Rapper T.I. has had a few things to take care of before beginning a yearlong prison sentence next month. One of them was a concert stop in St. Louis on Thursday.
The Atlanta rapper performed in front of 5,500 fans at Chaifetz Arena in a show that was as much a money grab as a concert, albeit one with a great soundtrack.
Coming on the heels of Lil Wayne’s comparatively extravagant I Am Music tour last month, T.I. didn’t offer much innovation. But it was T.I. in his purest form.
The self-proclaimed King of the South has earned his title, and what the skinny rapper lacked in presentation he made up for in raw bravado.
Songs such as “You Don’t Know Me,” “Top Back,” “Bring ’Em Out” and “Swing Ya Rag” — during which the crowd swung around whatever was in their hands — were undeniable bangers.
He also offered a bit of “Swagger Like Us,” his all-star jam recorded with Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and Kanye West, and “Dead and Gone,” recorded with Justin Timberlake.
He referenced the Rihanna-Chris Brown alleged-beating story before performing “Live Your Life,” his duet with Rihanna. He said his “homegirl was going through some (crap)” and that his homeboy was going through some as well.
T.I., going away on a felony weapons charge, thanked those who reserved comment on him until the facts were known and let fans know he’s keeping his head held high.
Ludacris, a hits-filled rapper who has yet to deliver his definitive CD, was his usual fun self on songs such as “One More Drink,” “Move” and “Southern Hospitality.”
Still, the good-time rapper was in and out before you knew it and was upstaged by female guest Shawna, a rapper from his camp. She rapped so rapidly at one point it took two microphones to catch it all.
St. Louis favorite Murphy Lee of St. Lunatics, the evening’s surprise guest, delivered expected hits “Shake Ya Tailfeather,” “Wat Da Hook Gon Be” and “My Shoes” amid muffled sound, which he attributed to sabotage after pointing out that the sound wasn’t muffled during prior acts’ sets.
Then he addressed those who believe that Nelly has held back Lee’s career.
“The only one holding me back is me,” he said.
Jim Jones left with the night’s most disappointing set. Was the “We Fly High” rapper just making it up as he went along?
Teen rapper Shorty Da Kid showed up for “Ratchet,” “Fire” and more. He’s a DJ on KATZ-FM (100.3 the Beat), which celebrated its 10th anniversary at the concert.
Other St. Louis acts on the bill were UnLadyLike, a hard-spitting female rap duo from East St. Louis new to Def Jam Records; “Dunk Dat” rapper Yung Ro, who brought along singer Tydis; and “Check My Swag” rapper Vic Damone, who featured Bradd Young.
Marching Musical Storm, the marching band of Lincoln University in Jefferson City, played on the concourse prior to the show and opened the concert.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/reviews.nsf/concert/story/FD2297BFD26F44AD8625756300602762?OpenDocumentLabels: news, t.i.
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