gonna be here for a minute. People are interested in what he has to say. It's not about a song, although he makes great songs. It's more about what he has to say or what he has to offer: Music that is sustainable, which is great and will be around forever."

You can see Jay-Z and Jeezy perform "As Real as It Gets" the BET Hip-Hop Awards which air on Tuesday, October 27, at 8 pm ET.