Jay-Z to raise millions through charity concerts

Jay-Z is intent on "broadening" people's horizons with his music.

The hip-hop superstar will be performing two charity concerts at the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York City in February.

The gigs will benefit United Way and his own philanthropic enterprise the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation, an organisation that helps low-income New York City students attend university.

Jay-Z is elated to have the opportunity to use his talents to benefit the lives of others in his community.

"Any time I get a chance to expand and broaden the reach of hip-hop is a great thing for me on a personal level," Jay-Z told MTV News at a press conference today.

Jay-Z is blown away by hip-hop's progression since the birth of the genre over thirty years ago.

"When we were looking at hip-hop [in the early 1980s], we were just happy to play club dates," Jay-Z explained.

"And then Run-DMC started doing arenas, and you're like, 'Man, this is possible,' and it just keeps going further and further."

Prices for tickets to these performances range between $500 to $2500. Although reasonably priced tickets will be available for sale on January 30, Jay-Z is happy to sell seats at a high rate initially.

The musician wants to make as much money as possible for charity.

"We're not just doing a show for the sake of it," Jay-Z revealed.

"For all these years, [the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation has] been really grassroots. My mom has been getting on the bus herself and taking kids to orientation and doing this work by herself. Now... we're building this thing out."

Jay-Z's charity shows will be held on February 6 and 7.

He is hoping to raise millions of dollars through his efforts.

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