Review Jay-Z – The rap legend dazzles New York City with its opulent scenery, edgy bars and Beyoncé | Jay Z

TThe beauty of watching Jay-Z live is more than just watching him calmly spit on bars which easily proves why his career was so long and brilliant. It’s also the complicated but beautiful feeling of watching the audience (and the artist themselves) relive the past. It’s almost unfathomable that 30 years ago, Jay-Z started out as a relatively unknown rapper from Brooklyn, chronicling his life as a hustler. Quite possibly the greatest pure MC of all time—including flow, patience, humor, live ability and flair as a composer—Jay has built his career on restrained tales of grandiose dreams and arrogant passages about financial gain.

His 1996 debut album, Reasonable Doubt, It was the beginning of that career, and on Friday night, I was at Yankee Stadium in New York City as Jay-Z performed the album’s tracks in order, front to back, making it impossible to forget his legacy in a visually stunning show that splits the difference between close contact and the big spectacle. At times, with a wide, film-like screen backing Jay that shows presidents’ funerals, and footage of Mike Tyson, or his wife Beyoncé, getting a haircut on the court, the show seems influenced by previous outings like Watch the Throne mixed with the street romance of the 2002 film Paid in Full. However, the care and attention to detail ensured that the 50,000 capacity venue felt intimate, for people who heard the album and felt seen through the songs of regret and paranoia.

The show begins with Beyoncé singing Can’t Knock the Hustle, replacing Mary J Blige. Beyoncé has no real connection to Reasonable Doubt outside of family connections, but it’s surprising and wonderful to see her join in on one of Jay’s most passionate songs. Wearing a pinstripe suit, cut at the legs like a punk at a party, she looks stunningly elegant – less interesting and in keeping with the urban environment but still growing into the coming night. The lush R&B of Politics As Usual, a prime example of Jay’s excellent taste in beats, offers the audience a smooth song in the midst of the evening’s bleak tales. Nas joins in for a medley of “Dead Presidents,” “The World Is Yours,” “New York State of Mind,” and “Where I Come From,” with the crowd basking in the mutual respect the competitors have for each other.

The show isn’t without some goofy asides: Blue Ivy Carter comes out to play the piano before her father sings a clean-up version of Feelin’ It that removes some of the swear words. Jay-Z is a family man, and although some of the Uncs on the field tonight are too, the father-daughter moment sits oddly on a night celebrating an album in which her father spits about some of his most primal, darkest impulses. And while the 60-second freestyle is a stunningly impressive display of his skills, the billionaire businessman risks earning some eyeballs when he performs a cappella and talks about “social media activists.” New York is in a moment of triumph after the Knicks’ NBA win, yet Alicia Keys coming out to do her hook for Empire State of Mind is jarring compared to stronger songs like Regrets or Public Service Announcement.

However, it is a celebration, a playground of joy and emotion, a tribute to the 30-year-old album that changed one man’s life and gave a voice to the voiceless. As rappers pose for photo ops with the politicians they used to run away from, it’s easy to forget that, at one point, MCs were making records not just for themselves, but for the genre and culture in general. “Reasonable Doubt” marked the beginning of a career that would put hip-hop on a pedestal. So, when you play Can I Live, with its story of emerging from despair, my eyes water. Jay Z exemplified this: born into unfortunate circumstances, he wanted to achieve greatness through the talent he had cultivated and practiced throughout his life. The show dares you to ask the question: Where would hip-hop be without Shawn Carter?