S. Samuel
Grammy-winning rapper Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Lil' Kim, Nicki Minaj, French Montana and many more helped jam a packed Hot 97 Summer Jam XX concert last night (June 2) in New Jersey.
The event’s 20th anniversary lived up to its hype with non-stop performances from today’s biggest artists.
Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey and Lil Kim were among the guest stars of Sunday’s Summer Jam XX at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Kendrick Lamar, 2 Chainz, A$AP Rocky and French Montana performed sets that electrified the excited crowd. Wu-Tang Clan hit the stage and were solid, though the energy of the audience — filled with a good number of twentysomethings — dwindled throughout the set. (Billboard)
Although dominated by hip-hop acts, R&B singers Chris Brown and Miguel held things down for their genre Sunday night.
Similarly, the lone R&B artists — Chris Brown and Miguel — were able to hold their own amongst female fans, but when Miguel brought out Mariah Carey for a duet of their new single “Beautiful,” the crowd responded with excitement at the sight of the Daisy Duke-clad songstress. Brown brought out rapper Sean Kingston, who has been out of the limelight since a serious jet skiing accident and heart surgery derailed him in 2011, for a duet of their new song “Beat It.” (NY Daily News)
Outside of throwbacks like Lil’ Kim taking the stage, diehard hip-hop heads were treated to a live performance from the Wu-Tang Clan.
Wu-Tang Clan, who also celebrated 20 years in music Sunday, showed no signs of slowing down with a set that felt both fresh and nostalgic. Too bad the crowd didn’t think so. The young audience grew excited during small parts of the rap group’s set, and Ghostface Killah, Method Man, RZA, Raekwon and the other members seemed to notice. “All we ask is that the energy we give to you, give it back to us,” Method Man told the crowd. “I think New York forgot about us a little, man,” RZA said later. Despite some of the crowd’s disinterest in the veteran group, they blazed the stage, performing jams like “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta (Expletive) Wit,” “Da Mystery of Chessboxin'” and “C.R.E.A.M.” (Huffington Post)
Rap heavyweights Rick Ross and Lil Wayne helped French Montana bring the memorable night to a close.
No offense to French Montana, but Summer Jam XX would have been disappointing if the rapper closed the five-hour concert alone. Thankfully, he brought out Rick Ross — and then to the largest roar the audience gave Sunday night — there came Lil Wayne. They performed the addictive hit, “Pop That,” as the crowd sang along and jumped up and down. (Washington Post)
