Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com“Let’s go, Yankees,” chanted fans last night in the Bronx, New York, home of Major League Baseball’s defending champions. But they weren’t there to see Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez smash it out of the park. The sold-out crowd filled the new Yankee Stadium to see two of hip-hop’s greatest and most accomplished talents, Eminem and native son Jay-Z, bring the young venue its first show.  Two weeks ago, the combo kicked off the first half of their Home and Home mini-tour at Detroit’s Comerica Park. There Em, was the night’s closer. But on Monday night, he set things off.

The chants flipped to cheers when Em’s spacey intro began on the jumbo screen. Like Star Wars movies begin–with a storyline text appearing as we travel across the galaxy–so did his, chronicling his heavily covered road from troubled drug addict to sobriety. “You are here to witness,” it concluded, “Eminem’s RECOVERY.”

In a black tee, shorts, and a matching hooded sweatshirt pulled over his head, Em crept on stage to “Won’t Back Down,” rapping with fierce intensity. As he spit on the track, “Shady’s got the mass appeal.” And was apparent. From jump, fans made the Motor City rhymer feel right at home, rapping along word-for-word.

“Politically correct” and Eminem don’t go together. Animations of a redneck with a mullet and his beat-up car were met with laughs when he performed “W.T.P. (White Trash Party).” His fans are a different kind of breed—a more twisted bunch who somehow relate to some of his most violent and mortifying lyrics like, “B—-, I’mma kill you” from the aptly titled “Kill You.” And they obeyed his command to raise their middle fingers and say, “F— you, momma!” before he launched into “Cleanin’ Out My Closet.”  After a brief set with his group D12, B.o.B, who opened the show, came back out to perform his “Airplanes” alongside Em, but that guest appearance was just a warm up for what was to come.

Find out who the other surprises were and how Jay-Z did after the jump.

READ FULL STORY »