It speaks volumes about someones career when their B-Side catalogue is just as solid as their A-Side. When their deep cuts are just as prominent as their mainstream hits. This was the case for Jay-Z’s latest musical experience. What was originally supposed to be a one night show evolved into a two night event in which Jay ran through the songs you don’t usually hear him perform. This wasn’t just an ordinary Jay-Z concert. We didn’t hear the songs that brought him immense fame in mainstream. There was no “Big Pimpin”, no “Hard Knock Life”. He was digging deep into the crates for these performances. Many of us have been waiting for the moment that we could see Hov perform a lot of these songs. He even brought a few homies out to perform, which made the event that much more special.
I was Roc’d out the whole weekend. I watched the first night from my apartment via the Tidal live stream (watch the full show here) and I was blessed to be able to go to the final show last night. This was a big deal to me. The Roc-A-Fella era molded my entire being. Their catalogue sculpted principles and ideals that I abide by today. They helped me get through some of the roughest time periods in my life to date. To be able to see Jay, and perhaps the rest of the Roc, perform these tracks that I’ve held dear for so long was monumental.
The first thing I noticed when arriving at the venue was the vast scale of individuals that came to see the show. There were so many different races, cultures, and lifestyles that came together to experience this event. In my section alone there were a few white folk who knew their fair share of B-Sides, two black women who knew almost every song and exemplified unmatched energy, as well as Black / Hispanic dudes who were vibing out much like myself. These are people whom I’ve never seen before in my life, but once the show started, we became one through the music. All of us looking in the direction of the I95 South sign in anticipation. It was a beautiful sight.
The lights dim, “Hova” chants begin to disseminate throughout the venue. Queue “The Dynasty Intro”. Jay raps off stage as the band plays, setting the tone for an epic night. The show begins, and I am giddy as all hell. Let’s be real, a show where Jay performs “Pump It Up Freestyle”, “So Ghetto”, “It’s Like That”, “In My Lifetime Remix”, has to be acknowledged as the best concert in recent memory. You never heard him perform these songs in the same setlist. The energy in the building was insane. 1500 or Nothin’ alongside Young Guru and Just Blaze on the turn tables were truly rocking the stage. Hov’s transitions and timing helped weave this seemingly endless tapestry of classic records. The records flowed into the other flawlessly. You would’ve thought they were going to burn the stage down all night. Let’s not mention when he went into the “Grammy Family Freestyle”. I looked around the venue and openly said, “Y’all don’t know nothing about this.” as I spat the verse word for word. It’s a prominent song that many of us hold as one of the greatest freestyles ever, and here he was unexpectedly performing it. It was one of those dream performances you wish would occur, and it happened. That moment was so dope to me.
The second night stood very true to the first performance. There were only a few exceptions. The Jeezy features from the night before were absent from the second performance. He also didn’t do the whole “Encore” routine. He acknowledged that he usually does it as a part of the show, but the energy was so great that he just wanted to continue the performance. He also performed “Sweet”, as well as address the Chinx situation. We also got to hear B.Sig’s verse on “What We Do”. Let’s transition from there.
When State Property hit the stage, the roof of Terminal 5 blew off into the Hudson River. The place absolutely exploded. It felt like us, the crowd, and State Prop were sparring in the ring. Both parties feeding off of each other bar for bar. The energy was unlike anything I’ve seen in a long time, especially in a rap concert. We were all instantly teleported to 2003. Authentic moments of emotion like that can’t be duplicated. To see my childhood heroes reunited on stage performing the classics that drove me as a youngin’. It was refreshing to see Jay, Beans, Bleek, Young Chris, Neef, Freeway, Just Blaze, and Guru on the same stage again. The Dynasty: Roc La Familia was reunited, they brought the feel back. That is a moment that will forever be etched into my mind.
Jay Electronica also hit the stage to perform “We Made It Remix” as well as “Exhibit C”. This was another memorable moment for me as Just Blaze, Jay Elec, and Jay-Z joined front and center to perform the joint in unison. It had dope moments within the performance, such as Jay Elec looking at Hov and pretending to box it out while rapping, “When New York niggas was calling Southern rappers lame…” Also, Hov throwing his playful jab with the line, “When you gon drop that album, nigga? You taking long!” Once again, the energy in the building was infectious. During the show, they payed homage to B.B. King as well as Jimi Hendrix in separate routines. Those were very somber, yet inspiring moments. Paying homage to those who paved the way for us to be where we are now.
Another interesting moment is seeing Hov’s response after each song. Keep in mind, he was really going deep into his catalogue. I don’t think he realized how many in attendance REALLY listen to him. On a couple occassions he stopped to recognize the crowd for knowing certain songs. “You guys surprised me.”, he uttered at one point. He even stumbled over some lines and looked to the crowd to get him back on track. Using the human teleprompter routine. You could see him, and everyone else involved, were genuinely having fun performing. This was an event for the true Roc-A-Fella fan.
Jay’s catalogue stretches far and wide, this show proved that. He has material for days. He said that he’s been wanting to do this show for 10 years. This whole Tidal situation gave him the proper means to put on the show of the year. Shows like this remind me why I love hip-hop and how much it means to us as people. There was nothing but positive vibes and chemistry flowing through each and every person in attendance. Hundreds of people reciting lyrics and throwing the Roc up with their hands in unison. The music brought people from all different walks of life together. We were all apart of the same tide, flowing together to the shores of hip-hop majesty. We were all Roc representers.
By Kelly Velez