Thirty years into his career, Jay-Z apparently still knows how to make an entrance. More importantly, he knows when to let a few other legends do the talking.
The Brooklyn rapper closed his JAŸ-Z30 anniversary concert series Saturday, October 24, at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, bringing out Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Too Short for a celebration that briefly turned into a West Coast hip-hop family reunion.
And apparently, a stadium full of rap legends wasn’t enough, so he also squeezed in a warning about artificial intelligence.
According to USA TODAY, Jay-Z opened with “The Watcher 2,” then transitioned to Too Short’s “Blow the Whistle” as the Oakland rapper joined him onstage.
Later, the evening’s biggest surprise, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre arrived for a stretch of California classics, including “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang,” “The Next Episode,” “California Love” and “Still D.R.E.”
For a rapper whose career began roughly 3,000 miles away in Brooklyn, Jay-Z certainly knows how to respect the local customs.
The performance also included a tribute to the late Nipsey Hussle, with Jay-Z incorporating elements of “Hussle & Motivate” and “Last Time That I Checc’d” into his set.
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Jay-Z Had One More Message Before Leaving
The celebration marked 30 years since Jay-Z released his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, in 1996, and 25 years since The Blueprint. The anniversary series had already traveled through New York, London and Paris before reaching Los Angeles.
Friday’s opening SoFi show featured Blue Ivy Carter, Scarface, John Legend and DJ Khaled. Saturday belonged to the West Coast.
But before leaving the stage, Jay-Z shifted from celebrating hip-hop history to questioning how history gets told.
Hov challenged the fans in attendance to think critically about online information, especially as artificial intelligence makes misinformation more convincing. “You gotta question everything,” he told the crowd, addressing claims about the tour’s attendance and reception, urging fans to trust what they saw firsthand.
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You can admit it’s ironic that a billionaire entertainer is warning an audience about controlling narratives while standing at the center of a massive celebration of his own legacy.
Still, after three decades of hits, Jay-Z seemed determined to make one final point: Technology can manufacture plenty of things. But getting Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg onstage together while thousands of people rap along?
That’s considerably harder to fake.
