Lil’ Wayne, Nicki Minaj Bring Down The BankAtlantic Center
April 5, 2011
BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, FL
Written by Kate Dingle
Last night, it seemed as though all of the stars in the hip-hop universe had aligned themselves as thousands descended on Sunrise to witness one of the hottest acts in music today. Lil’ Wayne brought his “I Am Still Music” tour to the BankAtlantic Center to continue building his case as to why he’s the “best rapper alive”.
And it wasn’t long after the house lights went down that every soul in the near packed house began to feel the same way.
Never one to shy away from his own troubles, Wayne’s three-tiered set resembled a cell house for his massive opener “I’m Goin’ In”. Although throughout his performance, the set seemed to take on a Hollywood Squares kind of feel with members of his band and dancers replacing celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg and Caroline Rhea.
It didn’t take long before the entire arena was on their feet dancing and rapping along with the “skinny pants and some Vans”-clad musician. And when it came time for Lil’ Wayne to finally greet the South Florida crowd (three songs in, which probably seemed like an eternity), he removed his signature shades and proclaimed that, “I ain’t s**t without y’all, ya dig?”.
As the tattooed slayer of words slung his way through more than 20 of his biggest and best tracks, the supporting guests were what everyone should have expected, and maybe one that wasn’t.
Towards the end of Wayne’s set, Drake emerged from the back to join his mentor for “Miss Me” and “Forever”. Other artists from the Cash Money family that made appearances were Lil’ Twist, Jae Millz, Mack Maine, Shanell, and label co-founder Birdman; Weezy seemed more than happy to step back and let each of them share in the moment. Fans didn’t seem to mind either.
Highlights from Lil’ Wayne’s set included: “Right Above It”, “A Milli”, “Wasted”, “Steady Mobbin’”, “Every Girl”, “I’m Me”, “Lollipop”, “Welcome To My Hood”, and “6’7”.
Halfway through Lil’ Wayne’s set, the man of the hour disappeared to allow Nicki Minaj her well-deserved time in the spotlight. Flanked by dancers in hot pink wigs, the queen of Young Money proved that she doesn’t need the boys to stand on her own. Although Minaj hasn’t been in the public eye very long, she had the skills and persona of a well-seasoned veteran. The honesty in her lyrics seemed to hit home for each and every young girl watching as they sang along to every word. In that moment, Nicki Minaj may have been bigger than even Lil’ Wayne himself.
Nicki Minaj set highlights included: “Romans Revenge”, “Save Me”, “Moment 4 Life”, “Super Bass”, and “Did It On’em’”.
Before Lil’ Wayne and Nicki Minaj took the stage, Porcelain, Travis Barker, and Rick Ross kicked things off and got the crowd hyped up for the biggest stars of the night.
Last night, fans from all walks of life witnessed greatness. Right now, Lil’ Wayne is one of the hottest rappers on the planet and only stands to get bigger. He once proclaimed that he will be the greatest rapper to ever live and even though he’s not quite there, he will eventually. And when he does, he’ll know he’s “at the top and only heaven’s right above it”.
Photos By Christina Mendenhall
My favorite celeb is Nicki Minaj.