I waited 23 years — since I first watched his 2003 Madison Square Garden show announced on “106 & Park” — to see Jay-Z live. It happened Saturday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, and it was worth the wait.
The concert was the second of a two-night takeover of SoFi. Two days later, on Monday night, Jay-Z announced he will return to SoFi to headline the Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 14, 2027.
What are Jay-Z’s best songs?
Songs like “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” and “Encore” have been part of my vocabulary for more than two decades. Before the show, I asked fans to recite lyrics from their favorite songs.
I also asked fans which songs and guests they wanted.
Everyone said Beyoncé, of course, but the next answers came from a true fan’s perspective: Jeezy (“Seen It All”), Memphis Bleek (“Coming of Age”) and Kanye West (“Watch the Throne”). Kanye wasn’t going to happen for plenty of reasons.
Jay-Z did perform “No Church in the Wild,” but Frank Ocean didn’t come out. There was a moment when everyone thought Beyoncé was coming, when Jay-Z started “’03 Bonnie & Clyde,” but she never appeared.
Jay-Z did bring out a few West Coast rap legends. Too $hort performed “Blow the Whistle.” Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre performed a number of hits, including “The Next Episode.” There was also a tribute to the late LA legend Nipsey Hussle.
Thirty years after his debut, Jay-Z showed why he’s still relevant. Wearing a bulletproof vest onstage, the billionaire entrepreneur closed the show by saying, “Y’all gotta be very aware of what’s going on in the world, right? People will tell you that nobody was in here tonight, but you got eyes, you can see. People will tell you that the music wasn’t great, but you got ears. Question everything in this world of AI.”
