Jay-Z’s Greatest Hits and the “Decoded” Scavenger Hunt
Originally slated for release in June, business guru/rap star Jay-Z will be unveiling his greatest hits collection on November 22. The album is called The Hits Collection Volume One and sees Jay drop a selection of hits that span his career. Now, all of the release details have been revealed.
The tracklisting has been let loose and, as evidenced below, many of Hova’s best works make an appearance, including smash hits like “99 Problems,” “Izzo (H.O.V.A.),” “Hard Knock Life” and recent hits like “Empire State of Mind” and “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune).” Still, mediocre tracks like the Kingdom Come yawner “Show Me What You Got” seem hardly necessary, especially when the release doesn’t feature any tracks from his classic debut Reasonable Doubt.
The package will be available on CD or vinyl, and will also be available in a deluxe edition and collector’s edition. The deluxe version includes an additional disc with five rarities and a 32-page booklet, while the collector’s pack comes with both discs, the booklet and a 100-page coffee table book with photos of Jay spanning his whole career.
Some tracks from the release can be streamed at the Hits Collection’s official site. Look for more info at that link soon.
As previously reported, Jay-Z will also be cluttering up your Christmas shopping list with a new memoir called Decoded. The book is set to drop on November 16 via Spiegel & Grau.
To promote its release, Jay has teamed up with Microsoft’s Bing search engine for a worldwide scavenger hunt. A press release explains, “All 300 pages of Decoded will be appearing in places and on objects that have never before been used as advertising. From pools and pool tables to bronze plaques and high-fashion clothing racks, a variety of unexpected surfaces will become the canvas for Jay-Z’s art.”
At press time, only seven of the 300 pages have been located. More information and a handful of clues can be found at this Bing page.
We can’t help but think you might have an advantage if you try Googling the Bing clues. The Hits Collection Volume 1:
Disc one:
1. “Public Service Announcement (Interlude)”
2. “Run This Town” (featuring Rihanna & Kanye West)
3. “‘03 Bonnie & Clyde” (featuring Beyoncé)
4. “Encore”
5. “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)”
6. “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)”
7. “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)”
8. “99 Problems”
9. “Empire State Of Mind” (featuring Alicia Keys)
10. “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”
11. “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)”
12. “Show Me What You Got”
13. “Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)…”
14. “Big Pimpin’”
Disc two:
1. “Young Gifted and Black”
2. “Pump It Up (Freestyle)”
3. “My President Is Black (Remix)”
4. “Go Hard Remix” (Jay-Z, Kanye West & T-Pain)
5. “Most Kings” (featuring Green Lantern)
More on the scavenger hunt…
Jay-Z fans will be able to access pages from the rapper’s upcoming book — Decoded, an exploration of his life and lyrics — starting this week for a whole month before it hits store shelves on November 16. This sneak peek is part of an online interactive game and campaign that has been formed in collaboration with Bing.
Here’s how it works: Pages
from the book will be physically placed around the world with a majority in the New York area, in locations related to specific content featured on Bing
— specifically Bing Maps and Bing Entertainment. Five to 10 new pages from the book will be revealed each day, and participating fans who visit Bing.com/Jay-Z will be able to find these pages either online or in person.
“Pages will be placed in locations related to the content, so that’s everything from high profile advertising like billboards to very very unique placements such as swimming pools and pool tables, and even high-fashion designer clothing racks,” says Lisa Gurry, a Bing spokeswoman and communications director.
Once players locate a page, they will get credit for it online. If they find it in a physical location, they will be able to text a unique game code from the page. Players will be entered into drawings to win a signed copy of the page they’ve located. And everyone who locates a page will be entered into a contest for the grand prize — two tickets to see Jay-Z and Coldplay in concert at Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve.
The interactive game is heavily built on Microsoft technology, and it includes Bing Maps features such as Birds-Eye View and Streetside imagery. It also has a variety of Bing Entertainment features — in this instance, photos and videos of Jay-Z, as well as song clips.
The campaign, which was developed by creative agency Droga5, is the first of its kind for Bing. Gurry says it was conceived as a way to raise buzz about Jay-Z’s book, while also potentially introducing Bing to a new audience. Gurry says Bing has previously worked with various artists in many aspects of the entertainment industry, and that it will probably continue focusing on that area.
“As far as replicating this specific campaign, we’ll see how it goes and take it from there,” she says.
Check out some pages from Decoded and the Bing interactive experience below. What are your thoughts on this marketing campaign?
