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TORONTO -- For our cave-dwelling readers: Please be advised that hardcore gangsta rapper 50 Cent was in town for an uber-hyped show at the Ricoh Coliseum last night.
Despite Liberal MP Dan McTeague’s much-publicized efforts to have the former crack dealer banned from entering Canada, 50 Cent, a.k.a. “Fiddy,” successfully made it to the Toronto stage — but much of his G-Unit crew were notably absent.
“They didn’t want us in Canada — we’ve been on tour everywhere else, worldwide, but they didn’t want us here,” 50 Cent lamented.
“I would have brought Mobb Deep, M.O.P. and Tony Yayo but they wouldn’t let them come. Yayo’s on parole and can travel, too. They didn’t even let me bring Olivia — what the f--k did they think Olivia was gonna do?”
Apparently he was allowed to bring Lloyd Banks, who was first to hit the stage to introduce Fiddy to the crowd — but only after a screening of the trailer for his semi-autobiographical Hollywood flick Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ and a subsequent video montage that included press footage, music video clips, celebrity accolades and flashes of various magazine covers — all 50 Cent related, of course.
The self-absorbed show starter effectively set the tone for the rest of the concert, which certainly didn’t lack any of the token gangsta rap ego or mock gunshots, which hung over the set like a big-top circus tent.
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Through the course of the evening, concert-goers were barraged with a whack of thinly veiled sales pitches, with all lines leading to Fiddy, whose real name is Curtis Jackson. In case we forgot, we were reminded of his empire, one that includes a multi-million-dollar deal with Reebok (G-Unit sneakers), bottled vitamin water, a video game (50 Cent: Bulletproof), a G-Unit clothing line, upcoming G-Unit CD releases and, of course, the signature feuds with other rappers.
“If y’all like the album The Documentary, make some noise,” 50 Cent prompted, referring to the album by The Game, a former G-Unit member, rumoured to have been booted out of the crew by its leader for alleged disloyalty. The crowd cheered, to which the MC replied: “Thank you. I wrote it.”
He later said he also wrote Lil’ Kim’s Magic Stick and then criticized her for getting breast implants and other plastic surgery (which evidently wasn’t an issue moments later when the crowd was treated to video flashes of naked, breast-implanted women being doused in champagne by the rapper).
Highlights of the show included an appearance by fellow G-Unit member Mase (decked out in a rather dashing fur coat) and show opener and Toronto’s own Kardinal Offishall, who got props from 50 Cent for his slick dance moves.
Much of the set included tracks off 2005’s The Massacre, including Disco Inferno, Candy Shop and Piggy Bank and a few from the rapper’s most recent album, the Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ soundtrack, including the chart-active Window Shopper. Past hits In Da Club, P.I.M.P. and Wanksta were also touched on, although the latter was cut short after a ratty hair piece was thrown at the rapper.
“Which one of you b--ches lost your hair?” he shouted, after stopping the song. “I’ve seen a lot of s--t, but damn! I’m gonna keep this s--t, so now I got a ponytail to remember tonight.”
It wasn’t the first of the gifts offered to the Grammy-nominated MC over the course of the night. He also received thong underwear and a bra — both of which he stuffed in his pocket.
Even though 50 Cent rarely finished a song (the frustrating stop-go set was mostly made up of song snippets), the young crowd of approximately 5,000 never tired of the rapper’s antics or the numerous simulated gun shots.
Hands in the air, shouting every word along with him, they seemed to be having just as much fun as the hustler himself.
“I’m having so much fun,” 50 Cent mused. “I can’t believe they pay me to do this s--t.”