Basic Provisions
-
Jay-Z made his triumphant return to the stage on Saturday at the 2026 Roots Picnic festival in Philadelphia.
-
The legendary rapper presented cinematic versions of some of his biggest hits, such as "Hovi Baby" and "No Church in the Wild.".
-
Mr. Beyoncé also lashed out at contemporaries like Ye, Nicki Minaj and Drake.
Let me remind you: Jay-Z still doesn't spare anyone.
The legendary rapper returned to the stage on Saturday with a rare solo performance, setting the bar high for his contemporaries while mocking many of them. Roots Picnic, the annual music festival created by the legendary hip-hop collective The Roots, shocked fans by announcing Jay-Z as one of this year's headliners. The group effectively accompanied the rapper, real name Shawn Carter, on stage, performing some of his biggest hits in a cinematic style.
But Saturday's performance at Philadelphia's Belmont Plateau drew even more attention to the new material Jay-Z has been testing out, much of it laced with scathing digs at artists like Ye, Nicki Minaj and Drake—all of whom he's collaborated with in the past.
Jay-Z began his performance with a rendition of his 2002 hit "Hovi Baby" from the best-selling album «"The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse"» . Accompanied by the horns of The Roots, "Hovi Baby" welcomed both the audience and those watching the livestream back to what the opening line of the song calls "a Jay-Z extravaganza.".
The freestyle that followed was uninhibited. Jay-Z lashed out not only at Ye, Minaj, Drake, and his Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder, Damon "Dame" Dash, but also at Tory Lanez, the rapper currently serving a prison sentence after being found guilty of shooting Roc Nation artist Megan Thee Stallion; Tory's father; and many others.
Videos released by Roc Nation and festival-goers show Jay-Z attacking Drake, who recently insulted him in several songs from one of his last three albums, Iceman . "We already know how you OGs rock, my nigga, game over," Drake raps on "Janice STFU," to which Jay-Z responded on Saturday: "Game over, nigga, I'm 10 points ahead, not that chart-topping nigga, nigga that looked up to Hov, I never looked up to them.".
Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates and viewing recommendations with our EW Dispatch newsletters .
As for Minaj, Jay-Z dealt her a devastating blow. His attacks focused on the rapper, known for her hit "Anaconda,"'s scandalous relationship with her husband, Kenneth Petty, who was convicted of attempted first-degree rape in 1995 after attacking a 16-year-old girl.
«"This lady's at it again, she seems to be in love with them. Her Ken can't even choose a child... there are enough of them," he rapped. "A rapper can't be my opponent, I have MAGA Republicans.".
Jay-Z performs at the Roots Picnic festival in Philadelphia in 2026. Photo courtesy of Roc Nation.
Finally, Jay-Z unleashed all his criticism on Ye. The musician and multifaceted personality, who previously performed under his real name Kanye West, was Jay-Z's closest collaborator among those he targeted during Saturday's performance. Their creative collaboration began in the early 2000s, when Jay-Z featured on Ye's song "Never Let Me Down," and culminated in the release of a joint album. Watch the Throne in 2011.
However, Ye has been embroiled in controversy in recent years and apologized in January for his offensive statements and actions, particularly against Jews.
At the Roots Picnic festival, Jay-Z appeared to address Ye's erratic behavior, rapping, "You ain't no maniac, look how he act around me," and "You thugs with the thumbs again. Everybody thinks they're the crazy ones.".
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.