Jay-Z Brings Hits to First SXSW Showcase

With A-tier celebs such as Bruce Springsteen and Mark Wahlberg already in Austin, TX for the massive SXSW music festival, the festivities throttled a notch higher on Monday night (March 12) with Jay-Z kicking off the major hip-hop concert of the week. Sponsored by American Express, Hov took the stage earlier evening at the (Austin City Limits) ACL/Moody theater for the Amex Sync Show Presenting Jay-Z.

Wearing a multi-colored Quinton company hat and black Air Yeezy 2s, the Jiggaman commenced his set with a trifecta of “What More Can I say,” “Dirt off Your Shoulders” and “Where I’m From.”

“Not all of South By Southwest knows where I'm from," Jay said during the latter record, in reference to his beloved Brooklyn stomping grounds. As he’s been doing lately in concert, Jay started the record with the intro from Diddy's Dirty Money’s “Angels” and then spewed into the vintage lyrics of hometown pride.

Jay's stage was shaped like the letter “X” while a huge TV screen also shaped as that letter hung above. Later, during “99 Problems,” Hov  spit over “Eric B for President.” Jay also dropped some improv, rapping his verse from Rick Ross’ “Free Mason” over the track for “Lucifer.”

After of flurry of “Heart of the City,” “I Know,” “Girls, Girls, Girls,” “Give it to Me” and “P.S.A.,” Jay took a second to pay homage to the King of Pop.

“Two fingers in the air for Michael Jackson, the greatest that ever did it,” he said before “Izzo.”

During “Beach Chair,” Jay’s rhymes came across very lucid as he rhymed about having children and Karma. “See I got demons in my past / So I got daughters on the way / If the prophecies correct / Then the child should have to pay / For the sins of a father,” the new dad rapped. “So I barter my tomorrows / Against my yesterdays / In hopes that she'll be OK / And when I'm no longer here / To shade her face from the glare / I'll give her my share of Carol's Daughter / And a new beach chair.”

Hov’s ode to his newborn daughter Blue Ivy, “Glory,”blarred through the speakers directly after.

“All the parents in the house make some noise,” he commanded the crowd. “That may be the first parents’ shout out in a record.”

Jay’s show ended with the entire crowd shouting him out, “Ho-Vuh! Ho-Vuh!” during “Encore,” the closing number.

And this was just the beginning for the SXSW festival. Besides Jay, Fat Joe and MObb Deep have already had concerts with more rap shows continuing through the week. 2 Chainz, T.I., Nas and Big K.R.I.T are just among the many other hip-hop names with advertised shows, which are highlighted by 50 Cent and Slaughterhouse “Shady 2.0” concert on Friday. Eminem is rumored to appear at that show while 50 Cent is on the bill and is set to perform his Earth-shattering, record-breaking debut Get Rich or Die Tryin'. —Shaheem Reid @ShaheemReid