This past weekend, Jay-Z played an intimate, exclusive concert at Louis Vuitton Fondation’s Auditorium. Helping celebrate their new Basquiat x Warhol. Painting Four Hands exhibit, Hov performed a full set of his career hits at the venue in Paris, France on Friday (April 14).
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One of the key moments of Jay-Z’s set came when he performed his 2009 Alicia Keys-assisted hit “Empire State of Mind.” A tribute to his hometown New York City, “Empire State of Mind” is now 3x platinum and stayed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks. However, Hov offered a new rendition of his timeless hit while in Paris.
Weaving in a sample of Gil Scott-Heron’s iconic 2010 song “New York is Killing Me,” Jay-Z retitled this new version “NEW YORK (CONCEPT DE PARIS).” While including his original verses from “Empire State of Mind,” the song integrates jazzy horns and clapping, as well as portions of Scott-Heron’s track.
Yeah the doctors don’t know, but New York was killing me
Bunch of doctors coming round, they don’t know
That New York is killing me
Yeah I need to go home and take it slow in Jackson, Tennessee
Two days later (April 16), Jay-Z dropped “NEW YORK (CONCEPT DE PARIS)” on digital streaming platforms. This release serves as the rapper’s first solo output since his 2017 album 4:44, as he has mostly dedicated his time to business ventures in recent years.
Elsewhere during his Paris stint, Hov played songs like “Oceans” (2013), “N****s in Paris” (2011), and “Can’t Knock The Hustle” (1996). High-profile celebs like his wife, Beyoncé, Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, and Jill Scott were all in attendance for the show, proving the dynamic star power of the 53-year-old.
As we continue to hold out hope that Jay-Z will release more solo music in the near future, check out his new Scott-Heron-assisted song “NEW YORK (CONCEPT DE PARIS)” below.
Photo by Kevin Kane/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
