1. When Jay-Z Went to Harrow Road

Available for 67 days

The Grammy Awards in 2023 were a who’s who of hip-hop, with some of the greatest rappers of all time coming together celebrating 50 years of one of the world’s most influential genres. Onstage is Jay-Z, one of the greatest of the greats and born and raised in New York City - the birthplace of hip-hop. During his verse he shouts out a street in west London… Harrow Road. Why? Ashley Walters explores why Jay-Z’s trip to London in the 80s had such a profound effect on him that he is still rapping about it over 30 years later. Over the years, Jay-Z has returned to the UK again and again, making history as the first rapper to headline Glastonbury. Why was the show so controversial and how has it changed hip-hop? In this episode, we hear from Jay-Z, hip-hop journalist Elliott Wilson (Rap Radar), Nick Raphael and Mimi The Music Blogger. Archive in this episode: Lethal B on BBC Radio 1Xtra Jay-Z at Glastonbury: BBC Soundtrack DJ Khaled - "God Did" (featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend, and Fridayy) Jaz-O - “Hawaiian Sophie” (feat. Jay-Z) Jay-Z - “Can't Knock The Hustle” (feat. Mary J Blige) Jay-Z - Dead Presidents II Estelle - “American Boy” (feat. Kanye West) Oasis - Wonderwall (Taken from Jay-Z’s Glastonbury Performance) Stormzy - Vossi Bop (Taken from Stormzy’s Glastonbury Performance) Public Enemy - Countdown to Armageddon Presenter: Ashley Walters Producer: Emily Dicks Written by Emily Dicks Technical production: Ant Danbury Additional production: Dari Samuels, Tommy Dixon and Zayna Shaikh Editor for BBC Audio: Andy Worrell Commissioning producer: Jonathan O’Sullivan Commissioner for BBC Music: Will Wilkin A BBC Audio production.