JAY-Z has given some pretty inspiring speeches in his day — but arguably none have been quite as inspiring as the speech he gave ahead of Gervonta Davis’ fight against Ryan Garcia.
Davis has been the hot topic of headlines since Saturday (April 22), when he knocked out Garcia in the seventh round during their eagerly anticipated bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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The three-division champion, also known as Tank, sent Garcia to the canvas in the second round before finishing him off in the seventh with a powerful and perfectly-timed uppercut to the ribs.
Hip Hop, too, was well-represented at the fight. When Davis walked out to the ring, Chief Keef was in tow with the rest of his entourage, performing his smash hit “Love Sosa” to the delight of the crowd.
But it was Hov’s motivational speech that played before Davis’ walkout that brought the crowd to its feet, which he delivered over interspersed clips from various parts of the boxer’s career.
“Everything in life is for your greatest good,” JAY-Z began. “No matter how difficult it seemed at the time, everything is for your greatest good. Just teaching you discipline so you can receive your blessing.”
He continued: “See, I’m from the bottom, from the mud. It don’t matter if you from Brooklyn or from Baltimore, all that matters is that you believe in yourself when no one else will.
“Any time you want something in life, you gotta set your intention. When you set your intentions, you believe that shit in your soul, 100 percent. It’s gonna happen for you, I promise.”
Lately, JAY-Z has been taking a much more pensive tack to his legendary career. Earlier this month, he released a remix of “Empire State of Mind” with Gil Scott-Heron.
Titled “New York (Concept de Paris),” the reworked version quietly arrived on streaming services on Sunday (April 16) and combines Hov’s 2009 Blueprint 3 hit with the late jazz singer and poet’s “New York is Killing Me.”
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The song followed JAY-Z’s Celebration Concert at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris on April 14, which came in support of the Basquiat x Warhol. Painting Four Hands exhibition, and was supported by Tiffany & Co.
The rare show in the French capital saw the Roc Nation mogul perform a career-spanning set that included “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” “Never Change,” “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love),” “Excuse Me Miss,” “Can I Live” and “U Don’t Know,” among other fan-favorites.
