According to the always in-the-know peeps at MTV News, Hova and Alicia Keys are already cooking up a sequel to their smash Big Apple anthem, "Empire State Of Mind."

The track has been ubiquitous (especially for New Yorkers) since it unofficially debuted at the MTV Video Music Awards (along with that infamous Lil' Mama cameo); it gets played at least once in almost every club in the 5 boroughs on any given night, and was the unofficial theme song for the Yankees march to the World Series championship (Jay and Keys performed before Game 2, and Hov did it today at the Yankees victory parade).

But is it too soon to go back to the well? Will Jay and Alicia strike oil twice? It ain't easy. Here are a few (some good, some bad) song sequels/remakes.

Jessica Simpson's remake of "These Boots Were Made For Walkin'". Pretty much a FAIL in every conceivable way. Took Nancy Sinatra's all-time jam and turned it into a honky-tonk strip tease jingle.

"Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang is one of the all-time classics.

But Redman, Erick Sermon and the Def Squad's sequel to the track actually embraced the pass-the-mic energy in the best possible way.

We can talk all we want about sequels, but Jay-Z's been down this road before. He and Beyonce remade Tupac's "Me And My Girlfriend" as "'03 Bonnie & Clyde."

Can you think of any other dope remakes or sequels? Any not so dope one's? Let us know in the comments!

The performances at the 2009 MTV Europe Awards were like hitting "shuffle" on your iPod... except exponentially more intense. Shakira and Beyonce, Jay-Z, Leona Lewis, U2, Green Day, Foo Fighters, and Tokio Hotel -- all celebrated popular music's bounty, from U2's timeless unifier, "One," to Shakira's box-fresh "Did It Again."

Watch each and every live performance from the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards now.

Hallelujah and praise Beysus! The 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards just went down, and Beyonce ruled the night, sweeping up three awards -- Best Video for "Single Ladies," Best Female, and Best Song for "Halo." In a rare nod to her real-life love, Beyonce thanked her husband Jay-Z for putting a ring on it, and then Valentine's Day came early when she performed a red, romantic rendition of "Sweet Dreams."

I'm almost nonplussed by how dope this video is. Don't you hate when that happens? You read about something being in the works -- in this case, legendary hip-hop video auteur Hype Williams getting behind the camera to lens Jay-Z and Alicia's Big Apple anthem, "Empire State of Mind" -- and you think, "That will be excellent."

And then it happens, and it's excellent, and the very fulfillment of your expectations winds up being something of a minor letdown!

Talk about splitting hairs. This rules. Hype still has that gloss that he applied to all this mid-'90s Bad Boy classics. The montage of still photos reminds me a little of Mark Romanek's amazing clip for Jay's "99 Problems," but the star is really the city; all helicopter shots of skyscrapers and splendorous lights. That's the anthem, get your damn hands up.

+ Watch Jay-Z and Alicia Keys perform "Empire State Of Mind" live at the 2009 VMAs.

The VMAs are still a day away, but the A-list performers have been rehearsing inside of Radio City for days. I've seen almost all of the rehearsals, but I'm under strict orders not to reveal any of the top-secret details. (And far be it from me to let down Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Pink,  Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, or any of the other VMA performers).

But I can give you a few clues about what you might see at tomorrow night's VMAs. It's up to you to figure out which VMA performer might match these clues. Ready?

+ Who will have over 25 dancers on stage?
+ Who will have violins? (It might not be who you think.)
+ Who will rock you?
+ Who will light the stage on fire?
+ Who might take flight?
+ Who might be covered in mirrors?
+ Who might make a big mess of the stage?
+ Who's hiding underground?
+ Who's about to make a HUGE entrance?
+ Who's got a keyboard in their dressing room?
+ Who's got the New York Yankees behind them?

+ See what happens tomorrow night at the 2009 MTV VMAs, live at 9pm.

"Jay-Z has arrived! Jay-Z has arrived" shouted a security guard over his walkie-talkie. An Escalade pulled up to 50th street, idled, the driver jumped out, popped open the door, and Jay-Z wearing a shiny black jacket, jeans, and black hi-tops,  talking on his phone and not missing a beat, poured out like liquid.  Jay and his entourage (some modest security, nothing crazy despite the fact that he's... JAY-Z!) rolled down the stage right stairs inside Radio City.

The security guards wanded everyone, and Jay yelled "Boom" as he got Garretted.

Jay entered the floor of Radio City as Alicia Keys herself began to play a few haunting piano notes of "Empire State of Mind" filled the room. Boom. Welcome to Roc-A-feller Center, Hov.

+ Check out more photos of Jay-Z hitting the 2009 MTV VMA rehearsals, and watch Jay-Z's arrival!

We're just days away from the 2009 MTV VMAs at Radio City Music Hall, and the celebrity guests and big-name announcements and appearances are flooding in.

Just announced this morning...

+ Alicia Keys will join Jay-Z onstage for his live performance of "Empire State of Mind" off of Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3 album. (Put it on repeat... Now.)

+ Eminem will appear on stage at the VMAs! (Will he get a bare ass to the face again? Probably not, but he was such a good sport at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards...)

+ MTV legend Jennifer Lopez has been added to the list of 2009 VMA presenters!

+ AND, this just in... JUSTIN BIEBER will present a VMA too! (Get it? JUST IN? JUST IN?) Stay tuned for more VMA news, and follow the MTV Buzzworthy Blog on Twitter at @MTVBuzzworthy for more VMA news, backstage reports and celeb spottings!

+ Don't miss the 2009 VMAs live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, September 13 at 9pm!

Boom. And there it is. The 2009 MTV VMA stage. The scene is set, and Radio City Music Hall -- a 75-year-old venue -- just got catapulted into 2009. (If Radio City were an old lady, she'd probably have to cover its eyes when Lady Gaga performs live on Sunday, September 13.) The entire VMA stage pretty much looks like the coolest, loudest, most intense music video ever.

Check out more photos of the 2009 MTV VMA set, stage, and floor of Radio City Music Hall, before it gets packed with celebrities. Yes, those big pieces of paper are the much-discussed seat cards, which will soon hold the famous butts of Robert Pattinson, Jay-Z, Paramore, and the VMA nominees and performers! Stay tuned!

Do NOT sleep on Jay-Z's mesmerizing new Rhapsody commercial for his The Blueprint 3 album. It's not a music video but a highly stylized, almost seamless montage of all 10 of his album covers.

Jay-Z's Rhapsody ad was directed by Anthony Mandler, who directed Jay-Z's "Lost One" video, "Run This Town," and "Death Of Auto-Tune," which is nominated for two 2009 MTV VMAs.

And don't miss Jay-Z's live performance at the 2009 MTV VMAs on Sunday, September 13.

With the U.S. Open in full swing and Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3 album less than a week away from its official release on September 11th, Jigga still found time to get some charity work in and remember a tennis great and civil rights leader -- Arthur Ashe, who'll be inducted into the U.S. Open Court of Champions on Sept. 10.

The limited-edition Rocawear t-shirt, which Jay-Z designed, memorializes Arthur Ashe and benefits the National Junior Tennis and Learning networ and the Arthur Ashe Endowment for the Defeat of AIDS.

The Arthur Ashe t-shirt retails for $36 and is available at the US Open. But if you can't make it out to Queens, pick one up at UsOpen.org and ArthurAshe.org.