If you live in New York City, you’re already fully aware that there is nothing like a summer in the city. Add to it a three-night concert series celebrating the classics in Jay-Z’s catalog, and it’s an especially electric place to be this time of year.

The rap GOAT kicked off his three-night takeover of Yankee Stadium on Friday, July 10, with a deep dive into his debut work, Reasonable Doubt, celebrating its 30th anniversary. He brought out wife Beyoncé, fellow NYC legend Nas and daughter Blue Ivy to honor the moment, so one could only wonder, how could he possibly follow that?

I had the pleasure of finding out on Saturday, July 11, thanks to D’USSÉ. The second night’s setlist was all about The Blueprint, which is celebrating its 25th birthday on September 11 this year. One of his most critically acclaimed works, it also happens to be my favorite album in Jigga Man’s catalog — a seminal album from my youth during an unforgettable year in 2001. It’s the album that kickstarted my appreciation of the rap king. So I got there early, arriving for my very first trip to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx (I’m admittedly not a baseball girlie, so I had no reason to leave Brooklyn to visit before). I took the elevator up to the suite that D’USSÉ had taken over, the area around it beaming with energy, folks dressed in Yankees jerseys, tops, and fitted caps ready to put on for the city (and don’t forget all the Timbs stomping around the place).

Once I entered the suite, DJ D-Nice was setting the tone for the night, playing classic R&B as people filled their seats. As for D’USSÉ, they were setting the tone with delicious cocktails (and the World Cup playing in the background for those, like myself, struggling to recover from football fever). I had a classic D’USSÉ & Lemonade in a special mug highlighting 30 years of the star’s music. Also raved about was the alternative CODE30, a mix of the cognac with lemon juice, Amaretto, pineapple syrup, and soda water. I sipped and mixed and mingled with fellow journalists in the room, from VIBE to PEOPLE, had a salad with a pepperoni pizza, and then promptly took my seat while I waited for Brooklyn’s finest to take the massive stage near the infield, the diamond covered and surrounded by massive speakers and a large screen.

By 9 p.m., the lights went down and the screams started. Shortly after, a blend of “The Ruler’s Back” and “Takeover” played (the latter of which he didn’t perform, since that was the epic diss track against Nas, Mobb Deep and others, and Jay is long past that sort of “beef”), and he took the stage to a frenzy. The band accompanying Jay-Z, led by music director Adam Blackstone, along with a group of violinists who added something extra to each track, made every moment better than the last. And while a Beyoncé cameo for “Can’t Knock the Hustle” is pretty unbeatable, Saturday’s star moments were in a league of their own. Slick Rick came out during “The Ruler’s Back” to do “La Di Da Di,” Eminem blew the invisible roof off the place performing “Renegade” and then “Lose Yourself,” and Pharrell Williams later took the stage for a medley of hits he produced for Jay-Z or they collaborated on, from “Give It to Me” to “Frontin’,” “Excuse Me Miss” and “Allure.”

But Jay-Z held his own, alone, the best. The band behind him, he paced the stage pulling out lines from deep cuts written 25 years ago — no small feat. His aura, flanked in a fashionable version of a bulletproof vest one minute and white the next, and a Yankees fitted always, allowed that. The effects — from the fire that shot into the sky during “Public Service Announcement,” which we could feel the heat of from the suite seats, to the fireworks at the end and even the charm of the 4 train rolling behind the stadium at different moments, people going about their business as usual, which he remarked that he loved (“New York sh-t”) — all added to the experience.

Being in the D’USSÉ suite made that experience even greater. From the drinks and food, to the stars who came through to watch the show (including actress Ego Nwodim and Joey Bada$$ with fiancée Serayah), and the ones who flanked us in their own suites (including Kevin Hart, Charlamagne, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, Kevin “Coach K” Lee and Pierre “P” Thomas of QC, and the likes of Coco Jones and Donovan Mitchell and DJ Khaled seen walking around on the way out), they certainly made us feel like A-listers deserving of the best seat in the house, which was right center of all the action. Shoutout to that team, rocking “If I D’USSÉ So Myself” hats (a play on Jay-Z’s famous line from “Drunk in Love”) and smiles. It was a night I won’t soon forget.

It was also a reminder, as Pharrell put it, that there is no debate: Jay-Z is the greatest rapper to do it. And the fact that he can put on a show of such magnitude at 56 is beyond impressive. He’s just getting started, though. The good news is that the shows will continue, including Sunday the 12th, the Extra Innings performance at Yankees Stadium, and will also travel internationally, so people have more opportunities to see such greatness in person. New York to the world. Trust, it’s something you don’t want to miss.