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"Summer Jam"

Date confirmed in “MTV News” (archived) (Thursday [June 28, 2001])

When hip-hop's reigning microphone king needed a little help driving home the point that he wasn't about to relinquish his crown anytime soon, he simply placed a call to none other than the… King of Pop.

Jay-Z, the headliner at Thursday's Hot 97 Summer Jam 2001, shocked the sold-out crowd at Long Island's Nassau Coliseum when he brought Michael Jackson onstage during a break in his performance. Although M.J. didn't perform — not live, anyway, considering a sample of the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" was used in the set-closing "H to the Izzo" — just his presence was enough to elicit the loudest pop of the night from a crowd that had already seen performances by Ja Rule, Destiny's Child, R. Kelly, Ludacris, Eve, Nelly and Outkast.

"I know Michael Jackson better come from behind that muthafuckin' curtain," Jay-Z said during what had to be 90 of the longest seconds of his career. Jigga had just announced Jackson to the crowd, but the music icon failed to make his entrance. The audience seemed to think Jay was joking — who would expect Jackson to appear at such a hip-hop-heavy concert?

But Jay quickly figured out that with cargo as precious as this, it's probably best to hand-deliver it to the crowd.

"You want me to go back and get him myself?" Jay asked a girl in the front row. "OK, I'm 'a go get him."

Seconds later the two walked out and posed for photos together. In one of the pictures, Michael struck a b-boy stance with his arms folded. Jackson's only words to the crowd were, "I love you all", before he exited the stage, but Jay-Z fans can expect to hear more from him. According to Roc-a-Fella Records, Jackson will make a guest appearance on Jay's next album, and although Jay attempted to return the favor, his contributions are not currently scheduled to appear on Jackson's long-awaited new LP.