The 25-time Grammy winner took over Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the second and final U.K. date of his “Jay-Z 30” anniversary concert series, taking the stage at about 8:38 p.m. local time.
The London show featured a mixture of career-defining hits and surprise appearances, with British singer-songwriter Sampha and acclaimed English rapper Dave joining the rap legend on stage.
Jay-Z treated the packed stadium to songs spanning his three-decade career, including “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem),” “Song Cry,” “Izzo (H.O.V.A.),” “Dirt Off Your Shoulder,” “Empire State of Mind,” “Run This Town,” “Big Pimpin’,” “Family Feud” and several other fan favourites.
The concerts are part of a celebration of the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt, which was released on June 25, 1996 and established Jay-Z as one of hip-hop’s most influential voices.
Reflecting on the album’s impact during the performance, Jay-Z told the London crowd: “This album changed my life 30 years ago. It’s a blessing, and I appreciate all you riding with me.”
Sampha joins Jay-Z for ‘No Church in the Wild’
Sampha became the first surprise guest of the evening, joining Jay-Z for a performance of “No Church in the Wild”, the rapper’s 2011 collaboration with Kanye West.
Sampha handled the song’s hook, although the performance was briefly affected by microphone problems. Despite the technical difficulty, the singer maintained his energy as fans welcomed his appearance.
Dave surprises London crowd
South London-born rapper Dave also made a surprise appearance, performing his hit collaboration “Raindance”, which features Nigerian singer Tems.
Introducing the young rapper, Jay-Z told the crowd: “London, make some noise for the young legend tonight, Dave!”
Dave then delivered his performance before leaving the stage to loud applause.
Helicopter spotlight adds spectacle to ‘99 Problems’
The concert also featured a dramatic visual moment when a helicopter flew over the stadium midway through the show, casting a white spotlight over the crowd as Jay-Z performed his 2004 classic “99 Problems”.
The rapper brought the night towards a close with “Encore”, before thanking the London audience.
“Thank you for a beautiful evening, London!” he told fans.
Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean among previous guests
The London concerts have been marked by a series of surprise appearances.
A day earlier, Jay-Z shocked fans by bringing out legendary R&B singer Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean. The trio performed the Fugees classic “Ready or Not”, followed by “Killing Me Softly”, both released in 1996, the same year Jay-Z launched his solo career with Reasonable Doubt.
British actor Idris Elba also opened the show with a spoken-word introduction based on Jay-Z’s 2007 track “American Gangster”.
Later in the performance, DJ Khaled and British rapper Giggs also joined Jay-Z on stage.
Anniversary tour continues
Jay-Z began his anniversary celebrations with three major hometown shows at Yankee Stadium in New York in July.
During the July 10 performance celebrating Reasonable Doubt, his wife, Beyoncé, and their eldest daughter, Blue Ivy, made surprise appearances.
The following night, Jay-Z celebrated his The Blueprint era with appearances from Eminem, Slick Rick and Pharrell Williams.
His July 12 “EXTRA INNINGS” show brought the celebrations together in another star-studded performance featuring Rihanna, Swizz Beatz, Jeezy, Beyoncé and Fat Joe, among others.
Following his London dates, Jay-Z is scheduled to take the anniversary concert series to Paris on September 10, before heading to Los Angeles for performances on October 23 and 24.