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JAY-Z performs during his historic London run
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Key Takeaways

JAY-Z’s return to London was a massive celebration of Black music across generations, with legends, contemporary stars, and some of the United Kingdom’s biggest names sharing the stage at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Brooklyn icon wrapped his sold-out London run over the weekend, closing a pair of career-spanning shows built around the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt and 25 years of The Blueprint. Across two nights, JAY-Z revisited decades of his catalog while welcoming an assortment of guests who represented different eras of Black music on both sides of the pond.

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Courtesy of Roc Nation
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JAY-Z performs with Giggs in London
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Courtesy of Roc Nation
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JAY-Z performs during his historic London run
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The opening night on Friday (Sept. 4) began with an introduction from Idris Elba, who delivered his spoken-word piece from JAY-Z's American Gangster. Additionally, the Brooklyn legend brought Ms. Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean together for a Fugees reunion featuring “Ready or Not,” “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” and “Fu-Gee-La.” British rap veteran Giggs also took the stage for “Talkin the Hardest” (which Hov freestyled over). DJ Khaled made an appearance as well.

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Courtesy of Roc Nation
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A wide shot of JAY-Z at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
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Image
Image Credit
Courtesy of Roc Nation
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JAY-Z performs during his historic London run
Image Size
landscape-xlarge
Image Position
center

In true Hov fashion, JAY-Z paused the Sept. 4 concert to recognize Beyoncé’s 45th birthday. With the icon watching from a suite, he led the stadium in singing “Happy Birthday” before encouraging the crowd to continue with Stevie Wonder's version of the song as Bey appeared on the venue’s video screens. Wonder, meanwhile, announced Tuesday (Sept. 8) that he will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Songs in the Key of Life with an 18-date tour featuring full performances of the landmark album.

JAY-Z welcomes Dave and Sampha to the stage in London

Saturday (Sept. 5) shifted the spotlight toward two artists who helped define a newer generation of British music.

Sampha joined JAY-Z for “No Church in the Wild,” singing the hook originally performed by Frank Ocean. Dave later emerged for “Raindance,” his hit collaboration with Tems, drawing one of the night’s biggest reactions.

The London dates also marked JAY-Z’s first solo U.K. headline performances since 2013. His JAŸ-Z 30 run continues at Paris’ Stade de France on Sept. 10 before heading to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California for shows on Oct. 23 and 24.