Jay-Z Closes the 30 Tour at So-Fi With Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and a Word About AI

The Jay-Z 30 Tour ended Saturday at Los Angeles’ So-Fi Stadium, the second of two nights there, with a run of guests that traced a line through West Coast rap history. Too Short came out first, performing “Blow the Whistle” while Jay-Z added his “Playoff” freestyle over it. Later, Jay-Z rapped “D’Evils” over the beat of Snoop Dogg’s “Murder Was the Case,” which brought Snoop to the stage. Dr. Dre followed, and Jay-Z handed the floor to the pair for a medley of “The Next Episode,” “California Love,” “Nothin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” and “Still D.R.E.”

The previous night had leaned elsewhere: Blue Ivy for “The Story of O.J.” and “Dead Presidents,” Scarface for “This Can’t Be Life” and “Mind Playing Tricks,” DJ Khaled and John Legend closing with “God Did.” The tour opened in July with three nights at Yankee Stadium, then moved through London and Paris.

What separated Saturday from a straightforward roll call was Jay-Z’s own interruption. Unconfirmed social media reports had claimed ticket prices collapsed, with seats reportedly given away. During “Encore” he answered them, then widened the frame to artificial intelligence. “People will tell you that nobody was in here tonight, but you got eyes. You can see,” he said, according to Variety. He went on to describe the mechanics of misinformation as “tricknology,” and asked the crowd to question everything they feel.

From an artist who has spent three decades controlling his own image and scarcity, the instruction landed less as a slogan than as a working method.