Kanye West played Abu Dhabi Friday night, which cast doubt on Saturday’s rumors that the Chicago MC would appear as the surprise guest at the Heineken Inspire Encore secret show in New York City. But given Kanye’s history with surprise performances, I figured I’d hit the concert — held in the decked out Pier 36 just under the Manhattan Bridge — just in case. It also helped that Nas, Cee-Lo, Diplo, and Pete Rock were already on the bill, and there were promises of free Heineken, Jamaican beef patties, tacos, and hot dogs until, well, all the free Heineken, Jamaican beef patties, tacos, and hot dogs ran out. So while Kanye might have proved a no show (J. Cole, fresh off the release of his new mixtape, was actually the special treat), I did get to eat and drink for free — something which doesn’t happen often in NYC — while greeted to the pleasant sounds of Cee-Lo’s “Fuck You” and Nas’ raw rhymes. So, yeah, not a bad alternative.
Below, you can watch highlights of the event (via You Heard That Knew). Above image via don.al.rey.
Nas – “NY State of Mind”
Nas – “If I Ruled the World”
Cee-Lo – “Fuck You”
J. Cole – “Higher”