Written by: Rob Seaman

Edited by: Rosemary A.W. Roberts

Wiz Khalifa, A$AP Rocky, B.o.B, Trinidad James, Joey Bada$$, and more

Once arriving to the venue, on stage was Nicholas Williams, better known as Trinidad James. He comes out rockin’ the afro with a stage presence you would expect from a headliner. His hit “All Gold Everything” peaked at number 6 on the Billboard US Rap charts, and on this night it was presented with a rock and roll feel and sound that worked very well. I personally hope James is around for a long time, he is energetic and entertaining.
 

Next up is B.o.B. This rapper might be the most underrated performer on this tour as he has been nominated and won major awards for his work. He played to the crowd well, coming off stage to “smoke” once and running out into the lawn area for a few minutes, the fans loved every second. He even signed and gave away a pair of shoes to a girl in the front row. After a few break dance moves and a great overall performance he gave way to the next act.

Harlem native A$AP Rocky and his full band came on stage to thrill us next. Known in some circles as Lord Flacko, he makes it clear that all he wants to do this night is entertain us, smoke, and take somebody’s girlfriend home. Rapper Joey Bada$$ joined him on stage for a performance of “Wild for the Night” that ignited the crowd just before he broke into “F%#@in Problems”. The end of his set displayed a humble A$AP, saying “it don’t matter if you’re black, white, red, or yellow, we’re all fans and we’re all purple people.”

The headliner is Wiz Khalifa. Cameron Jibril Thomaz was born in North Dakota and hails from Pittsburgh. He is a commercial rapper, and begins his act with a Converse shoe ad on the big screen. His proclamation is “if it ain’t money, don’t know what the topic is”. The light show is amazing and at times he resembles a rock god rather than a rapper. His love of marijuana is no secret and the crowd seems to love that about him. He starts the show with his hit “Work Hard, Play Hard”, summing up his dedication to spending all the cash he works so hard to earn. He slows it down for the next hit “Remember You” as he teases the ladies in the front row. Throughout the show he boasts his hits such as “Roll Up”, “On My Level”, and “Let It Go”. He ends his set with a very extended version of “Black and Yellow”, his biggest hit so far, and the fans stuck around until the very last note.

One might think that with the lasers & lights that they had walked into a dance party put on by one of the nation’s largest DJ acts. But, what was exhibited on this night was each performer’s ability to perform with the microphone in hand and with the right mix of beats. Everything came together to deliver above one’s expectations, and when the speakers went silent fans were enthusiastically sent home.