Best rapper alive indeed

People say Jay-Z has a presence.

The explanation of that declaration is simple: The man just has some intangible quality about him that commands the attention of a room and inspires awe from everyone. I’d seen a show of his before and heard it talked about, but Saturday night at Bonnaroo, I truly experienced it.

Hova was big time, performing in front of a packed house. After opening with “Diamonds from Sierra Leone” featuring Stevie Wonder, he proceeded to absolutely own the set. He regularly interacted with the crowd, calling for action and even challenging himself after a lukewarm reception to one of his tracks.

He utilized several new beats behind old lyrics, including “Heart of the City” over U2’s “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” and “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” over “ABC” from the Jackson 5, among others. The live band simply added to these newfangled tracks, helping with the live vibe and adding a more real dimension to the performance.

It seems redundant to say, but he just knew how to put on a performance. He switched up his lyrics on several occasions to comment on current events and remixed his own set list when he didn’t think the audience was feeling it.

I heard several people exchanging phrases like “best show I’ve ever seen” or just “holy shit.” Even my friends (not hip-hop heads) thought it was an awesome set. It was the truth, and it could be said 99 different ways.