The show was nearly over by the time headliner Wiz Khalifa hit the crowd with “Young, wild and free” as his Taylor Gang took over Chaifetz arena Thursday night for the “2050 Tour,” but the song could have easily been the theme of the evening.
The neophytes were up first and a line-up of rappers– mostly unknowns in the mainstream – took the stage to a packed house of adoring fans sing along as if they were household names.
Of the freshman class of the Taylor Gang, Chevy Woods appeared most promising. He’s been serving guests verses with Khalifa since burst onto the scene and seems primed to make a name for himself in his own right thanks to song like “Vice” and “Where I’m From.”
Rap veteran turned Taylor Gang OG Juicy J graced the stage and the audience went wild – even though very few of them were even born when Juicy debuted in the rap game as one of Three 6 Mafia twenty years ago.
He kept the crowd turned up – or as he would say “trippy” – as he served them snippets from the good old days like “Poppin’ My Collar” and “….Till I die” while offering moments shout outs to St. Louis for showing him love in the early days when he would come to town with fellow trap rapper Project Pat.
He proved his status as a veteran who has the capacity to appeal to all age groups as he worked the Chaifetz stage. And by the time he closed the show with his current club banger “Bandz a Make Her Dance,” Juicy had a stage full of women doing their best “drop it like it’s hot” interpretations and an amped audience singing along to every word.
Taylor Gang leader Khalifa was last on deck and exuded the energy and stage presence far beyond his experience in the rap game. A swagger all his own, Khalifa – backed with a full band – was a breath of fresh air among a generation of Memorex rappers who perform along with pre-recorded backing vocals and automated tracks.
He raps like a rock star – giving a Jimi Hendrix/Aerosmith air about his stage show that further illustrates his anarchy in the standard format among the industry.
There’s a fearlessness that sets him apart from the rest of raps current reign of rap hit makers.
A mediocre singer at best, Khalifa poured his soul into the hood of “Rise Above” as if he were one of the resident R&B crooners. And while “Young, Wild and Free” bears little resemblance to the direction of radio influenced rap music, but it is indicative of what has become Khalifa’s signature sound and has afforded him his own niche in the hip-hop industry.
His stage show began to labor considerably towards the end – but received its second wind with “On My Level” and continued through “Black and Yellow and his “Work Hard, Play Hard” encore.
Though were indeed highs and lows, The Taylor Gang’s 2050 tour – in particular through the efforts of a veteran and a rising star – illustrated the power of an under culture bucking the trends of homogenized hip-hop.
