{"id":4029,"date":"2026-07-12T04:08:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T04:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4029"},"modified":"2026-07-12T04:08:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T04:08:28","slug":"jay-z-celebrates-the-blueprint-25th-anniversary-with-eminem-pharrell-williams-and-slick-rick-at-yankee-stadium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4029","title":{"rendered":"Jay-Z Celebrates \u2018The Blueprint\u2019 25th Anniversary With Eminem, Pharrell Williams and Slick Rick at Yankee Stadium"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\nJay-Z was almost entirely truthful to the source material for his 25th anniversary Yankee Stadium show on Saturday to celebrate \u201cThe Blueprint,\u201d setting guests artists to high wattage but low frequency as he trotted out Eminem, Pharrell Williams and Slick Rick for a curtailed 90-minute set.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4027\">Emmy Nominations Roundtable: \u2018The Pitt\u2019 and \u2018Hacks\u2019 Dominate, But \u2018Widow\u2019s Bay\u2019 and \u2018Pluribus\u2019 Are Waiting in the Wings<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe Brooklyn native had already established a tall precedent on Friday to commemorate the 30-year milestone of \u201cReasonable Doubt,\u201d his 1996 debut that elevated him from hugging blocks to topping charts. The first of three shows was all bells and whistles right from the start, with his wife Beyonc\u00e9 coming out for \u201cCan\u2019t Knock the Hustle\u201d as a table-setter for guests like Nas, Jaz-O and Alicia Keys.<\/p>\n<p>\nJay-Z\u2018s Saturday night show was less flashy as he traipsed through the entirety of \u201cThe Blueprint\u201d with the very notable omission of \u201cTakeover,\u201d his epic diss track against Nas and Prodigy. That song, left unacknowledged, could have either been reconfigured as an attack at his current foes, much like his freestyle at the Roots Picnic in late May, or turned into a sardonic spectacle, perhaps as a gesture towards the heightened tension that lingered in the rap world at the time.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tBut no, Jay otherwise hewed close to what he\u2019d laid on wax with producers including Kanye West, Bink! and Just Blaze back in 2001 as they constructed one of the foundational rap albums of this millennium. The show began with instant homage as Jay brought out Slick Rick for \u201cThe Ruler\u2019s Back,\u201d launching into the factory line of songs that made up the spine of \u201cThe Blueprint.\u201d There were stadium-sized highs (\u201cU Don\u2019t Know\u201d), somber lows (\u201cSong Cry\u201d) and a highly assumed appearance from Eminem, who traded verses with Jay on \u201cRenegade\u201d and reemerged to perform his signature hit \u201cLose Yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tBy the time Jay wrapped closer \u201cBlueprint (Momma Loves Me),\u201d Jay looked back on when \u201cThe Blueprint\u201d released on September 11, 2001. \u201cThis album dropped on a real tragic time for New York City and I was prepared to walk away from this album obviously given everything that was going,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd the way it resonated with the world, it was like part of healing for New York City and when the numbers came back for the first week, I was blown away by the support and the love and I was happy to hopefully provide some relief for such a tough time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4025\">Greek Filmmaker Christos Nikou, the Director of \u2018Apples\u2019 and \u2018Fingernails,\u2019 on Creating \u2018Tender Cinema\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\tIt didn\u2019t end there. Jay then kicked back up with \u201cEmpire State of Mind,\u201d New York City\u2019s torch song that he performed on Friday with Alicia Keys, before enlisting Pharrell Williams for a slew of collaborative hits spanning \u201cI Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)\u201d to \u201cFrontin.\u201d The show finished quickly from there, with \u201cN\u2014s in Paris,\u201d \u201cPublic Service Announcement\u201d and \u201cEncore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tAll of this, as Jay fans know, is leading towards the third and concluding show at Yankee Stadium on Sunday night. It\u2019s billed as \u201cExtra Innings,\u201d suggesting it\u2019s all the hits \u2014 and there are many \u2014\u00a0left over from his robust discography. But after the first show kicked off with a video of Beyonc\u00e9 shaving his hair, a sign that a new album may be on the way, it\u2019s still languishing in ambiguity. Until next time.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tFull setlist:<\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe Ruler\u2019s Back with Slick Rick<br \/>Takeover<br \/>Izzo (H.O.V.A.)<br \/>Girls, Girls, Girls\u00a0 b\/w \u201803 Bonnie and Clyde<br \/>Jigga That N\u2014\u2014<br \/>U Don\u2019t Know<br \/>Hola\u2019 Hovito<br \/>Heart of the City (Ain\u2019t No Love)<br \/>Never Change<br \/>Song Cry<br \/>All I Need<br \/>Renegade with Eminem<br \/>Lose Yourself with Eminem<br \/>Blueprint (Momma Loves Me)<br \/>Empire State of Mind<br \/>Excuse Me Miss with Pharrell Williams<br \/>La-La-La (Excuse Me Again) with Pharrell Williams<br \/>I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me) with Pharrell Williams<br \/>Frontin\u2019 with Pharrell Williams<br \/>Allure with Pharrell Williams<br \/>N\u2014 in Paris b\/w Big Pimpin\u2019<br \/>Public Service Announcement<br \/>Encore<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4023\">Jack White Keeps Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll on the Front Burner in \u2018Frozen Charlotte,\u2019 His Heavy and Blazingly Worthy \u2018No Name\u2019 Followup: Album Review<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jay-Z commemorated the 25th anniversary of &#8216;The Blueprint&#8217; at Yankee Stadium with Eminem, Pharrell Williams and Slick Rick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4028,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[1518],"class_list":["post-4029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-jay-z-2"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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