As if he wasn't already iconic enough, rapper-turned-record executive Jay Z returned to the stage twice this past weekend in NYC to celebrate the tenth anniversary of his debut album, Reasonable Doubt.

Allegedly retired, Jay Z has not kept a particularly low profile over the past year or so, popping up for guest verses on tracks like Kanye West's "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" and the Rick Ross's "Hustling" as well as appearing regularly in tabloids dishing about his romance with Beyonce. Day-to-day, Hova is busy running Def Jam Music Group, of which he became President in 2005, yet few people seemed to have thought he'd stay away from the spotlight as a performer for long.

For his triumphant return to the stage, Jay recruited in demand producer Just Blaze to dj and Roots drummer ?uestlove to serve as bandleader, coordinating a massive ensemble including an orchestral string section. While the specifics of Sunday's show at Radio City Music Hall remain a bit hazy, guest appearances from Beyonce and members of the Roc A Fella Records family were a foregone conclusion.

Even more fascinating than this exercise in icon-creation, is the elevation of hip-hop from street phenomenon to self-aware cultural phenomenon. With ticket prices well over $100 and a venue far away from early hip-hop spots like the Latin Quarter, Jay Z created not just a special performance or spectacle, he created a cultural and media event which essentially validates the undisputed axiom in hip-hop that his debut album is in fact an absolute classic.

We all knew Jay Z was a kingmaker, but EMERGE didn't realize he was so intent on crowning himself.

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