On multiple occasions during JAY-Z’s Reasonable Doubt 30th anniversary concert at Yankee Stadium on Friday, July 10th, he used the size of the crowd as a gauge of his success.
Putting his humble beginnings in perspective, the Marcy native reminded fans — and detractors — that his debut album sold 43,000 copies in its first week, a modest number exceeded by the 45,000 people in attendance.
The three-decade difference was encapsulated by a triumphant first night, which featured massive surprise guests (Beyoncé, Nas, Alicia Keys), a career-spanning array of hits woven among the Reasonable Doubt tracklist, and deeply personal moments of reflection.
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He also hit back at critics of his Target deal with a freestyle by rapping, “I don’t listen to Twitter activists, they type, and I laugh at them/ It’s really no comparison, gotta check my stats again.”
Check out the 30 best moments of JAY-Z’s Reasonable Doubt 30th anniversary show — in chronological order — below.
1. DJ D-Nice Realizes His Dream
Growing up just two blocks from Yankee Stadium, D-Nice fulfilled a lifelong dream of playing hip-hop on that very stage. He took advantage of the opportunity to play New York anthems ranging from “Mo Money Mo Problems” and “Shook Ones Pt. II” to “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” and “Lean Back,” with songs like Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares” mixed in to really fire up the crowd.
2. JAY-Z Makes His Grand Entrance
Following Pain In Da Ass’ opening skit, JAY-Z took the stage around 9:30 p.m. Rocking a matching Yankees fitted and satin jacket, he rounded out the New York uniform with a white t-shirt, jeans, and Timbs.
3. Beyoncé’s Shocking Appearance
It wasn’t too long before S-Dot surprised the stadium with his first special guest, with Beyoncé stirring up those in attendance by filling in for Mary J. Blige’s part on “Can’t Knock the Hustle.”
4. The Carters Kept the Momentum Going
The power couple didn’t leave it at that, with Jay performing a bit of “Money Ain’t a Thing” and Bey teasing “Love on Top.” To everyone’s delight, they sealed the appearance by sharing a kiss.
5. Addressing the “Sell-Out” Allegations
While comparing Reasonable Doubt selling 43,000 copies in its first week 30 years ago to selling out 45,000 seats tonight, the Brooklyn rapper took a direct shot at his critics by rapping: “They say I sold out / Yeah I sold Yankee Stadium out.”
6. The Anti-Corporate Freestyle
He then launched into a freestyle, turning the mirror back on critics of his Target deal by name-dropping tech giants like Amazon and Meta, which detractors likely support with their online shopping and social media use: “I don’t listen to Twitter activists, they type, and I laugh at them/ It’s really no comparison, gotta check my stats again.”
7. Paying Tribute to Biggie
Rather than performing the Notorious B.I.G.’s verse on “Brooklyn’s Finest,” JAY-Z gave the posthumous rapper a voice through the song’s music video, occasionally chiming in with some ad-libs. He also performed a snippet of their other collab, “I Love the Dough.”
8. JAY-Z and Nas Are Friends Again
Forever tied together in rap history, Hov and Nas put aside any lingering differences to perform a seamless medley. The Queensbridge MC took to the stage to perform his sampled part on “Dead Presidents” before transitioning into “The World Is Yours” and “N.Y. State of Mind.” Jay ended their mini-set of classics with his own street anthem “Where I’m From.”
9. Blue Ivy Carter Does Blue Ivy Things
Bey and Jay’s firstborn continued to show off her ever-expanding array of talents, assuredly playing the piano on “Feelin’ It” with poise and fitting seamlessly alongside Mecca.
10. Dedicated Fans Went Just as Crazy During Deeper Cuts
Showing there were plenty of day ones in attendance, B-sides “D’Evils” and “Can I Live” drew just as big a response as the hits.
11. “No Church in the Wild” Kicks It Up Another Notch
Even without Kanye West and Frank Ocean, the dynamic, expansive production of “No Church in the Wild” is tailor-made for stadiums, and this show was no different.
12. Jigga My N***a Adds to the Momentum
Not that the audience needed a further excuse, but “Jigga My N***a” added to the frenzy with its booming instrumental and sing-along chorus.
13. Dipping Back into Nostalgia
Breakout hit “Ain’t No N***a” unfortunately did not feature a cameo from Foxy Brown, but its funky production sounded just as good as it did back in 1996.
14. A Smooth Transition
Following the hype of “Jigga My N***a” and “Ain’t No N***a,” Jay shifted gears to the grown and sexy “Excuse Me Miss.”
15. JAY-Z Gets Technical with 22 Two’s
Showing there have been plenty of rehearsals for the stadium shows, Jay deftly slowed down the momentum to prove that his tongue is still nimble.
16. Memphis Bleek Takes the Stage
Forever the next in line, Memphis Bleek seems content to play his part and took the stage for “Coming of Age” to an enthusiastic reception.
17. A Late Night Vibe
With the Black Album cut “Allure,” JAY-Z once again slowed down the tempo with the introspective, Pharrell-assisted track reflecting back on his drug-dealing days.
18. Tipping the Cap to Jaz-O
To honor his original mentor, Jay brought out Jaz-O for “Bring It On.” He drew massive cheers after saying that Jaz-O should be credited for the career that brought him to Yankee Stadium.
19. JAY-Z Fights Back Tears
Visibly emotional about the 30th anniversary, Jay said he is still here today because of what it means to the culture. After giving appreciation to fans for “holding me down” all this time, he quickly switched gears to avoid crying.
20. A Dedication to Gloria Carter
While introducing “Regrets,” he thanked his mother, Gloria Carter, for making him believe he could do anything, adding that she was the reason why he was on stage today.
21. Those Who Stayed Were Treated to an Extra 30 Minutes
Those who stuck around were treated to an encore during which Jay felt loose and off-the-cuff, adding excitement to the bonus time.
22. Alicia Keys Kicks Off the Encore
As she is wont to do, Alicia played a medley kicking off with Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” which, of course, blended into the resurgent “Empire State of Mind.” Shout out to the Knicks.
23. Trolling Young Guru
In a moment of levity, Jay boasted about his deep bag of hits while forbidding his longtime engineer, Young Guru, from playing anything from The Blueprint.
24. A Teaser for Extra Innings?
With a breakneck run of bangers including “U Don’t Know,” “Best of Me,” “Change the Game,” “Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up,” and “Roc Boys (And the Winner Is…),” Jay may have hinted at what to expect from his “Extra Innings” concert on Sunday, July 12th.
25. “Beware of the Boys” Still Hits Different
More than two decades later, the remix of “Mundian To Bach Ke” still sounds like nothing else and draws a visceral “Ohhh” from the crowd.
26. JAY-Z Jokes About Pacing Himself
With two nights ahead, Jay pleaded with ready-to-explode fans to understand that he couldn’t leave it all on the field on Friday night.
27. The Real National Anthem
With flames literally lighting up the stage, Jay delivered a fiery performance of “Public Service Announcement,” which he dubbed the National Anthem. Who are we to argue?
28. Who Needs Kanye With Fans Like This
“N***as in Paris” remains one of JAY-Z’s most-performed tracks, and being without Kanye and dealing with in-ear monitor issues meant leaning on fans to keep the braggadocious collab on track.
29. One Last Song
Though “N***as in Paris” was supposed to be his final song, Jay ended the night around 11:30 p.m. with a crowd-pleasing rendition of “Big Pimpin’.”
30. Jay Proves He Hasn’t Lost a Step
While he didn’t go for three hours like Bruce Springsteen, Jigga did perform a full two — and he held back a little bit for the next two nights. Nailing 22 Two’s is as good proof as any that he hasn’t fallen off.
Setlist:
Can’t Knock The Hustle (w/ Beyoncé)
Politics As Usual
Made In America (Freestyle)
Brooklyn’s Finest
I Love The Dough
Dead Presidents (w/ Nas)
World Is Yours (w/ Nas)
NY State of Mind (w/ Nas)
Where I’m From (w/ Nas)
Feelin It (w/ Blue Ivy)
D’evils
No Church In the Wild
Can I Live
Jigga My
Ain’t No
Excuse Me Miss
22 Two’s
Friend or Foe / Friend or Foe ’98
Coming Of Age (w/ Memphis Bleek)
Cashmere Thoughts
Allure
Bring It On (w/ JAY-O)
Regrets
Encore:
Empire State of Mind (w/ Alicia Keys)
U Don’t Know / Best of Me (Part II) / Blow the Whistle / La-La-La (Excuse Me Miss Again) / Mundian to Bach Ke (Beware of the Boys) / Change the Game / Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up) / You, Me, Him and Her / Roc Boys (And the Winner Is …)
Public Service Announcement
Niggas in Paris / Big Pimpin’