It was Jay-Z’s house and his streaming service, but the Brooklyn rap god did not take the stage at the fifth annual Tidal X concert on Monday night at Barclays Center the arena that the MC helped build into what it is today.
Still, the Big Apple was represented by plenty of other artists at the music marathon, which this year raised money and awareness for Rock the Vote, the voter-registration organization.
In fact, Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” partner — and fellow New York native — Alicia Keys headlined the festivities, which were live-streamed on Tidal. And she gave Brooklyn some love with a salute to the borough’s rap legend the Notorious B.I.G., weaving bits of “One More Chance” and “Juicy” into her new single “Show Me Love.”
Keys also brought out Brooklyn rapper Leikeli47 to rock the mic with her jam “I Get Money.” But her set’s placement in the middle of the four-hour-plus concert timed to accommodate her “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” appearance during the show’s Brooklyn Week made her a hard act to follow for the rest of the night’s performers.
Other artists keeping the New York state of mind alive included Harlem hip-hopper A$AP Ferg, Queens rapper Lil Tecca and Bronx MC Fat Joe one of the night’s surprise performers, who appeared during his protégée Angelica Villa’s set.
The event co-hosted by Power 105.1 DJ Angie Martinez and former Miss Dominican Republic Clarissa Molina also spotlighted local up-and-comers such as Brooklyn-bred rapper Gashi, who served as an early hype man for the evening.
And while one of the night’s standouts Grammy-winning R&B singer H.E.R. wasn’t a New York native, it hardly mattered. “Brooklyn’s like my second home, so I’m happy to be home,” she said. And the audience was more than happy to adopt her as one of their own.
Ref;nypost.com