
LIL WAYNE
STRATFORD REX
MOVE THE CROWD
The atmosphere at east London’s Stratford Rex – venue for the most prolific living rapper’s third and final show on this his first UK mini-tour – was charged from the start. A heavy police presence, complete with very barky sniffer dogs and several hundred people squashed behind a rather oppressive cage, was only a hint of things to come.
But, notwithstanding a heavy-handed testicle checker, the dramatics seemed to end inside. And after a gruelling sequence of UK warm-up acts complete with now customary boos (not the complimentary garage kind), the first real star, grime sensation and street favourite Chipmunk, finally warmed the crowd.
But the love shown for Mr Fire Alie was dwarfed by the roar that came every time the deejay even mentioned the word ‘Weezy’. And when he finally arrived, in super-galactic leather jacket and pitch black shades and dreads, even the most thuggish ruggish of the mob bore ear to ear smiles and bounced to their feet. Cue perfect renditions of features like ‘Duffle Bag Boy’ and ‘Drought 3’ highlight ‘Ride For My Niggas’, which the crowd, reassuringly, knew word for word.
HUSH THE CROWD
The up-to-this-point epic performance took an unnerving turn as over-enthusiastic boys and girls started somehow to flood the back of the stage. Security wasn’t up to it and at least four brawls broke out behind Wayne until a flying champagne flute found its target and enraged the rapper so much that he threw in the towel and left under a barrage of glass projectiles – though not before inciting fans to stomp the shit out of whoever threw the object and kill the one that started the fights.
Weezy re-entered ten minutes later, but with the lights still on and the live atmosphere fragmented, it was only a matter of time before more violence prompted his final exit. Fans were simply left embarrassed and frustrated at the missed opportunity.
REAL LIVE RAPS
Highlights were every damn track he managed to perform: from the better-than-on-wax rendition of debut single ‘Tha Block Is Hot’ to ‘I Feel Like Dying’ and his ten second Soulja Boy dance. David Sadeghi