This led to the XOYO show being upgraded to The Forum, with its capacity being ten times of the previous venue; all this hullabaloo took place before and over the time that the anthem 'Black and Yellow' was released in the UK, which shot Khalifa into the commercial limelight here.
So by the time the gig rolled around on 18th May there was a huge mish-mash of established, long-serving fans, as well as more recent additions to Khalifas fan base from recent months.
The legendary UK hip hop veteran, DJ Semtex, took to the stage after the in-house DJ, who appeared to be playing in place of a scheduled appearance from Wretch 32.
Semtex effortlessly played some new and old hip hop tunes to the crowd that were literally craning over the barriers ready for Khalifa, ranging from old school classics from Jay-Z to newer hits from the likes of OFWGKTA.
Scheduled for a 9pm start the rapper took to the stage about half an hour late, which left us photographers feeling a bit antsy but only served in riling up the relatively young crowd who had pushed their way right to the front of the venue. Wiz Khalifa took to the stage in blaze of strongly coloured lights with another member of his Taylor gang crew, Chevy Woods, and launched into his set. Khalifa doesn't mess about onstage and definitely has the presence and swag that successful hip hop artists carry with them so effortlessly.
His cheeky persona comes through with his quirky dance moves and an infectious smile that covers his whole face. He stopped occasionally to rev the audience up dropping lines such as, "If you're having a good time, say yeh bitch", much to the crowds delight.
Woods was a great back up artist and hype man for Khalifa, leaving him to do his thing and take the limelight whilst making his own mark on the tracks that he was involved in more.
A notable issue at the show was the amount of casualties or people who were a little bit worse for wear and being led out by friends. Khalifa makes no secret that he enjoys a naughty smoke just as much as Snoop Dogg does, and let's just say I have never been to a gig with such a strong aromatic aroma in the air!
There was some very impressing lighting used onstage and many of the backdrops were centred around marijuana leaves or smoke in some way. Khalifa also declared at many points during the gig, "Put your doobies up in the air!"
It was all harmless fun though and there was a really energetic and good vibe about the show. It was a strong performance with Khalifa and Woods bouncing off each other well, communicating with the crowd when needed and throwing themselves into their performances.
I have experienced sound problems at the venue in the past but the acoustics and sound were spot on for this event, which made it even more impressive.
Khalifa took off his top halfway through the performance to reveal his completely inked up chest and a frame so skinny that I felt the need to take him out for a meal if I could, but the younger girls loved it and screamed up at him.
Khalifa declared, "If you know this shit, sing this shit" and by the time 'Black and Yellow' came on the whole place was up and bouncing and singing along to the well-known lyrics.
All in all, it was a great night out and Khalifa didn't hold back in giving his all to the fans he was performing to. Some of the more veteran fans would have been disappointed that he didn't play some of his less commercial tunes but as hip hop shows go, Khalifa ticked all the boxes!
Set List
Phone Numbers
Cabin Fever
Gang Bang
Car Service
That Good
The Thrill
In The Cut
Still Blazin
Never Been
Mesmorized
Taylor Gang
When I'm Gone
The Race
-Singing Interlude-
Next Episode Dr Dre
XXplosive Dr Dre
Wake Up
Fly Solo
Racks Freestyle
No Sleep
On My Level
Roll Up
Black and Yellow
This Plane
article by: Fiona Madden
photos by: Fiona Madden
published: 19/05/2011 17:24
FUTURE GIGS
sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.