R&B singer and Atlanta native Lloyd came out for “ Tear It Up.” Southern legend Bun B materialized on stage to perform “Trap or Die” with Jeezy, one of the seven menacing, genre-molding Thug Motivation 101 songs produced by Shawty Redd. The producer behind Jeezy’s first hit “ And Then What,” Mannie Fresh, came out. The architect of Jeezy’s Gangsta Grillz mixtapes, DJ Drama, was on stage for the duration of the show. And his friends showed their support, too. And just like Jay’s night in 2003, the response in the Fox Theatre perfectly mirrored Jeezy’s impact on music, on a lifestyle, and on a city. This night was a celebration of Jeezy’s rise and progression, his talent and his cool - a continuation of “the Street Dream,” Atlanta personified. When Jay Z ascended to the 1 percent, Jeezy was waiting in the wings, ready to seize the torch. If there’s a figure in rap since who parallels Jay Z’s rise and relationship to a city, it’s Jeezy. And because of his life story, during his 1996 to 2003 arc - Reasonable Doubt to The Black Album - he was the American dream, New York City personified. The motto of Fade to Black was “From Marcy to Madison Square,” signifying his origins and the possibility of where one could end up. But deeper than that was his unique ability to inspire. The night recalled Fade to Black, the 2004 documentary that chronicled Jay Z’s “last album,” The Black Album, and the corresponding Madison Square Garden concert in which a who’s who of stars touched the stage to celebrate Jay while every person in the crowd passionately rapped along to every word. For years, Jay Z was considered a talent with few peers, a man with generation-defining cool. Only a handful of his 2005 peers are still culturally relevant, and an even smaller collection could garner such a response for a concert, a party, a homecoming, a celebration of the anniversary of a singular work. Here he was, standing on one of the most prestigious stages in his hometown - proudly proclaiming “selling out The Fox on some real n**** shit” - celebrating the 10th anniversary of his debut album, Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101. Ten years after its release, people still care about his first album - about him. Saturday night, however, was an undeniable high. And as long as he’s Jeezy, the lows and highs will always be there. Jeezy is a cautionary tale, an inspirational figure, a fuck-up, a success story.
For the past decade, he’s been adamant about that truth - in every noun, every verb that he raps - because he seems to have internalized his listener’s struggles. His ability to push past some of his demons - while not quite shaking others - is possible because he is always talking about the truth of his life. It’s clear that “making it” wasn’t always inevitable for Jeezy. You know how far he’s come and how much further he has to go. He’s consistently presented his lows and highs. Progress is such a simple premise, but when Jeezy talks about it, it feels momentous - you can sense the levels. Throughout the venue, you could feel a collective sigh of relief embedded in the cheer. A “yes” but also a “thank you for asking.” Thank god we are doing better than we were 10 years ago. Got to keep pushing.Īnd then, after that flurry of thoughts, came a triumphant, explosive response. You know, I hadn’t really thought about 10 years ago in a while. Could have permanently messed up everything. You remember that recession? That shit was wild. Things easily could have gone off the rails.
Hell yeah I’m doing better - wait, was I doing better now than I was 10 years ago? I think I am - no, I definitely am. But here, Jeezy’s question caused a slight hesitation in the room, a moment of reflection, before adhering with a response. Most are knee-jerk reflexive, with the sheer act of being talked at instantly causing you to yell, your body to flail, react. It wasn’t your typical call-and-response concert moment. “If you’re doing better than you were doing 10 years ago make some noise,” Jeezy barked at the Fox Theatre crowd.
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