Goodbye to the braids, so long to the fro. The low-cut Caesar with the deep waves is once again here for Jay-Z.
During the opening night of his three-night residency at Yankee Stadium to celebrate the 30th anniversary of “Reasonable Doubt” and the 25th anniversary of “The Blueprint,” Hov opened his set with a video featuring Beyoncé and him sitting in the empty seats at the home of the 27-time World Series champions.
As the band on stage began to play, eyes darted up toward the video scoreboard to Beyoncé, shearing off the afro that the Brooklyn mogul first debuted at the Roots Picnic in Philadelphia in June. By the time he officially hit the stage with the Roc-A-Fella diamond lifted to the sky, the rapper and look fans came to know from him dating back to his 1996 debut album had returned, formally closing a hair chapter that began out of support for his oldest daughter, Blue Ivy Carter.
For longtime fans, the haircut is symbolic. For years, Shawn Carter told fans the biggest tell that a new album was coming was when he cut his hair. He would typically grow it out when he wasn’t officially in album mode, then trim it down. If he does decide to drop a new album, it would be his first in nearly a decade after the soul-bearing “4:44” in 2017.
Early guests for “Jay-Z 30” on Friday night included Beyoncé for the show’s opener, “Can’t Knock The Hustle,” Nas for “Dead Presidents,” and Blue Ivy herself, who played the piano for a performance of “Feelin’ It” that left her dad shedding a tear.
If night one is any indication, it’s sure to be a legendary weekend in the Bronx.
