Bonnagroovy: Jay-Z and The Roots Unplugged

At Bonnaroo, I had the chance to see Jay-Z play a headlining set on Saturday night. It came hot on the heels of a  hit-filled set from Stevie Wonder that left me beaming with happiness, head filled with beautiful melodies. Jay-Z took the stage and completely tore things apart - starting with recent hits like "Run This Town," "D.O.A.," and "On To The Next One," and then delving into the back catalog, Jay took the 50,000+ fans on a tour of his oeuvre. Back to back, Stevie Wonder and Jay-Z might have been the best concert I've ever been to. Tough to beat that combination.

On my 15 hour drive home, I meandered through my iPod for some Jay tracks to ride to, and I found his performance on MTV Unplugged. It's a hidden little gem that I had completely forgotten about. Man am I glad I found it. On the performance, Jay is backed by The Roots and joined by Mary J. Blige and Jaguar Wright on some vocals. It's pretty incredible.

Let me just re-state that for any skimmers out there. Jay-Z, backed by The Roots, joined by Mary J. Blige and Jaguar Wright. It's absurdly good - I suggest you go get the whole thing. For now, here are a few of my favorites from the set.

Jay-Z f. The Roots - Izzo (H.O.V.A) (MTV Unplugged) (YSI) (filesavr)

Jay-Z f. The Roots & Jaguar Wright - Heart of the City (Ain't No Love) (MTV Unplugged) (YSI) (filesavr)

Jay-Z f. The Roots - Big Pimpin' (MTV Unplugged) (YSI) (filesavr)