Jay-Z reunites with Beanie Sigel and Freeway at The Roots Picnic to perform ‘What We Do’

The most telling moment from Jay-Z’s nearly 90-minute Roots Picnic performance isn’t the freestyle everyone’s talking about. 

In between verses from “Public Service Announcement” — which he dubbed the “Black national anthem” — Jay-Z uttered four words that didn’t just explain his night. Rather, it explained why 2026 is, in his words, all about offense. Jay was proving that, even after almost a decade away from performances of this magnitude, his stage presence, attention to detail, and understanding of the moment remain second to none. For a moment, put aside the billions, the businesses and his role as the architect of the modern Super Bowl halftime show. This was an artist reminding himself, and everyone else, of what the empire has always been rooted in: rapping.

One of the night’s most powerful developments is what ultimately became a State Property reunion with Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Peedi Crakk and the Young Gunz. Telling the story of Jay’s life and times without Philadelphia is a disingenuous endeavor if one ever existed. Hearing records like “You, Me, Him, Her” or “What We Do” in that setting, in this city, was euphoric. For a sliver of time, Roc-A-Fella Records felt as close to whole as it’ll ever be again.