The rapper who grew up just two miles away from the new Barclays Center arena - now the home court of the Brooklyn Nets basketball team - talked about how far he had come in a show sprinkled with emotional speeches.
"I've been on many stages all around the world and nothing feels like tonight," Jay-Z told the cheering audience.
"I'm really overwhelmed by the moment," he said as he described his humble beginnings in Marcy Houses, a Brooklyn public housing project he noted was just 15 minutes away from the arena. "I can't believe that this day has come."
Jay-Z, who raps about the time he spent as a drug dealer, released his first album in 1996. He is now one of the most successful rappers in the world, owns a minority stake in the Nets and has businesses including a clothing label.
