“Who else could pull this type shit together?!,” adamantly questioned T.I. as looked at what was probably the most powerful collective of Hip Hop talent onstage at one time. Joining T.I. onstage for an impromptu jam session at last nights New York leg of the Screamfest 07 tour held at the Worlds Most Famous arena, Madison Square Garden, were Jay Z, 50 Cent, Kanye West, Diddy and Swizz Beatz.
As the crowd was filing in, DJ Nabs manned the turntables until opening acts Maleek and Young Berg warmed the crowd for an entertaining performance by Lloyd.
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Young Joc offered a hint as to what the evening would offer by welcoming a cameo appearance made by Jody Breeze and Gorilla Zoe of the group Boyz In Da Hood. Joc then fired the first super star salvo in the person of Bad Boy CEO Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, who accompanied Joc for “It’s Going Down” and then his solo smash “Last Night.”
T-Pain held his own on the strength of his scene stealing guest appearances on smash hits for others as well having hit material in his own right. Save the Young Joc live verse for the tune “Buy You A Drink’, T-Pain was uneventful.
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Co-Headliners Ciara and T.I. gave intertwining sets, with the first half of each concentrating strictly on hits and high energy. Ciara then raised the bar significantly during her second act, as she bought 50 Cent to the fore for their duet, “Can’t Leave Em Alone”. “You should do something else,”Ciara chided to 50, who abided with the hottest song in the clubs right now, “I Get Money”. Coming along for the ride were G Unit members Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks, and Mobb Deep. “How you gonna follow that?”50 defiantly asked as he made his exit.
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Answering the bell, T.I. was accompanied by Wyclef Jean for their T.I. vs. T.I.P collaborative efforts “You Know What It Is” and “My Swag”. Booming through the speakers next was the bass heavy “Watch What You Say” and an unexpected visit from the song’s fellow mic technician Jay-Z.
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“The Roc is in the building,”Jay twice warned before his super star label mate Kayne West sauntered out, with Diddy and 50 Cent in tow for “You Can’t Tell Me Nothing”. ‘Ye passed it back to Hov for an “Encore”, and Jay turned the spotlight over to Swizz Beatz for “Money In The Bank”.
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Along with the talent pool, loomed the specter of drama, with persistent rumors and potential misunderstanding running rampant. Fortunately, other then a convening of Rap Royalty, nothing popped off.
EDIT: A big shout out to DAT for this video of the historical event.
