Beyoncé. Jay Z. Nicki Minaj.
The Tidal X: 1020 concert was a marathon of music stars and up-and-comers. From major announcements -- like new Tidal artist owners and TV deals -- to jaw-dropping performances, here are the 9 best things that happened at Tidal's big night.
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1. Usher's chilling performance
The singer gave a rousing performance of his new song "Chains," featuring Nas and Bibi Bourelly. The politically-minded track, which has an interactive music video, addresses police brutality and racism in America, with lyrics like "Yelling at Senators, Presidents, Congressmen/We got a problem that needs some acknowledgement."
2. Money & Violence season 2 announcement
Fans of the web series Money and Violence got a surprise last night when rapper TI brought out its cast and creators after his set. He announced that the popular web series would be debuting its second season on Tidal, an interesting move for the music streaming service.
RT @MissInfoTV On stage in BK tonight, the #MoneyAndViolence cast announced Season 2 arrives on TIDAL in Jan 2016 pic.twitter.com/Cvyw3maXOr— Missinfo (@Missinfo) October 21, 2015
3. Justine Skye's fashion-forward performance
The R&B up-and-comer and Brooklyn native performed a glorious rendition of her track "I'm Yours" in the flashiest outfit of the night, a shiny gold two piece suit with a strappy black top. She also brought out Brooklyn rapper 2 Milly so the squad could Milly Rock all over the Barclays stage.
4. Alessia Cara's rise
At just 19 years old, Cara is quickly becoming a star to watch. The rising act stepped onstage for an all too brief performance of her insanely catchy hit "Here."
5. Damian Marley joins Tidal
Announced by radio icon Angie Martinez, Damian Marley swept through the Barclays Center with a quick flash of Jamaica, performing his single "Welcome to Jamrock." Before his performance, Martinez also announced that Marley was the newest artist owner of Tidal.
6. Beyoncé's ponytail
Utter beauty.
7. Jay Z and Beyoncé wear matching capes
According to Emilia Clarke, Jay-Z bought Beyoncé one of the dragon eggs from Game of Thrones' first season. So when Queen Bey and Jay rocked Jon Snow capes on the stage, it fittingly signified that the royal couple was prepared to fight for their kingdom -- as if they even need to.
The King and Queen of Tidal and, apparently, Westeros performed a passionate duet of “Holy Grail,” which Bey called her favorite song to sing to her husband. It’s frustrating that money, power and glory isn’t enough for these two -- they actually seem like they love each other, too. Gross.
8. The crowd was feeling Nicki and Bey's duet
Short of synchronized cheeseburger eating, Beyoncé and Nicki’s rare live performance of “Feeling Myself” together was everything fans could dream of -- equal parts badass and giddy. For a second at the end, Bey and Nicki stared at each other as if shit were about to go down before bursting in a fit of giggles and hugging each other. It felt like the coolest girls at school invited you to their sleepover and didn’t mind that you spent the entire time screaming your lungs out.
9. The show closes with "Empire State of Mind"
After a few dozen artists rushing on and off the stage for three hours, Jay-Z got a little sentimental with the crowd -- just one-on-one million, if you include all of Tidal's subscribers potentially live-streaming the event. He gave a shoutout to all of New York's boroughs (and New Jersey) before closing the show with a solo performance of "Empire State of Mind" on his home turf.