HOVA in the House

Olivia Wicik
Editor-in-Chief

This Sunday night, I, a Long Island girl, was officially from Brooklyn. Well, according to Jay-Z that is. “Everybody’s from Brooklyn tonight!” the rapper proclaimed as he stood on stage on Sunday night, September 30, during day three of his concert series at the new Barclays Center, in the rap¬pers hometown of Brooklyn. This concert series can be described as a tale of two stories coming together. The Barclays Center is now officially the home of the Brooklyn (formerly New Jersey) Nets, and Jay-Z is a part owner of both the arena and the basketball team. What better way to christen the new building other than to perform for his hometown?

Jay sported a black and white Nets jersey with his last name “Carter” on the back and the number 4, representing both his and wife Beyonce’s birthdays, as well as baby girl Blue Ivy’s name.

The concert started off with a brief history of Jay-Z’s story, during which he stated, “We are in the middle, in the midst of a historical run in Brooklyn, New York City. We finally got our own franchise and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Dodgers wanted to play on this very site…they were going to play on this very land.” It was a very chilling and deep moment for the audience, who were reminded not to let anyone get in the way of their dreams. “I know that if you see me standing here,” Jay-Z went on to say as he pointed to the very stage he was talking about, “I know that you know it’s possible to achieve great things.” Jay-Z went on to introduce late inspirational rappers from Brooklyn such as Biggie and then went into his set.

The crowd got riled up as Jay rapped to hits such as “99 Problems” and “Brooklyn Go Hard”. The noise, the energy and the blue laser lights all contributed to the incredibly exuberant atmosphere. If I had to make one change? Perhaps, more big screens for the people sitting towards the back of the stage to look at. We can’t all afford to be seated on ground level and the view just wasn’t too great in the upper levels.

Jay-Z ended with his “Forever Young” hit and the crowd sang and danced along, leaving with a feeling of pure joy. Well done, Jay, well done.