Hip-hop heavyweight delivers hustle and flow

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/09/2023 (1115 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Twenty years later and Curtis (50 Cent) Jackson can still make an arena feel like “da club.”

The award-winning New York rapper, supported by Busta Rhymes and Jeremih, had a rowdy weeknight night crowd bumping and grinding during a local stop on his international Final Lap Tour, celebrating the 20th anniversary of his debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’.

From start to finish, the exceedingly loud three-and-a-half-hour show was firmly planted in the world of early 2000s nightclub hip hop.

Things kicked off with a hype man doling out snippets of era-specific hits during a fast-paced DJ set filled with bone-rattling bass. Jay-Z, Lil Jon, DMX, Daddy Yankee, Kanye West — the crowd was in from the first beat drop, enthusiastically singing hooks when called on.

Following a hyper-sexual pre-flight safety briefing from a scantily clad flight attendant, opener Jeremih polled the audience: “You want some old shit or some new shit?”

It was a rhetorical question. The 36-year-old Chicago R&B singer launched into his 2009 hit Birthday Sex, flanked by two nearly nude female backup dancers.

The crowd-work amped up with the arrival of Busta Rhymes — given name Trevor George Smith — who appeared on stage seated atop a glowing futuristic throne.

In between short stints of his signature super-speed rapping alongside longtime collaborator Spliff Star, the larger-than-life performer urged the near-sellout crowd to increase the energy and sing along. The ploy arguably backfired: concertgoers were already invested and the frequent pauses broke up the flow of his set.

While the 51-year-old Smith offered some new music, singing along to videos of two recently released singles, his songs from the early aughts, such as Touch It, garnered the biggest reaction.

Before leaving the stage, Smith paused to toast the BET Lifetime Achievement Award he received in June and the illustrious career of Jackson, a longtime friend, who was recently named one of the 50 greatest rappers of all time by Billboard.

Busta concluded by raising a bottle and spraying the front row with bubbles.

Jackson rose to the occasion — literally, rising up from the floor into a plexiglass box that popped open to fireworks and digital lightning strikes.

The main event wasted no time getting into his celebrated catalogue. Jackson, 48, blew through a handful of high-energy, adversarial tracks from his breakout 2003 album, including I Get Money and If I Can’t, before taking a brief break to swap outfits.

It’s been almost two decades since Fiddy’s last performance in the city. He played the Winnipeg Arena in 2004 to a crowd of 7,000 people — low attendance at the time, considering the Grammy- and Emmy-winning artist sold more records in Canada that year than any other musician.

While set dressing for his previous appearance was sparse, Wednesday’s show was anything but. Four large towers transformed throughout the night, from projection screens to city blocks to raised platforms hosting a live band. Fireballs raged, backup dancers twerked in unison, lasers flashed, multiple bras were tossed on stage and a giant piece of glittering 50 Cent bling descended from the ceiling.

The action was non-stop and the transitions were seamless. By the finale, Jackson had completed eight costume changes in between belting out chart-topping hits that ranged from the tough posturing of PIMP to the tender 21 Questions.

For an artist whose latest album was released in 2014 and whose last major headlining tour was in 2010, Jackson hasn’t missed a beat. If this is indeed 50 Cent’s final lap, it’s a victorious one.

The show wrapped with a plume of gold streamers, glitter and the hard-partying anthem, In da Club. A fiery encore ensued with Back Down and Patiently Waiting — a song that alludes to his early career struggles following a drive-by shooting that saw Jackson shot nine times.

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com

Twitter: @evawasney