Tickets for the performance go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.By Jayson Rodriguez Jay-Z Photo: Jamie Sabau/ Getty Images Jay-Z will play a special concert in Washington, D.C., on January 19, the night before President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, it was announced Tuesday (January 6). Billed "In Concert on the Eve of Change," the "intimate performance" will take place at the 1,847-capacity Warner Theater and will feature Jay performing with his full band. Tickets for the performance go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. The rap icon has long been an Obama supporter. Jay, along with music executive Kevin Liles, Mary J. Blige and Diddy penned, an open letter one month before the November election calling for the hip-hop community to vote in support of Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden. "Where it stands today, we are on the verge of making history, the kind of history that will be a part of our culture's legacy," the letter reads. "The kind of history that bridges the gap between race, religion and culture, the kind of history that will ignite a light that shines bright from generation to generation, screaming that our voice does matter and our vote does count.  The kind of history that will enable the next generation of leaders to encourage vision, not division, to encourage hope, not hopelessness, to encourage the power of the people, not the power politics of the few." In addition, Jay took the opportunity throughout his and Blige's "Heart of the City" tour to praise Obama while condemning the current administration. Video images of Obama would appear on a screen behind the stage while Jay stopped mid-performance during "Blue Magic," as he got to the lyric where he disses President Bush. "Y'all ready for change, right?" he often said. "This concert isn't sponsored by Barack Obama or nothing like that ... I'm just voicing my opinion as a citizen of America." Young Jeezy, T.I., and Russell Simmons are among the other members of the hip-hop community who will celebrate Obama's win. The aforementioned will appear at Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit Action Network's Inauguration Ball, which is also scheduled to take place January 19 at the Harman Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C. Related Artists Jay-Z Diddy T.I. Young Jeezy Mary J. Blige

'I'm very honest with my music and I think people appreciate that,' the suburban rapper says.By Steven Roberts Asher Roth Photo: MTV News Asher Roth is a white rapper. He also happens to sound like another (very popular) white rapper. It can be a daunting task to break out as a new hip-hop artist, but it can be especially daunting when whenever you open your mouth to spit you're compared to Eminem — and your first MTV News article opens with said comparison. "With me, it just happens that the comparison to any white MC is easy," Roth said. "I'm a white kid, so it's kind of like, 'All right, this kid is an Eminem, a Beastie Boy or something like that.' " Roth explained that, in the music industry, you are always going to be compared to somebody because that's how people categorize their art. People compared Eminem to Vanilla Ice — both were white and both were rappers, but that's where the comparison ended. Eminem quickly differentiated himself and established who he was, and Roth seems poised to do the same. "You really have to establish yourself and just distinguish yourself doing something a little bit different," Roth continued. "MySpace and Facebook and the blogs have made it easy, if you put enough of yourself out there to distinguish yourself as an individual." Roth has used these social-networking sites, as well as his blog, The Daily Kush, to establish himself and to reach out to others — there are numerous videos of him interacting with college kids and stars alike. Whether he's running from security on USC's campus or receiving praise from Akon or Ludacris, his buzz is building. "I knew once I had their attention for one second they'd be interested," Roth said. "So that's kind of the point where we are at. We've got people's attention, and now it's what we're going to do with people's attention." He's ready to keep making his music and won't allow the pressure to get to him because, once you're in, there's really no turning back — you can't become un-famous. "You just have to be comfortable in your own skin, and I am," he explained. "I'm very honest with my music and I think people appreciate that and they are very receptive, because the music is very relatable. It makes me approachable as an artist." Asher is open about his background, and readily admits that he is from Morrisville, Pennsylvania — the suburbs, not the streets. He is a big fan of classic rock, jazz and hip-hop, and he tries to fuse those influences in his music. He's also quick to point out that he's only 23 — a lot younger than Eminem or the Beastie Boys. "I'm a whole generation younger. There's a new generation of artists that are coming, who are younger and speak for an entire different generation. Kids who are 13-, 11-, 10-years-old might not even know who Em is. ... I think that's where we are at ... really distinguishing that this is an entirely new generation of rappers." Check out Wale and B.o.B. in our "MCs To Watch In '09" series, and come back Thursday for our next artist, Charles Hamilton. Related Videos Who Is The Next T.I., Kanye Or Eminem? Related Artists Asher Roth

Second single from Before I Self Destruct gets Funkmaster Flex stamp of approval in New York radio debut.By Shaheem Reid 50 Cent Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images 50 Cent has teased us for months with talk — or lack thereof — about his new big collaboration with Dr. Dre. On Monday night, he got one of the hip-hop industry's most craved endorsements: a debut of the record on Hot 97 with DJ Funkmaster Flex dropping bombs of approval while the song played. After its premiere, the next single from Before I Self Destruct, "I Get It In," had been blasted all over the 'Net by Tuesday morning (January 6). 50 starts off shouting out several brands of liquor, then breaks down some of his club exploits and adventures as a heartbreak kid: "I can't be responsible for what I say or I do when I talk intoxicated/ Shawty say I told her I love her/ I put her out the next morning saying, 'Bi---, I must have been faded. "Sat-tur-daaay! Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday we get it in/ I need a drink/ Get me a drink," he insists on the chorus. The beat, which has New York b-boy drum boom-bap and Left Coast synth splashes, was pilfered from studio sessions in which Dr. Dre gave tracks to Eminem, 50 told Mixtape Monday in November. "I did a song produced by Dr. Dre," 50 said. "I got the production from Detroit, because Dre was working with Em right before I got out there. I just missed him. I went through Em's computer and found what I needed. Yes, I did. I got me the record I needed. I was like, 'Wait till they hear this.' I wrote it; Em heard it. He was like, 'You gotta keep that for yourself. This is too crazy.' First, I think he was gonna take it from me, then he was like, 'He gotta use that for himself.' " The first offering from Before I Self Destruct was "Get Up," which 50 classified as just an initial taste of the album. "My song 'Get Up' is performing great. I'm happy with 'Get Up.' It moved faster than 'I Get Money' at radio," Fif said. "But I'm just looking for the opportunity to present more of my material [prior to the album's release]. It's not the strongest effort on my album; it's just a great start for me." Before I Self Destruct is currently slated for a February 3 release. Interscope Records, 50's label, has not yet released any plans for a possible video for "I Get It In." Related Artists 50 Cent