Jay-Z invites Eminem and Pharrell for Blueprint tribute event at Yankee Stadium.
Jay-Z reviewed “The Blueprint” from top to bottom during the second night of three shows at Yankee Stadium, marking the 25th anniversary of the album that reshaped the face of rap recording.
The Brooklyn legend opened the set with “The Ruler’s Back,” followed by Slick Rick’s “La Di Da Di” and “Children’s Story,” setting the tone for a night built entirely around classics. The 90-minute set is fast-paced and very close to Jay’s original tracklist from 2001, which he co-produced with Kanye West, Bink and Just Blaze.
Next, Eminem came out and sang “Renegade” with Jay-Z, the only song featured on the original album, which has caused a lot of controversy since Nas targeted it on “Ether” in 2001.
Em stayed behind to perform “Lose Yourself” for the crowd, and then Jay continued track-by-track with “Izzo (HOVA),” “Song Cry” and “Takeover.”
Pharrell Williams later appeared on the show, singing “Excuse Me Miss,” “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me),” “Frontin'” and “Allure,” stacking one hit on top of the other.
Jay Chou ended the night with “Empire State of Mind,” “N##### in Paris,” “Public ServiceBulletin” and “Encore,” which was shorter than Friday’s opener but just as impactful. He also took some time to reflect on the album’s release on September 11, 2001, telling the audience that he almost gave up on releasing the album given what the city was going through at the time.
Night two was reportedly the most popular of the three shows, and given the guest list and the history behind “Traitor,” it’s easy to see why.
Taking advantage of the Yankees gear and hometown energy from Friday’s opener, which featured appearances by Beyoncé, Nas and Blue Ivy to celebrate Reasonable Doubt’s 30th anniversary, fans were treated to a much different, more streamlined show in the second round.
Sunday’s ‘overtime’ final concludes New York tripaccording to PIX11, bThe celebrations will then head overseas and back to the West Coast, with stops at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on September 4, the Stade de France in Paris on September 10 and the SoFi Arena in Los Angeles on October 23.
