This marks the Bronx native's first full show since being shot during an attempted robbery.It's always great to see a comeback, especially from a rapper whose life flashed before our very eyes. Lil Tjay's made his triumphant return to concerts at this year's Rolling Loud New York following an attempted robbery in June, where he was shot seven times and hospitalized. The rapper started his performance on Friday, September 23rd at Citi Field in Queens with a positive attitude, and didn't take long to feed fans with the hits.
Lil Tjay performs at Rolling Loud Miami 2021 - Rich Fury/Getty Images
“Hey yo, look, I’m feeling good today,” Tjay told the screaming crowd as he began the set. “I’m feeling blessed. Thanks to everybody that popped out here today. We going up,” and then immediately ran his 2018 track “Leaked" up. He performed some other standouts form his catalog including "F.N.," "Calling My Phone," and the Polo G-assisted "Pop Out." He also performed "Not In The Mood" and "Zoo York" with fellow Big Apple representative and Rolling Loud New York performer, Fivio Foreign.
The 21-year-old rapper was shot this June in his car outside of a New Jersey Chipotle as part of an attempted robbery. He was rushed into emergency surgery and was reportedly unconscious and breathing from a tube for the next few days. In August, he returned to social media to say that despite things being rough, he's back and "stronger than ever" with a message for his fans. He released a video in a neck brace where he said, “Hey what’s going on y’all? I’m just checking in with y’all. I just wanna say, thanks for the love, thanks for the support. I’ve been looking at the DM’s, seeing the comments and everything else and I feel love.”
“Seven shots it was tough you know," he continued. "Most people don’t survive it but I’m here. Here for a reason and new music coming soon, we’re gonna come back stronger than ever. Love y’all.”
Two days later, he dropped "Beat the Odds," his comeback single where he thanks fans for their support as we see him in the hospital in the music video. He also dropped a remix of 50 Cent's "Many Men" earlier in the week.
Rolling Loud New York is set to continue as planned, with headlining performances left from A$AP Rocky (Saturday) and Future (Sunday) with additional sets from Lil Baby, 21 Savage, Glorilla, Ericka Banks, and many more. You can view Lil Tjay's full and triumphant comeback set at Rolling Loud New York below.
About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022.
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case.
Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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