Jay-Z has returned to the stage after five years headlining Philadelphia’s Roots Picnic. The performance included a review of more than 30 songs over 90 minutes, with support from The Roots and guest appearances such as Jazmine Sullivan, Meek Mill and Bilal.
The most talked about moment of the night was the four-minute a cappella “freestyle” that the rapper scored after opening with ‘Hovi Baby’. A previously unrehearsed improvisation in which Jay-Z throws shade at three key figures in current rap who have attacked him in the past: Kanye, Nicki Minaj and Drake.
The phrase (supposedly) addressed to Drake, “Them crackers got your publishing checks, go talk tough to them, don’t talk success to me”, refers to publishing rights, white executives in positions of power in the music industry (“crackers”) and the Canadian’s obsession with commercial success.
Regarding Nicki Minaj, the rapper seems to allude to his relationship with Kenneth Petty, whom he refers to as Nicki’s “Ken” (in reference to Barbie’s Ken character, it makes sense because Nicki is the Barbie of rap). The mention of “MAGA Republicans” is already white and in a bottle.
Jay-Z also launches a direct response to Kanye West for his comments last year about Beyoncé and her children: “Have you heard about child prodigies? My children are some of them, don’t you have any shame?”
Despite the taunts, Jay-Z’s repertoire included several songs from ‘Watch the Throne’ (2011), his joint album with Kanye West, as can be seen on Setlist.fm.
@complexmusic JAY-Z’s full freestyle at Roots Picnic
♬ original sound – ComplexMusic
