Surely you didn’t think Jay-Z was going to come empty-handed to his sold-out show at Stade de France in Paris on Thursday night (Sept. 10)? The latest show in the “Jay-Z30” run of gigs celebrating the 30th anniversary of the rapper’s Reasonable Doubt debut LP was cranked up several notches when Jigga was joined by his Magna Carta Holy Grail collaborator Justin Timberlake.
JT popped out to raucous applause for a run through that album’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 4 hit “Holy Grail,” with Roc Nation posting a video featuring the duo’s dramatic backlit entrance to the stage, as well as a series of snaps from the performance, which found Timberlake dressed in jeans with a checkerboard bandana hanging from a back pocket, a black shirt under a black leather jacket, ball cap and dark shades.
Timberlake also posted some snaps from the surprise cameo, as well as video of him crooning the keening chorus to “Holy Grail,” before the beat drops and the two men begin bouncing around in unison; check out some fan video of the moment here. Timberlake also stuck around to perform his own FutureSex/LoveSounds ballad “Until the End of Time,” a duet with Beyoncé that was featured on that 2006 album’s deluxe edition and which turned into a full stadium sing-along.
Another one of Jay’s frequent collaborators, Pharrell Williams, also made the trip, hitting the stage to perform “Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me),” “Frontin’” and “Excuse Me Miss.” Pharrell, dressed in a light wash jean, a red bomber jacket and a backward leather baseball cap, also stuck around for a run through “Allure” from 2003’s The Black Album, which ended with Skateboard P singing a bit of the French national anthem a cappella.
It’s been a summer of celebration for Jay, who earlier honored the anniversary of his debut and the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint album with a legendary three-night July run at Yankee Stadium in New York that featured an embarrassment of riches, including cameos from wife Beyoncé and daughter Blue Ivy, Nas, Memphis Bleek, early inspiration Jaz-O, Alicia Keys, Eminem, Pharrell, Slick Rick, Teyana Taylor, Jermaine Dupri, Jeezy, Usher, The-Dream, Rihanna, Swizz Beatz, Clipse and Fat Joe & Jadakiss.
Earlier this month, Jay touched down at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for a double-down that featured guests actor Idris Elba, as well as the Fugees’ Lauryn Hill and Wyclef, Sampha and Dave. The party will roll on at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Oct. 23 and 24.
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