James Devaney/GC ImagesJust hours debuting his Adidas collection during New York Fashion Week, Kanye West took to the Flatiron District to headline Roc Nation's First Annual Roc City Classic, starring Kevin Durant and Yeezy himself.
The Roc Nation Sports event, which kicked off All-Star Weekend, was only supposed to include appearances by the basketball star and "Bound 2" rapper. Kim Kardashian's husband pulled out all the stops when he surprised the audience with appearances by Big Sean and Pusha T.
West definitely has a dedicated fan base, as thousands turned out for the free concert that took place in the city's freezing-cold temperatures (it was about 20 degrees). Seriously, nothing was going to stop Yeezus' fans.
Originally 10,000 tickets were given out, but not everyone arrived, so waiting fans received entry instead. Despite the cold, West's fans got to hear their favorite rapper perform before closing out with his recent hit "Only One."
"New York City, remember the night when you all saw me perform," he told the crowd. "Remember this night for the rest of your life. Remember this when you go to work next week. Remember to believe in yourself. Remember that anything is possible. I love you."
With that, West departed the stage while the crowd chanted "Yeezy!" Sadly, there was no cameo made by daughter North West, but we can understand that. She did have kind of a rough night, plus it was just too cold for the 20-month-old.
Unfortunately some things—like the weather—couldn't be helped, but despite what E! News has learned was some last-minute planning, the concert went on without a hitch and lasted over an hour! A source tells E! News that West was only confirmed to perform about a week before the actual concert, as people thought Rihanna would lead the evening.
As for why a free concert in NYC, well that was all Jay Z's idea.
"Jay has been trying to do a free concert in New York City for some time, but the city would never approve," the source reveals. "The plans for this show started to develop back in October. For some reason, not sure how it happened, but they got it approved this time! Jay is so excited!"
Jay Z's 40/40 club, which is walking distance from the concert, hosted VIPs during the concert and then became an after-party hotspot. Of course, Kim, Kendall Jenner and more watched from backstage.
According to the source, the concert's sponsors "threw down close to $3 million to make this happen."
—Reporting by Sara Kitnick