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On “Addicted to the Game”, a fan-favorite outline-Era Lucci, Jay-Z sums up his career with one of my favorite lines of all time: “Thoughts are sporadic, I gotta figure it out/It’s like a Rubik’s Cube/Every album’s a color, but I fuckin’ the other color.” With a distance of almost 25 years, it’s hilarious that he said this at what we now know to be only halfway into his discography; Like most of his lines, it now holds more prophetic significance than he could possibly have imagined. During a weekend-residence at Yankee Stadium, Jay-Z tried to figure out the Rubik’s Cube of his career, with sometimes thrilling, sometimes emotionally-engaging results.
In January, approaching the 30th anniversary of his career, Jay was coy about how much he would celebrate the milestone, although he did promise a year defined by “all transgressions”. Fast forward to July, and here he is in a bulletproof vest, standing in front of his hometown ready to find love, but also ready to brave all the smoke. No locs, no fro, no plaits — the 10-year-old hair odyssey brings her back to her trademark Brooklyn mani cut. Hail now, house of Caesar get your ass off the throne.
Jay has performed many impressive live feats over the years – eight consecutive sold-out shows to open Barclays, Carnegie Hall – but this stadium weekend had a different resonance. It was a triumphant milestone and, more importantly, in the face of claims that he had lost his relevance, which had been greatly exaggerated in the beginning – a stark reminder. It’s been years since we’ve seen Jay do anything music-related (from new offerings to live shows) that wasn’t fleeting or a one-off; As the years have passed and his activity has diminished, his legacy has become more serious. This isn’t just the return of Jay-Z, this is the return of Jay-Z, which we now know should not be taken lightly, in a way we may not see again.
Courtesy of Roc Nation
