“Tru Life? What are you doing here?â€: Mr. Z at last night’s show.Photo: Walik Goshorn / Retna
Jay-Z, Nas, and LeBron James Walk Into the Apollo …
If Kingdom Come lurched at us like a misbegotten marketing creation — with its Bud Select and NASCAR tie-ins, and the commendable if heavy-handed “Water for Life†shows — American Gangster is Jay-Z finding his footing. The accompanying mini-tour, which wrapped up last night with a red-carpet gig at the Apollo Theater, was spectacular on a smaller scale — in spite of all the celebs who rushed the stage to share in the love.
Wearing a black tee, Nikes, and shades, Jay didn’t need help owning the stage, but he got some top-shelf assistance. “Success†had the crowd surging with anticipation — would Nas appear to rock his verse? He would! Bounding from stage left, clutching a cigar and a bottle of Champagne, he ripped it. The two superstar MCs then huffed and puffed through “Black Republicans,†and Nas quickly bounded offstage reminding everyone that his “new album’s called Nigga.â€
Meanwhile, up in the VIP balconies, Diddy bopped his head, and Beyoncé and LeBron James threw the Roc-a-Fella diamond. Diddy hopped onstage for the encore, wearing some sort of alpaca-wool jumper and doing girl-jumping-in-puddles twirls while muffing lines. With “Roc Boys,†triumphant horns swelled for the sudden appearance of Jay-Z’s extended posse. It was time to play spot-the-Roc-a-Fella second string — Hey, Tru Life! Is that you, Uncle Murder? Even LeBron got in on the action, towering over the gaggle and getting hold of a mike for a few muffed lines of his own. It was a ridiculous spectacle, but near-transcendent all the same. —Amos Barshad