Jeezy Held a Sermon at Highline Ballroom in NYC

After holding a brief service in New York City’s Union Square, Jeezy debuted his highly anticipated album at midnight and marched the congregation over to Highline Ballroom to bring the #ChurchInTheseStreets live for a late night premiere (November 12). While the Snowman didn’t take to the stage until around 2 a.m., this didn’t stop day one supporters from hoarding the platform and soaking in the fresh sounds lifted off of the rapper’s latest LP.

While fans anticipated special guests (Fabolous was in the house), and possibly an opener, DJ Drama soon swiftly took to the stage before Jeezy hopped on solo to open up the night’s festivities. Warming up and serving a dose of his newest tracks, including “God,” and “Hustlaz Holiday,” the Southern rap star knew exactly what the crowd wanted and was soon ready to take us through his discography as he moved into a few bangers from his extended catalogue. From “Standing Ovation,” “Trap or Die,” “Who Dat,” and his hit single “Soul Survivor,” it felt as though audience were easily drifted back into the early 2000s as fans rapped along in unison bar-for-bar. The crowd was soon thriving with even more energy as Jeezy breezed through Boyz N Da Hood’s “Dem Boyz and his notorious verse from Fabo’s “Geeked Up.”

As the show went on throughout the wee hours of the morning, it became more thrilling than ever. Jeezy was sure to take a few breaks in between his set to preach proudly to a troop of believers on striving for the next best thing, a message thoroughly embedded throughout the latest album. “If your dreams don’t scare you, than they ain’t big enough,” he advised before passing things back to Drama. While the vigor was undoubtedly at an all-time high, things were soon slowed down as Jeezy transitioned by bringing out a mic stand and dimming the lights before performing his Janelle Monáe-assisted single “Sweet Life.” He somehow managed to swoon a crowd full of rap stans as he performed the mellow ballad before hopping right back into the turn up for “Gold Bottles” and the new album’s title track. All in all, last night’s church service was not one to miss –Asia Burris