Not rain, not wind, not post rush hour traffic could keep AllHipHop from the hottest show of the year, Power 105.1’s
Powerhouse show at the Izod Center in dirty Jersey. The bill boasted underground heroes D-Block, R&B showman Ne-Yo, and two of the biggest names in the game co-headlining in Lil Wayne and Jay-z. With all the recent talk of Weezy no-shows, it would be interesting to see what the evening would bring.
First up was D-Block. Performing to a less-than-packed house at the time, due to the weather, they stormed the stage to their "D-Block Anthem." They went through a few of their classics including a half hearted attempt at "All About the Benjamins." It ain't the same without Puff or Kim, so that's a wrap on that one.
The issue with a team like D-Block is that they are really not built for a stadium. Their performance was haphazard and visibly unrehearsed and as veterans of 10 years in the game and former pupils of Diddy, they should know better than that. Too many people on stage with nothing to do went out with WuTang. They never really had control of the mic situation as two of their lil homies had low mics and they never passed off the working ones. In what would be a recurring theme for the night, they shouted out Barack Obama
They did drop a new joint that sampled "Nautilus" (Daytona 500, Brothers on My Jock), and the highlights included Styles' "Blow Your Mind," and Jada's "Knock Yourself Out." Cool if you love the 90s but meh overall.
Next up to bat was everyone's favorite Michael Jackson impersonator, Ne-yo. I say that in jest, because Ne-yo is not shy about homage and he's a superior showman in this landscape so if he wants to be MJ lite then more power to him. Mike borrowed from Jackie Wilson and the Godfather so lineage is apparent.
He bills himself as the new "King of R&B" and there's really nothing right now to dispute that. He's got 4 dancers that seriously earned their paychecks (hot, lithe and synchopated) and a band that was on point all night. His voice was strong and near album quality, you really couldn't spot a weakness in his show.
He opened with "All Because Of You" and continued the vibe with "Sexy Love." Then you realize that slowly, he's building a solid catalogue. He performs a song "Nothing," which is a tribute to Mike so you have to give him the thumbs up.
As the only R&B cat on the bill you would think that he was there simply for the ladies, but he brought out a few of surprises for the fellas. First up he brought Jada back to perform their new joint "By My Side." This is a certified banger. Next up to bat was Plies for the smash chicken head anthem "Bus It Baby." All the high-pitched singing let you know it was on and poppin. Last but not least, F-A-B-O fresh from demolishing the Cypher, came out to body "You Make Me Better."
In all, a crisp performance that was well-rehearsed, well-executed and full of hits, surprises, and routines.
After a prolonged stall, Wayne actually showed up for this one. No hoax, no joke, live and in living color. Wayne's status as heavyweight is clear as he gets a standing ovation when he takes the stage, with rock band in tow, looking to cement that status further.
With no dancers and no posse, he opens up
with Mr Carter. The girls know it word for word. We wait for the Jigga verse that never came, and the crowd was poised to explode but that moment never came. Blown moment, but a solid opening.
His performance is very subdued to this point, at points rhyming with his own vocals in the background, which was a bit awkward.
