Rap Icon Jay-Z Announced As Beastie Boys Replacement At All Points West Festival
By CHARISSA CHE wpix.com

5:13 p.m. EDT, July 24, 2009
JERSEY CITY, N.Y. (WPIX)—
Hip Hop icon Jay-Z has been tapped to headline day one of the All Points West Music Festival in Jersey City next week. The Brooklyn-native fills in the vacant spot left open by the Beastie Boys who were forced to cancel their appearance - along with many other shows - in light of a health emergency for a band mate.

Beastie Boy, Adam "MCA" Yauch announced Monday that he was recently diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his left salivary gland. The cancer, which is considered "very treatable" has not affected his vocal chords, according to Yauch.

As Yauch undergoes treatment for the cancer, Jay-Z will make his festival debut, joining fellow headliners Tool (Saturday, August 1) and Coldplay (Sunday, August 2). The three-day music and arts festival will also feature other well-known acts like Vampire Weekend, MGMT, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Arctic Monkeys.

The rapper has already performed at a variety of music festivals overseas including U.K.'s Glastonbury, Denmark's Roskilde Festival, and Norway's Hove Festival, but has yet to play a major festival in the States until now.