Jay-Z celebrated 30 years of Reasonable Doubt at the first of a three-night takeover at Yankee Stadium on Friday (July 10).
Of course, HOV had some surprises up his sleeve, but quite possibly the biggest was bringing up the man who gave him his start in the rap game: Jonathan “Jaz-O” Burks. (That’s them in 1989 in the photo above.)
Jaz-O joined Jay to recreate his part on the Reasonable Doubt track “Bring It On.”
Jaz-O is only five years older than Jay and is, like his onetime protege, from Marcy Houses. The two began rhyming together in the mid-1980s, releasing a handful of tracks as High Potent, including 1986’s “H.P Gets Busy.”
Jaz signed to EMI in the late ‘80s, and didn’t forget his friend. He brought HOV to London, where Jaz was recording his debut LP, Word to the Jaz. That record featured Jay on the famously-later-mocked-by-Nas-and-2Pac “Hawaiian Sophie.”
Jay actually showed up to the cover photo shoot for Word to the Jaz back in 1988, and photographer Timothy White snapped a photo of the then-unknown rapper that he would completely forget about for decades. He rediscovered it only around the release of 4:44, with HOV now a superstar. Check out our interview with White about the flick here.
Armed all these years later with 25 Grammys to his name, not to mention a slew of classic records, HOV is back at Yankee Stadium for two more shows on July 11 and July 12. Like Friday’s kickoff, fans at those shows can expect a uniquely tailored experience for each.
Saturday’s show is centered on the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint, Jay’s sixth studio album and a giant of the genre, while Sunday—dubbed, compellingly, “Extra Innings”—is expected to pull from a broader sampling of his catalog. If you’re still on the hunt for tickets to the remaining two nights, here’s everything you need to know.
HOV, who turns 57 in December, is also bringing the legacy-minded throwdown to Los Angeles, Paris, and London this year. This all culminates with JAŸ-Z IN 8, a new docuseries coming to HBO this fall from director (and “99 Problems” producer) Rick Rubin.
While not much is known about the series just yet, a recent press release promised a sit-down between the two focused on “music, lyrics, life experiences, and creative process.”
