Almost 16 years after co-headlining the Home & Home Tour in September 2010, Eminem and Jay-Z performed “Renegade” together again.
On Saturday, July 11, Jay-Z celebrated the 25th anniversary of his album Blueprint, performing key tracks from the project alongside high-profile guests. There were no promises, but with “Renegade” remaining one of the project’s highlights, many fans hoped for Eminem’s involvement. So, it is no surprise that Complex described it as the most in-demand of Jay-Z’s three-night New York residency.
Renegade
As Hov was going through the album track by track, anticipation grew. Until finally, Eminem took the stage.
The song has lost none of its intensity over the years. Eminem, who produced “Renegade” and co-wrote it with Royce 5’9 before it ended up on Jay-Z’s project by sheer chance, did not lose his grip on its flow.
While the debate over who had the better verse on “Renegade” has never gone away, Eminem is not interested in confrontation with Jay-Z. He used the moment to show respect, not rivalry.
Closing their performance, Marshall embraced Jay-Z and addressed the audience, “New York! Make some noise for one of the greatest motherfuckers to ever touch a motherfucking microphone”.
Back for more
However, that was not the end. Later, Eminem came back to the stage to perform his signature stadium anthem, “Lose Yourself”, but with a twist. He laid his verse over another song from Jay-Z’s Blueprint – “The Takeover”.
Perhaps this blend was not as powerful as the “Till I Collapse/Hello Operator” mash-up with Jack White. Still, Eminem’s rapping skills were on full display when he was bending and moulding his flow to Kanye West’s beat.
Rap history
At the end of the day, all preparations for the event paid off.
Photos now resurfacing show that Eminem and his team were at Yankee Stadium way before the show started, getting ready for an evening that already feels like part of hip hop history and a powerful display of the hold artists like Eminem and Jay-Z have over the public to this day.