LOS ANGELES — Jay-Z set the stage ablaze during his first 30th anniversary concert in Los Angeles, capping off the night with a high-energy set and special appearances by John Legend, DJ Khaled, Scarface and his daughter Blue Ivy Carter.
The 25-time Grammy winner launched his show on Oct. 23 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles around 9:25 p.m. local time. The show was the second-to-last stop on his "Jay-Z 30" concert series
."Los Angeles, what's up?! How y'all feeling tonight?" he asked as he opened his show with his 2002 song "Hovi Baby," donning his signature New York Yankees cap and shades. The crowd matched his energy, erupting in cheers and applause as he took the stage.
The rap titan immediately flowed through massive hits spanning his 30-year
career, including anthems like "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," "Beach Is Better," "Jigga What, Jigga Who," "Run This Town," "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)," "No Church in the Wild," "Can I Live," "Family Feud," "U Don't Know," "On to the Next One," "Dirt off Your Shoulder," "I Know," "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)," "Empire State of Mind" and more.
The string of shows commemorates the 30th anniversary of his debut album, "Reasonable Doubt," released on June 25, 1996. Earlier this year he is also celebrating the 25th anniversary of his sixth studio album, "The Blueprint," released Sept. 11, 2001.
Each night, fans have wondered which special guest the rap mogul might bring onstage after he surprised audiences with a star-studded lineup at multiple shows. Friday's show was no different as he was once again joined by an all-star lineup of surprise guests.
Scarface joins Jay-Z onstage to perform their 2002 song 'This Can't Be Life'
During his performance of the 2002 track "This Can't Be Life," Jay-Z was joined onstage by rapper and record producer Scarface, who is featured on the song.
"Los Angeles, make some noise for the legendary Scarface tonight," Jay-Z told the crowd. He continued to rap his own songs, including his former rap group, Geto Boys' 1991 track "Mind Playing Tricks on Me."
Blue Ivy Carter shows off the piano skills during Jay-Z's Los Angeles show
Jay-Z and Beyoncé Knowles Carter's 14-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter was the first special guest to take the stage, showing off her piano skills, jamming out on the keys as she performed alongside her father.
🚨 BLUE IVY CARTER joins JAŸ-Z on stage tonight and plays piano during ‘The Story of O.J’ ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Hcyv0ONeit
— 𝐇𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚 💎 (@thejayzsource) October 24, 2026
"No, seriously, make some noise for the one and only Blue Ivy Carter tonight," Jay-Z told the crowd as she played through multiple songs, including "The Story of O.J.," "Dead Presidents" and more. The father-daughter duo shared a warm hug before she left the stage.
Jay-Z pays homage to late rapper Nipsey Hussle
During "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)," Jay-Z made a quick tribute to late rapper Nipsey Hussle, who tragically died in March 2019. Jay-Z showed an image of Hussle on the screen and mixed in his song "Hussle & Motivate." Hussle was born in Los Angeles on Aug. 15, 1985.
Later in the show, Jay-Z incorporated Nipsey Hussle's hit "Last Time That I Checc'd" into his performance of "On to the Next One."
DJ Khaled and John Legend close out the show with Jay-Z
Just as the lights dimmed and Jay-Z appeared to be wrapping up the show, he surprised fans with an encore featuring DJ Khaled and John Legend.
"We gotta give y’all one more," he told the crowd as the three music stars took the stage. "'Cause we love you."
JAŸ-Z performed his ENTIRE verse on God Did with DJ Khaled and John Legend on stage tonight 🔥 All Roc Boys. pic.twitter.com/0w3VlCDBlj
— 𝐇𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚 💎 (@thejayzsource) October 24, 2026
The trio then performed their 2022 collaboration "God Did," giving fans one final surprise to close out the night.
Jay-Z, who recently premiered his "Jay-Z in 8" HBO docuserieson Sept. 13, performed in Paris on Sept. 10, more than a month ago. The Paris show was preceded by two shows in London.
The "I Know" rapper first kicked off his anniversary concert series with three massive hometown shows in New York in the summer.
Jay-Z took to the stage at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on July 10 to celebrate "Reasonable Doubt." During the show, his eldest daughter, Blue Ivy, and wife Beyoncé made surprise appearances. On July 11, Jay-Z commemorated his album "The Blueprint," bringing out more special guests onstage, including Eminem, Slick Rick and Pharrell Williams.
His last "EXTRA INNINGS" show took place on Sunday, July 12, combining both shows into a star-studded concert featuring surprise appearances from Rihanna, Swizz Beatz, Jeezy, Beyoncé, Fat Joe and others.
His final anniversary show will take place at SoFi Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 24. Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's music reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Jay-Z ignites Los Angeles with John Legend, DJ Khaled, Scarface, Blue Ivy
