Jay-Z and Alicia Keys reunited for their first “Empire State of Mind” performance since 2016, and Lil Mama was nowhere. Hov and Keys took the stage for their Big Apple anthem — which turns 15 later this year — in their hometown Sunday night (June 16) at the 2024 Tony Awards at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater.
Keys kicked off the show in a Gucci jacket and matching pants at the piano as he transitioned the track into a slower, chill ballad. Join her on stage for a duet Hell's Kitchen — a musical loosely based on Keys' life — stars Maleah Joi Moon. (The musical won two awards.)
The 'No One' singer then walked into the crowd, which by this point was on its feet, and teased: “I had to do something crazy – it's my hometown.” Hov's guest appearance drew a pop from the audience and turned the noise up a few notches. Singer-actress Nicole Scherzinger looked stunned and speechless by Jay-Z's cameo when the camera turned to her.
Jay took it back to the early days of his Hall of Fame career with a vintage New York outfit accessorized with a Black do-rag, a leather jacket over his white T-shirt and a pair of flared jeans to match the designer brown Timberland boots.
“Yes, Brooklyn [and] New York at the Tonys tonight,” Jay said to bow out the show.
“Empire State of Mind” arrived in 2009 as Jigga's lead single Plan 3 album. The New York anthem is getting closer to diamond status as it sits at 9x-platinum. “Empire” also topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks that year.
The past week has been a busy one for Jay-Z in terms of his return to the stage. He also played The “Public Service Announcement (Interlude)” to open Tom Brady's Patriots Hall of Fame at Gillette Stadium a few days early on June 12th.
Watch the performance below.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/jay-z-alicia-keys-empire-state-of-mind-2024-tony-awards-1235711212/
