Maybe the show was so bad because better artists weren’t available to appear at the Tweeter Center yesterday. But hype and screams aside, Summer Jam 2008 was a sad indication of what commercial hip-hop and r & b have become.
For about six hours, the sold-out Tweeter Center was a place where credibility was measured in the size of bank accounts and chains, not
actual skills. Mediocre artists were treated like royalty, the smell of weed wafted through the air and even 15-minute sets felt too long.
Praise JAM’N 94.5 for keeping things ahead of schedule, but logistics can accomplish only so much when the lineup is lacking.
Ryan Leslie wasted the crowd’s time with a lip-synced performance of one song - “Diamond Girl” - while Mario appeared to think he was still on “Dancing With the Stars” during an awkward performance that included “Just a Friend 2002.”
Florida rapper 2 Pistols proved to be the ultimate hip-hop cliche, throwing cash into the crowd, rambling at length about coming from the streets and displaying barely there skills on the mike.
Plies, another rapper from Florida, sauntered around the stage with a cup of something and barely kept up with the backing track on “Shawty” and “Hypnotized.”
Ray J, “the man who made Kim Kardashian a superstar,” returned to Tweeter for some more fake melodrama and vulgarity.
Lloyd was the first artist to display recognizable talent and more than one hit, nearly saving the day with impressive vocals that were actually sung and slinky dance moves.
Surprise guests included Yung Berg, who emerged during a dull set from The Dream, and Jim Jones, who did a medley of songs including his massive hit “Ballin” and proved that his skills live are about as unimpressive as on record but the crowd loves him anyway.
Mammoth Miami rapper Rick Ross wore his giant golden likeness around his neck and claimed to be a boss, even though his booming voice worked undertime.
Lil Wayne, clearly the night’s star, appeared with his eyes droopy and mouth gleaming, backed by a bevy of dudes sporting “Tha Carter III” T-shirts. A mere smile elicited manic screams while Weezy displayed his strange magnetism.
The set could have done without Wayne’s ode to female genitalia, but it was an otherwise welcome break from a hardworking hype machine with little of substance to offer.
lauren-carter@hotmail.com
