Jay-Z and R. Kelly Kick Off 'The Best Of Both Worlds' Tour in Chicago on 9/30/04

The most anticipated musical event of 2004 will kick off on September 30th, when R. Kelly and Jay-Z join forces on stage in Chicago for the opening night of "The Best Of Both Worlds," a nationwide tour that will take the multi-platinum duo to more than 40 cities around the country, ending up in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 28th.

Ever since fans were treated to a taste of the superstars on stage together at Jay-Z's sold-out Madison Square Garden concert in 2003, consumer demand for a repeat has been building to unprecedented heights.

Broadcast-quality video of R. Kelly and Jay-Z talking about their upcoming concert tour is available for downloading as an MPEG file at ftp://download.point360.com/sitrick (login is "tour"; password is "clip").

Jay-Z has released 10 consecutive multi-platinum albums since 1996 and has sold over 25 million units. Jay-Z has been nominated for Grammy Awards, as well as Billboard Music Awards and Radio Music Awards. This year Jay-Z is the leading nominee for the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, with 6 nominations including Video Of The Year.

In addition to his success as a musical artist, Jay-Z has multiple businesses including 40/40 restaurant, Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc-A-Wear and Roc-A-Fella Films. He is also responsible for the Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund (scholarship fund for high school students in Brooklyn), The Annual Jay-Z Toy Drive and Team Roc.

R. Kelly, who will be releasing his 8th album Happy People/U Saved Me on August 24, 2004, has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. In 1997, he won three Grammy Awards for his inspirational hit "I Believe I Can Fly" from the motion picture "Space Jam." In addition, he won Billboard Music Awards in several categories, including Hot 100 and R&B, in 1994, 1996, 1999, 2001, and 2003. In 1999, R. Kelly won an American Music Award for R&B/Soul Favorite Male Artist, and in 2003 he won both a Vibe and a BET Award. Just last month, he won seven R&B/Hip-Hop Awards at the 5th annual Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards show.

One of the most sought after songwriters and producers of this era, R. Kelly has written and/or produced for Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Kelly Price, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Toni Braxton, Mary J. Blige, Maxwell, B2K, Jennifer Lopez, Nick Cannon, Twista and Britney Spears.

  For further information on Jay-Z or R. Kelly contact:

   Jay-Z                         R. Kelly
   Jana Fleishman                Sonia Muckle
   212.445.3298                  212.824.1370

SOURCE: Jive Records

CONTACT: Jana Fleishman for Jay-Z, +1-212-445-3298; or Sonia Muckle for
R. Kelly, +1-212-824-1370

Web site: http://www.jiverecords.com/