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Yes its a long title but it works. Classic code. Nothing but game news here

Xbox One vs. PlayStation 4: Just the specs please

Anandtech’s complete analysis of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 tells the tell of where these two systems are headed. Microsoft is out to take over the living room. Sony on the other hand is out to get the games it lost to Xbox 360 in the last round of console wars. PlayStation 4 can do 1.84 TFLOPS compared to the new Xbox One’s 1.23 TFLOPS. The PlayStation 4 also has more memory than the Xbox One.

Sony’s new system comes with 8GB of 5500MHz GDDR5 memory compared to the Xbox One’s 8GB of 2133MHz DDR3 RAM. In the end the specs don’t mean much. It is just nice on paper. Nintendo’s Wii was no match for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 4 but for awhile it was king of the hill. It comes down to the games and service that will be presented to the owners of these systems. Only time will tell. Well, time and E3 next month.

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Xbox 360 is the best-selling system in the for the 27th consecutive month

Microsoft’s gaming console has remained the best-selling system in the United States for the 27th consecutive month, according to new data from NPD Group. The Xbox 360 sold 261,000 units in the U.S. in March, beating out Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii U. As a whole, physical sales were down 10% year-over-year from $1.1 billion in March 2012 to $992.5 million in March 2013. Software sales remained almost flat at $554.8 million, only inching down just 1% from a year ago. The steepest decline came from hardware sales, which dropped a whopping 32% to $221.6 million. Portable consoles are said to have experienced a “stronger decline” than traditional ones, however sales of the Nintendo 3DS grew an estimated 9% year-over-year.
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Want Android on Windows 8? You can with BlueStacks

Have you ever wanted to play an Android game or use an Android app on your Windows computer? No? Well, keep reading anyway. BlueStacks makes a program called “App Player” for the Mac, Windows 7, Surface Pro tablet and Windows 8 devices. The very popular program gives users access to more than 750,000 Android apps. It’s a free download that adds new software to your system. BlueStacks App Player has been downloaded over 5 million times across OS X and Windows. BlueStacks has also formed partnerships that will have it’s App Player preloaded on more than 100 million PCs this year.

Rosen Sharma, CEO of BlueStacks said “We’ve had our users asking for a Win8 version for a long time. Now that it’s finally available on our website we’re looking forward to getting feedback and building on the experience. The number of mobile apps being written overall is expanding exponentially and Microsoft has not added apps to the handful it has. Our goal is to get people more value out of their Surface Pro and Win8 devices.”

“The response in the OEM community has been as strong or stronger than the surprising numbers we’ve been seeing from organic downloads,” said BlueStacks head of Global Sales and Strategic Alliances, Apu Kumar. “We seem to have reached a tipping point where we’ve brought mobile apps to so many computers worldwide, the remaining OEM’s customers are asking for these apps also. We’re the perfect conduit to get popular programs back on the PC.”

BlueStacks’ press release follows below.

BlueStacks Releases Surface Pro-Optimized Version of “App Player”

Announces GetYourAppsBack.com to fill widening Win8 App Gap

Campbell, CA February 12, 2013 – Mobile company BlueStacks today released a Surface Pro-optimized, officially supported Windows 8 version of its popular App Player software. The program is free to download and can run any Android app on the new Surface Pro. BlueStacks also announced a new site: GetYourAppsBack.com where new Windows 8 and Surface Pro users can download BlueStacks’ software and bring any mobile apps to their device. Recently, Google launched a Get Your Google Back video campaign that BlueStacks is paying homage to.

“We’ve had our users asking for a Win8 version for a long time,” said BlueStacks CEO Rosen Sharma. “Now that it’s finally available on our website we’re looking forward to getting feedback and building on the experience. The number of mobile apps being written overall is expanding exponentially and Microsoft has not added apps to the handful it has. Our goal is to get people more value out of their Surface Pro and Win8 devices.”

Having announced several OEM partnerships in recent months, BlueStacks also recently passed 5 million downloads of its mobile software across Mac and PC. The downloads all came from the company’s homepage, BlueStacks.com. Additional download numbers via OEM partnerships have not been released, though the company says they are healthy.

“The response in the OEM community has been as strong or stronger than the surprising numbers we’ve been seeing from organic downloads,” said BlueStacks head of Global Sales and Strategic Alliances, Apu Kumar. “We seem to have reached a tipping point where we’ve brought mobile apps to so many computers worldwide, the remaining OEM’s customers are asking for these apps also. We’re the perfect conduit to get popular programs back on the PC.”

The company’s site at GetYourAppsBack.com allows new Surface Pro and Win8 PC owners to get apps from their phone and any additional apps they want into their Win8 PC, running them fullscreen and touch-enabled. The site went live today
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Call of Duty: Black Ops II has reached $1 billion in 15 days

Activision had its gift early this year. Last week they announced a milestone for its released Call of Duty: Black Ops II. If making $500 million in its first 24 hours was not good enough. Black Ops II has now reached $1 billion in worldwide sales in just 15 days of being on the shelf. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 reached the same figures last year but it took one extra year. The movie Avatar, took a total of 17 days to reach $1 billion.

Bobby Kotick, CEO Activision Blizzard said; “Since Call of Duty was launched, cumulative franchise revenues from players around the world are greater than current worldwide box office receipts to date for the top-10 grossing films of 2012 combined and Life-to-date sales for the Call of Duty franchise have exceeded worldwide theatrical box office receipts for ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Star Wars.”

PRESS RELEASE:

CALL OF DUTY®: BLACK OPS II GROSSES $1 BILLION IN 15 DAYS

Title Eclipses Feature Film Record for Second Consecutive Year

Santa Monica, CA – December 5, 2012 -Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), announced today that Call of Duty®: Black Ops II has crossed the $1 billion mark in worldwide retail sales, according to Chart-Track retail customer sell-through information and internal company estimates. Illustrating the strong appeal of interactive entertainment to audiences worldwide, the game achieved this milestone in just 15 days after its launch on November 13, 2012.

Since the game’s launch, more than 150 million hours have been logged online playing Call of Duty: Black Ops II on Xbox® LIVE® and PlayStation Network.

¹According to screenrant.com

“Entertainment franchises that captivate audiences for as long as Call of Duty has, on the scale that Call of Duty has, are very rare things. And it takes a lot of brilliant people working across many different disciplines to make it happen. It is incredibly humbling and gratifying to be a part of,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “In order for Call of Duty to remain the entertainment juggernaut that it is, and keep our fans coming back for more, we need to continue to bring fresh ideas and new innovations to the table every time, while always staying true to what people fell in love with in the first place. That’s what we did with Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and that’s what we intend to keep on doing. This is an incredible milestone for an incredible franchise, and I want to thank every passionate, talented, committed person on our team who made it happen.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops II is available at retail locations worldwide on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Wii U™ game system from Nintendo and Windows PC. The game is rated “M” (Mature – Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs – content suitable for persons ages 18 and older) by the ESRB.

More information on Call of Duty: Black Ops II can be found at http://www.callofduty.com/blackops2 or on www.facebook.com/codblackops. Fans can also follow @Treyarch on Twitter.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.
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Call of Duty: Black Ops II Sales Hit $500 Million on Day One

So, those that are still under the impression that games are not a real business; take note. Activison has sold an incredible $500 million worth of Call of Duty: Black Ops II. If you are wondering, yes it is was a record. Sorry Halo 4. Looks like your first day was pretty much a joke. Microsoft said on Monday they made $220 million on the game. Last year Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 made a record $1 billion after 16 days. It should be interesting to see how much this one makes.

These games are compared to movie releases. Although people complain that one game costs $60 versus a movie that is between $12 and $19; You have to remember that a night out at the movies is never one ticket. You are paying for yourself plus at least one more person. That is not to mention the overblown price of the food. $60 game last longer, more people enjoy it.

Bobby Kotick Here’s CEO of Activision Blizzard said:

“With first day sales of over half a billion dollars worldwide, we believe Call of Duty is the biggest entertainment launch of the year for the fourth year in a row,” Kotick said. “Life-to-date sales for the Call of Duty franchise have exceeded worldwide theatrical box office receipts for “Harry Potter” and “Star Wars,” the two most successful movie franchises of all time.”

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Grand Theft Auto V is coming

Preorders for Grand Theft Auto V has started. The game is set for a spring 2013 launch. Not that the game needs any more promotion or hype; but Rockstar Games put up a new trailer. Rockstar says that GTA V’s world is bigger than Grand Theft Auto IV, Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas combined. The game will be on the Xbox 360 and PS3. GTA V is set in Los Santos, the fictional recreation of Los Angeles. You will be able to play in the sky and sea. Check out the trailer below:

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Angry Birds Star Wars is now availble for your iDevices

Angry Birds will not go away. Rovio is milking that cash cow for all she is worth. Taking it a step further, they have teamed up with Lucas Arts to bring us Angry Birds Star Wars.

The game goes like this:

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… a group of desperate rebel birds faced off against a galactic menace: the Empire’s evil Pigtroopers!

Rebel birds, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Imperial Pigs. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the PIG STAR, and are racing to deliver the plans to the Rebel Birds. Now they need your help!

Join an epic adventure with the Angry Birds in the legendary Star Wars™ universe! Use the Force, wield your lightsaber, and blast away Pigtroopers on an intergalactic journey from the deserts of Tatooine to the depths of the Pig Star — where you’ll face off against the terrifying Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Pigs! Can you become a Jedi Master and restore freedom to the galaxy?

You can get the game for iPhone and iPod for $0.99 (App Store link), $2.99 for iPad (App Store link) and for $4.99 in the Mac App Store (Mac App Store link).
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Nintendo’s president unboxes the Wii U

The Nintendo Wii U is either going to make the company a success again or it will be the nail in the coffin. Hard core games never jumped on to the Wii bandwagon. To them it was a fad. Turns out that they were right. The Wii was fire and burned hot but blazed it’s self out just as fast. The WiiU doesn’t come out of for a few weeks but the president felt it was important enough to do an unboxing to show the world its new system. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata did an official unboxing video of the $349.99 Deluxe Set. That will be the go to system for most people. The system is 32GB internally. The system also comes with a GamePad charging cradle, console “legs,” and a copy of Nintendo Land..

The Wii you will have a 6.2 inch touchscreen. It is the first system to do so. However Nintendo is the Apple of the gaming industry. They were the first with a 6 button controller, they were fist to add analog sticks, game saves and motion. Nintendo’s Wii U also adds NFC. It should be interesting to see will this system become a full fledged portable gaming system with a software update.
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Wii U priced to win the console fight

Nintendo confirmed that its upcoming Wii U console will launch on November 18th, Nintendo again will look to change the way people play video games. The entry cost is only $300 for the ”Basic Set.” The set comes with the Wii U console, GamePad, AC adapter for each, HDMI cable, Wii U sensor bar and 8GB of storage. Nintendo is also offering up a $350 ”Deluxe Set” that is black. It has the Basic Set plus includes a GamePad charging cradle, console stands for the the console and GamePad, 32GB of storage, a copy of Nintendo Land and coupons that can be used toward downloading digital games.

Nintendo should have had New Super Mario Bros. Wii U bundled with the systems instead of just having it available as a launch game. Nintendo announced some new games: Bayonetta 2 (Wii U exclusive), Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, 007 Legends, Transformers Prime: The Game, Wipeout and Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
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Review Week 2012: SongPop

Song Pop is a name that tune type pop quiz game. What sets this app apart from other games of this nature, is that
Song Pop uses licensed music instead text questions. The game is on the two major mobile platforms, iOS and Android. There is also a Facebook application. We will focused on the iOS device for this review.

This game is simpler than anything you may have ever played before. Anyone can be challenged through a Facebook logon, email or via the app itself. You choose the category of music you’d like to hear. You start with 80s Classics, Love Songs or Rap as a playlist. As you win, you get more playlist to choose from. The music choices are multiple-choice clips. You must answer the five clips at a good speed. The goal is to answer the name of the artist or the name of the song faster than your competition. The winner gets 3 points and the loser gets 1 point. Its a fun game and worth a try.

Pro: There are few games that can keep me coming back over and over again. This is one of them. Just enough game play to make you want to try harder but not too much to get you frustrated. Regular updates keep the game fresh.

Con:The playlist you want may not be available without doing some work. They should be open from the get go since you are paying for the app. Also we are not fans of DLC.

Cost: $1.99

Aye/Nay: This is a Aye. This app is a great game and very well designed. SongPop is a must buy for a good time. $2 is worth it.

iTunes Link: SongPop
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Review Week 2012: Vote The Game

It seems that everyone is taking the wonderful engine that Epic used for Infinity Blade and throw it into their games. So what would happen if you cross Celebrity Deathmatch with the humor of Horn and the game play of Infinity Blade? You would get an exciting politics based fighter called Vote: The Game.

Epic and Chair announced the iOS cartoon-style political game with the Rock the Vote folks over at MTV. The game is part of a focused effort to appeal to unregistered voters who happen to love gaming. You can register to vote from right within the game.

You can play as President Barack Obama or candidate Mitt Romney. I would have liked it if the VP’s made an appearance but oh well. Debates are won by battling Infinity Blade-style. If this is how debates really happened; politicians would have more potential voters.

Pro: The game is easy to pick and play. No learning curve needed.

Con: The game is fun but very repetitive. You will want to move on from this one pretty fast.

Cost: $0

Aye/Nay: This is a Aye. This game and it it had cost I’d have to pass but come one people; it’s free. $0 worth it.

iTunes Link: Vote The Game
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Xbox keeps gamers informed on the US presidential race with Election 2012 Hub

Microsoft’s Election 2012 Hub for Xbox Live is for that gamer that still has a political side. The Election 2012 Hub will have town hall events at both the Democratic and Republican national conventions. Microsoft also promised to have daily content from NBC News formally MSNBC. I guess they are still friends after the breakup. Election 2012 Hub will also show gamers results as ballots are cast and counted on November 6th. When there is a live streams of the debates gamers can give real time feedback on how well the candidates are doing. Microsoft stated that about 40% Xbox gamers that were surveyed are not committed to a candidate. The service goes live on August 27th.

PRESS RELEASE:

Microsoft to Launch “Election 2012 Hub on Xbox LIVE”
Aug 23, 2012
Alongside NBCNews.com, Rock the Vote, YouGov and Face the Facts USA, Xbox will deliver a first-of-its-kind way to interact with the election and make your voice heard.

REDMOND, Wash. – Aug. 23, 2012 – Microsoft Corp. today announced “Election 2012 on Xbox LIVE,” a unique opportunity for Xbox 360 owners to watch and interact with live election coverage of the presidential debates, learn the facts about the candidates and issues from Face the Facts USA, register to vote through Rock the Vote, and participate in live daily polling from YouGov. NBCNews.com will deliver daily election programming to keep users up-to-date on the latest news and analysis about the election and the candidates. All these experiences will be featured on a brand new Election 2012 Hub on Xbox LIVE. Members will be able to fully access the first wave of content, which will focus on convention-related news, beginning Monday, Aug. 27.

Through this innovative platform, U.S.-based Xbox LIVE* members – part of a large, diverse and actively engaged audience of more than 40 million members worldwide – will be able to interact in real time throughout the three scheduled presidential debates, as well as enjoy live feeds from the Republican and Democratic national conventions. Xbox LIVE members will also be able to voice their opinions by responding to poll questions throughout live programming of the debates and other unique election events hosted on Xbox LIVE throughout the campaign season.

“We want to provide our passionate Xbox LIVE community with a great way to experience the election process with TV that makes them participants – and not just viewers,” said Marc Whitten, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “This is a great example of how our Xbox capabilities are making the promise of interactive television a reality.”

“As a leader in digital and broadcast news, NBC News is always looking for more places to deliver its high-quality multimedia content, particularly in this critical campaign year. This relationship with Xbox LIVE is a unique opportunity to expand our reach on a really innovative platform,” said Vivian Schiller, senior vice president and chief digital officer at NBC News.

Additional original programming will be featured through the Election Hub on Xbox LIVE with the “Conversations with the Next Generation” youth town halls in Tampa, Fla., Aug. 29 and Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 5. National Journal, The Atlantic and Microsoft are working together on these one-of-a-kind events at the Republican and Democratic national conventions to engage with younger Americans and students in a dialogue about issues facing their generation. The event moderators, including NBC’s Chuck Todd and Chelsea Clinton, will lead keynote interviews, panel discussions and audience Q&A with unique perspectives on the youth vote, education and the future of America’s economy. Participants such as George P. Bush; Kal Penn; Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill.; MTV’s Andrew Jenks; Michelle Rhee; OUR TIME’s Matthew Segal; and the national presidents of both the Young Democrats of America and the Young Republican National Federation will further explore ways in which people can empower youths to get involved in the political process and make their voices heard.

“Technology has been a transformative force in politics during recent years,” said Fred Humphries, vice president of government affairs at Microsoft. “The launch of the Election 2012 Hub on Xbox LIVE marks another exciting moment of change. This platform will innovate how some voters engage in the political process, and it provides greater access to valuable information such as the perspectives of youth at our town halls, newscasts and voter registrations. By bringing the elections directly into the home through this Xbox platform, we hope to encourage greater participation in the democratic process this fall.”

As part of Election 2012 coverage, Xbox LIVE is joining with Face the Facts USA, a nonpartisan, independently funded research initiative supported by The George Washington University and backed by “Americans who believe facts should come first in the national debate.” Thanks to this initiative, Xbox LIVE members will have access to videos that will help them more accurately understand the major issues surrounding the election and the candidates involved. Frank Sesno, former CNN correspondent, anchor and Washington bureau chief and director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University, will host this important video content.

Microsoft has also teamed up with Rock the Vote to encourage and facilitate voter registration. Rock the Vote will deliver information and programming directly into the Election 2012 Hub on Xbox LIVE, while also providing local voter information and the ability to register to vote through http://www.xbox.com/election2012. Rock the Vote will also make available exclusive musical content to be streamed directly to the Xbox LIVE community. Xbox and Rock the Vote previously worked together in 2008, successfully driving tens of thousands of citizens to register to vote and become active participants in the election process.

“We are thrilled to be working with Xbox again to deliver important election and voter registration content to millions of voters through this truly unique and impressive Xbox LIVE platform,” said Chrissy Faessen, vice president of Marketing and Communications at Rock the Vote. “There’s a growing audience of individuals getting their election information solely from online platforms; Microsoft has set itself apart by providing for its users a level of content and interactivity that’s second to none.”

Underlying this entire experience will be daily polling of the Xbox LIVE community aligned with relevant happenings on the campaign trail. Working with YouGov, the daily results will be weighed to reflect both the Xbox community and likely voters. Further, timely polling will provide quick feedback from the Xbox community during major campaign events this fall.

To understand more about the political attitudes, behaviors and issue priorities of Xbox LIVE members, Xbox commissioned StrategyOne to conduct a survey of 1,678 Xbox LIVE households. The survey, which was conducted June 19 to July 3, 2012, found that 40 percent are Xbox Swing Voters – those who are not firmly committed to a presidential candidate.

Xbox Swing Voters say the most important issues facing the country are unemployment and jobs (39 percent), healthcare (29 percent) and taxes (22 percent). Xbox Swing Voters say they follow politics and public policy matters in the news at least once per week, including 23 percent who follow these issues daily. Thirty-nine percent say they often watch information about the presidential election with other people in their household.

“A large, engaged but uncommitted audience, Xbox Swing Voters are a technically savvy and passionate voting bloc,” said Douglas Rivers, YouGov’s chief innovations officer. “We’re proud to be working with Microsoft and its game-changing, interactive Xbox LIVE platform to provide meaningful insights that are shaping the current election landscape.”

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Ghost Recon Online is now an open beta

Free to Play is not the way of the future. It is the here and now. RPG’s have caught on to it before anyone else but this is going to be the year shooter. Ghost Recon will take advantage Uplay. You will need an account to sign up. You can use the same login you have used on other Ubisoft games.

The game has been in closed beta testing. The final release due later this year. A Wii U version is also rumored to be on its way soon. By soon, I we mean for release sometime later this summer.

Ubisoft creative director Jean-Marc Geffroy said that “We need to learn how it works: how to make free-to-play successful. Maybe even with consoles. We don’t know how the future will pan out, the business is changing. It’s business design research.”

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Netflix “Just for Kids” goes live on Xbox 360

Netflix is having a much better year. They have more users and are now working to get subscribers younger. The ‘Just for Kids’ entertainment section is focused on a young crowd. The section is now on a few platforms such as the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3. Today, the Xbox 360 gets his chance. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is a system that is already packed with entertainment features. This is just one more thing to get people to excited about the system. You will need both a Netflix and Xbox Live account to use the new section.
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Jay-Z to executive producer NBA 2K13

Mr. Shawn Carter is already deep into the NBA after working so hard to get the Nets to Brooklyn. Now he is taking it one more step further. Jay-z will serve as the executive producer of NBA 2K13. EA left the basketball video game court a few years ago. They left because just like football, 2K Sports made a much better game. Unlike football however, the NBA would not give them exclusive rights. The forced competition and the best game won out. Mr. Z will produce the soundtrack to the #1 NBA video game. The play list is after the promo video. Jay-Z’s selection of 24 songs for the game’s soundtrack can be found after the video. NBA 2K13 comes out 10/2
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Artist – Title

The Hours – Ali in the Jungle
Too Short – Blow the Whistle (Main)
Eric B. and Rakim – I Ain’t No Joke
Phoenix – 1901
JAY Z – Pump it Up (Freestyle)
Puff Daddy and the Family Victory (feat. Notorious B.I.G. & Busta Rhymes)
Daft Punk – Around The World (Radio Edit)
Santigold – Shove It (feat. Spank Rock)
Kanye – West Amazing
JAY Z – Run This Town
The Dirty Projectors – Stillness is the Move
Nas – The World is Yours
Coldplay – Viva La Vida
Roy Ayers – We Live in Brooklyn, Baby
Justice – Stress
JAY Z – The Bounce
Kanye – West We Major (feat. Nas & Really Doe)
Mobb Deep – Shook Ones, Pt. II
Meek Mill – Ima Boss – Instrumental
Kanye – West Mercy (feat. Big Sean, Pusha T, and 2 Chainz)
U2 – Elevation
JAY Z – On To The Next One
JAY Z – Public Service Announcement
JAY Z – H.A.M. (Instrumental)
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