Backed by a 10-piece band, Jay-Z -- who entered the world as Shawn Carter -- fills a two-hour set Friday with a razor-sharp lyrical catalog at downtown L.A.’s Staples Center. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
At Staples on Friday, Jay-Z demonstrates his consummate showmanship, which dovetails with his corporate successes as the former CEO chief executive of Def Jam Recordings, among other ventures. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Jay-Z, the 40-year-old rapper who has almost single-handedly spawned the genre “classic rap,” plays to a large audience composed of a wide demographic mix. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Jay-Z, whose fame has grown with such songs as “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem),” “I Just Wanna Love U” and “Empire State of Mind,” dips into an impressive a body of work at Staples. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Jay-Z dominates the stage in this photograph, but his show also included Young Jeezy and a cameo appearance by Ice Cube. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
He’s an unquestioned star now, but Jay-Z also delved Friday into his back catalog, performing “Can I Live” and “Where I’m From” -- reminders that this was the same rapper who was beginning to win over the masses in the mid-1990s. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
