Lil Wayne
Aug. 16
Scotiabank Place
Some call him Weezy. Others refer to him as Lil Tunechi. To some, he’s Weezy F. Baby. To very few, he’s Dwayne Michael Carter III. Most, however, refer to him as Lil Wayne.
The multi-platinum, Grammy-winning rapper who has more nicknames than dreadlocks on his head brought his unique brand of hip-hop and even more unique cool-yet-goofy personality to Scotiabank Place Aug. 16.
Wayne opened up the show by coming out from under the massive stage, which included huge screens, and several platforms for himself, his DJ and his band members to stand on. Wayne, dressed like an angsty boy from a suburban high school with baggy black sweatpants tucked into his sock, a dark pink striped t-shirt and Wayfarer sunglasses, ripped into the first few words of “I’m Goin' In,” to a loud wall of screams from the mostly female teenaged audience.
Although Wayne, notorious for his work ethic, has an extensive discography of hundreds of songs and verses, the rapper stuck to performing songs from his rap album of the year-winning Carter III and a few songs from his latest record, the Carter IV. Although some may have been disappointed with the lack of songs from his previous works, the crowd didn’t seem to mind. They sang along, danced in the aisle, ignored the venue’s “no smoking” rule, and evidently had a blast.
Weezy proceeded to tear through dozens of songs while running back and forth the Scotiabank Place stage. Bringing out Young Money members Mack Maine and Shanell along the way, he performed a number of fan favourites including “Every Girl,” “Lollipop,” and “A Milli.”
While performing one of his most underrated tracks, “Mr. Carter,” Wayne walked over a bridge that descended from the ceiling of the venue and was lowered over the audience on the floor, prompting many to run out of their seats to get closer to Mr. Carter himself.
Wayne took breaks in between songs to do quick costume changes into other equally odd outfits, and to speak with his audience and crack several raunchy jokes.
While addressing the ladies in the audience, he said: “If you’re on your period, be quiet.”
The question was met with a loud chorus of screams.
“You’re welcome, fellas,” he responded.
Wayne wrapped up the loud and exciting performance with his encore “6 Foot 7 Foot,” bringing out Young Money up-and-comer Corey Gunz to rap his verse at the end of Carter IV’s lead single.
Although Weezy performed with undeniable charisma that kept the audience excited and involved throughout the set, his weak opening acts failed to do so.
R&B singer Lloyd kicked off the night with a lacklustre performance of unrecognizable tunes and Far East Movement managed to make the crowd jump out of their seats for their hit “Like A G6,” only to have all of them sit back down again almost immediately afterward.
Keri Hilson performed a surprisingly great set, with her pretty girl anthems and I-don’t-give-a-shit swagger, but the crowd, obviously excited for Lil Wayne, had a hard time giving her performance the attention it deserved, and a similar audience reaction for hip-hop star Rick Ross.
Despite the surplus of forgettable opening artists, Lil Wayne made the show memorable for anyone lucky enough to be at the nearly-sold-out show. At the end of the night, he repeated the same words he said to the crowd at the beginning of the show.
“There are three important things you need to know about me. The first, I believe in God. The second, I ain’t shit without you,” he said.
“And the third thing you need to know about me,” he concluded, “is I ain’t shit without you.”