Rapper is a legend, not a showman
At the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday, Nov. 22.
Superstar rapper Jay Z struck a confessional tone at the Air Canada Centre Wednesday night.
From his octagonal pulpit set in the centre of the venue and encircled by four gigantic folding video screens, the visionary rapper also known as Shawn Carter spewed spoken-word flows that reached back into his multi-hit past and also fixated on what many have claimed is his most personal album yet, 4:44.
Commencing with hovering, giant-screened pictures of the 21-time Grammy winner’s face metaphorically burning in anguish before the artist launched into the introductory “Kill Jay Z” and served up his namedropping guilt on a silver platter, Carter’s unexpected vulnerability and sensitivity provided the framework of a 30-song, 90-minute set that succeeded more due to content than it did in actual showmanship.
That’s not to say that Jay Z didn’t attempt to indulge in spectacle for the first of his two ACC shows: the stage upon which he stood occasionally elevated above sea level. With his seven-piece band (including a drummer and a percussionist) occupying three of the dry-ice-emitting platform’s four stage pits, occasional videos that bordered between home movies and cinematic impressionism, and sporadic laser displays that imprisoned him as he rhymed and reflected, there may have been more concession to visuals than even his most ardent fans might anticipate.
But the man affectionately known as Jigga and a few other names — as belied by nearly 48 years and legendary reputation as a game changer — is an old-school rapper, as revealed by his wardrobe of high-tops, track pants, hoodie, the gold chains around his neck, the 4:44 baseball cap and his leather jacket emblazoned with the words “Blind For Love.” He may exhort the crowd to “hold one hand up,” flash his twohanded diamond-shaped gesture or shuffle around the front of the octagon stage, but dynamism is not his forte. The show felt flat at times.
However, here’s the rub: the Hova witnesses that filled the majority of the venue — there were probably a few thousand empty seats — didn’t care. They didn’t so much come to see him as be with him, rapping along in defiant unity — pumping fists, radiant smiles across their faces as he dove into the anthem “99 Problems” or took them back to the streets of his Brooklyn during “Where I’m From.” They passionately responded to his calls of “What’s my name?” on “Jigga My N----” and sang at the top of their lungs to Alicia Keys’ pre-recorded vocal on “Empire State of Mind.”
In turn, Jay Z offered braggadocio ( The Blueprint’s “U Don’t Know”) and philosophy ( The Blueprint 3’ s “On to The Next One”) muted by humility (“4:44,” reportedly an apologetic mea culpa to spouse Beyoncé for alleged infidelities that he told the ACC audience “was the most uncomfortable song I’ve ever written.”)
And just prior to “Hard Knock Life,” Jay Z talked about personal struggle and perseverance: “There’s no darkness, only the absence of light. Go and surround yourselves with good people and you will eventually find blessings.”
The blessings were evident around him, and if Jay Z has found any continuing consolation on this tour, it’s that the truth will set him free.
If Shawn Carter ever has any worries that exposing his frailty to public scrutiny will result in communal condemnation, he needn’t be.
As confirmed by their response at Air Canada Centre show No. 1, his fans have his back.