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Review & Photos: Jay Z & Kanye West @ LG Arena, Birmingham [Live]

Wednesday 13th June 2012 // "Two of the most powerful figures in modern music coming together for a tour isn’t something that happens every day..

by keti, June 14th, 2012 and has been Read 2648 times.
Last Edited by: Glen June 14th, 2012.

Hip-Hop music has never been as culturally relevant as it is today. When you think of the beginnings of the genre as a movement, the image of kids spitting street corner vernacular for their friends seems trapped in the zeitgeist. From its humble beginnings as an escape from reality for poor kids at block parties in NYC, today’s Hip-Hop culture couldn’t be more different. It’s one of the most lucrative industries in the world. A living testament to this is none other than drug dealer come entertainment mogul Jay-Z who, together with the unstoppable hit machine that is Kanye West, have created what is arguably the most spectacular show on earth right now.



Two of the most powerful figures in modern music coming together for a tour isn’t something that happens every day. Though a lot of hip-hop culture displays its affluence through lavish displays of wealth and flamboyancy, one of the most potent things that I noticed when about this production was the minimalism. There were no dancers, no props, no special guests. Just two guys dressed in black rapping songs which are immovably embedded into the minds of the last two generations of music listeners.

WATCH// 'N****s in Paris' (Explicit)

I missed the first two songs (because the people at the LG Arena are idiots. I may even go as far as writing an angry review on Qype. I bet that’ll show ‘em!...), but when I finally got in I was met by Kanye and Jay-Z on lit up podiums on opposite ends of the sell out crowd in the middle of the Flux Pavilion-produced 'I Can’t Stop'. From then onwards we were treated to nearly two hours of career spanning sets from both parties. It was stripped down to the bare bones as in terms of a production of this scale. Nothing got in the way of the songs which is proof that these two are true masters of their craft. Some of the highlights of the setlist were Jay-Z’s '99 problems', 'Hard Knock Life', 'On To The Next One' and the anthemic 'New York'. With Kanye acting as back up for most of Jay-Z’s songs, the script was flipped upside down for a medley of West’s biggest hits including 'Jesus Walks', 'Golddigger', 'Stronger' and 'Heartless'.



The real magic happened when they played songs off their record breaking collaborative album Watch The Throne. Starting 'Otis' by playing half of the original Otis Redding track 'Try a Little Tenderness', a giant U.S flag dropped from the top of the stage behind them.

WATCH// 'Otis'

The whole show itself, with its patriotic U.S imagery acting as a backdrop for stories of love, loss, triumph and defeat (plus a healthy dose of pimpin’ and big asses), was symbolic of these two men who are truly living the American dream. They are at the top of their game, untouchable in their craft and command some of the most powerful institutions in music today.



Ending the show with the dancefloor nuclear bomb that is 'N****z in Paris', they left the stage after playing it TWICE in a row, All the way to the end. Only to come back out and play it twice in a row in the encore. Only Kanye and Jay-z could get away with playing the same song four times in a row – a clear indication that the throne will be theirs for a good few years to come, and if anyone wants to take their place they have a near impossible task ahead of them.

Watch the Throne tour comes back to Birmingham on the 22^nd of June.

Review by Joshua Mooney
Photos by Katja Ogrin