Over the weekend, Jay-Z wrapped up a global anniversary run with two shows at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on October 23 and October 24, 2026. The rapper celebrated the 30th anniversary of his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, and the 25th anniversary of his 2001 No. 1 album, The Blueprint. Dubbed the Jay-30 30 Tour, the tour launched in July at Yankee Stadium in New York with three shows. In September, the tour stopped in London and then France shortly after.
Despite what has been said, Jay-Z sold out his final two nights at SoFi Stadium. There’s been a lot of hearsay and false narratives surrounding Jay-Z in recent years. The feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake has continued to expand, placing certain artists in key categories on each side of the beef. Jay-Z, who belongs on the side of Roc Nation, has been in a small feud of his own with Drake. In May, Drake took shots at Jay-Z on his new album, Iceman. Jay-Z responded with a freestyle diss at the 2026 Roots Picnic shortly after.
Also, Jay-Z selecting himself as the next halftime performer for the Super Bowl in 2027 hasn’t helped cool these rumors. In fact, it may be why false reports circulated about poor attendance at these two SoFi Stadium performances.
On night one of the sold-out shows at SoFi Stadium, Jay-Z had multiple special guests. These included John Legend, Blue Ivy, and DJ Khaled. On the second evening, Jay-Z closed out the tour with a special West Coast hip-hop showcase. This featured special guests Too $hort, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre. The sold-out shows were attended by his wife, Beyoncé, who reunited with her Destiny’s Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Additionally, Lizzo, Vanessa Bryant, Jessica Alba, and Wizkid were all spotted at the concert.
On Night Two, Jay-Z Addressed Online Rumors And SPOKE Out AGAINST AI
In the midst of his brewing feud, many took to social media to falsely report that Jay-Z’s finale show was empty. People cited low-priced tickets as the reason these rumors began. Jay-Z addressed these rumors on stage during the second evening. To the sold-out crowd, he stated, “I’ve got a real quick important message for y’all tonight. “Y’all got to be very aware of what’s going on in the world, right? People will tell you that nobody was in here tonight, but you got eyes; you can see. People will tell you that the music wasn’t great, but you got ears.”
Jay-Z then took this opportunity to speak on the rise of AI in recent years. He said, “Question everything in this world of AI.” He spoke on how artificial intelligence mimics artists and fans as well, adding, “We have real intelligence, not artificial intelligence. We feel, right? This concert tonight, we felt.”
Photo by Theo Wargo/FilmMagic
The post Jay-Z Fires Back at Critics Claiming His Stadium Concerts Were Empty appeared first on vice.
