Correction from our previous post: J.R. was not photographed out last night, merely rumored to be out. Shame on us. And shame on J.R., if it’s true.

Jay-Z dropped a new track! Let’s take a listen to that hot fire. “Open Letter,” huh? I wonder who it’s to? Well, it sounds like someone in the Nets organization. Or maybe Nets fans in general? Brooklyn as a whole? It’s hard to tell. Take a listen after the jump.

Is this sports related? Not really. But it’s funny and adorable, so just pretend that Jay-Z is on his way to a Brooklyn Nets game instead of his own performance at Barclay’s and that he’s a real owner not a minority one, and enjoy. Or pretend that the old woman is Jason Kidd, or something.

The De Niro/Jay-Z beef is a dream scenario for pretty much everyone with a passing interest in public spats, and it got us thinking: who would win the hypothetical pop culture megafight? The tale of the tape, after the jump.

Aww, poor baby. Stupid LeBron got Jay-Z’s attention, and that’s just not fair.

Welcome to “Pretty Much Screwed,” our 2012-13 guide to the upcoming NBA season, in which we identify the reasons why your favorite team might have to start looking forward to 2013-2014 — and highlight at least one reason for you to be hopeful. Today: the Brooklyn Nets, the Jay-Z and Mikhail Prokhorov-owned Brooklyn upstarts that cost more than the entirety of Brooklyn’s DIY craft breweries.

The Super Bowl halftime show has come under fire in recent years for sporting less than stellar performers – it’s just difficult to best a boob slip. After Madonna headlined performers last year, the NFL has decided to slightly modernize its top dog by bringing in Beyonce to lead the halftime festivities.

The New York Times has an interesting piece this morning on Jay-Z’s impact on the Brooklyn Nets. One area where Jigga’s fingerprints are evident: the Nets’ new jerseys, which the league reportedly objected to. Details, after the jump.

The first official trailer for NBA 2K13 was just released. It features a Kevin Durant jump shot, Blake Griffin and Michael Jordan dunking, and Derrick Rose flipping in a layup… oh, and it also mentions that this game will be executive produced by Jay-Z.

Well, once New York Post troll Phil Mushnick wrote that column disparaging Jay-Z and the Nets’ black and white color scheme and suggesting that turning the Nets minority owner really loose would result in the team being re-branded as the “New York N—–s,” some reader vitriol in response was guaranteed. What did Mushnick think of the reaction?