Jay-Z is to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his debut studio album with two special concerts.
On Tuesday, representatives for his label, Roc Nation, announced that the rapper – real name Shawn Carter – will play JAŸ-Z 30 shows at the Stade de France in Paris, France on 10 September at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on 23 October.
No further details about the upcoming gigs were given.
However, fans were quick to point out that Jay had added the umlaut over the “Y” in his name in the promotion for the events, just as he did with his name in the cover art for Reasonable Doubt.
The Empire State of Mind hitmaker released the project on 25 June 1996, with the album featuring guest appearances from Mary J. Blige and the Notorious B.I.G.
Last month, Jay made a highly anticipated return to the stage for the first time in almost a year by headlining the Roots Picnic 2026 in Philadelphia.
The hip-hop entrepreneur dropped his thirteenth studio album, 4:44, in June 2017.
Reflecting on why he hasn’t made more music since then in an interview for GQ in March, Jay explained that the project simply “released a lot”.
“I can’t really even listen to 4:44. It’s the album that I was always afraid to make… just pure and vulnerable, the real interior thoughts. Not like Superman, this mythical figure. It was a lot of trauma (growing up), a lot of loss, a lot of seeing things that nine-year-olds shouldn’t be seeing. We tuck it away and we bury it, and then it shows up in different ways,” the 56-year-old mused. “And it’s because of those things that are buried deep, and whatever triggers it can cause any sort of response in your relationship and the relationship with your family. At some point, you got to figure out how you’re going to navigate the world.”
