Jay-Z’s come to the rescue for the All Points West festival.
With the NYC-area festival just a week away, fans were sadden to learn the Beastie Boys had to bow out as Friday’s headliners. The hometown trio had good reason for the cancellation, namely that member Adam Yauch has been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his salivary gland (see their website for a video message from the rapper). Fortunately, the Beastie otherwise known as MCA is expected to pull through just fine with treatment, but the circumstance left fans and the festival itself without a Friday night main act. That’s where Hova comes in.
Making his first ever appearance at an American festival, Jay-Z has agreed to fill in for the Beastie Boys at All Points West. Can we hope to hear Jay-Z doing some “Rhymin & Stealin” or “Brass Monkey”? Probably not, but it is possible that he might rock out with fellow All Points performers Coldplay and/or MGMT. Really? Yeah, Coldplay singer Chris Martin and Jay-Z performed “Lost” together at the Grammys (plus on wax with “Beach Chairs”), while the Brooklyn duo MGMT collaborate with Jigga on his upcoming album, The Blueprint 3. (And for the record, when this writer saw Linkin Park at Madison Square Garden last year, Hova showed up for a little “Collision Course” mashup action.)
While everyone certainly wishes the best for Adam Yauch (he’s the one poking at the camera in the photo), it’s great to hear that Jay-Z stepped up to make sure the fans would still be amped for the festival. All Points West takes place at Liberty State Park in Jersey City (near the Statue of Liberty) from July 31 to Aug. 2.
Jay-Z photo courtesy of Arthur Elgort.