Drake’s concert at House of Blues last night (5.27.10) was one of two things: either LeBron James showing his love and involvement in Cleveland, hinting he’s going to remain a Cavalier, OR, it was his going away party. I guess we will find out in July. Minutes before Drake’s set began, King James and his entourage, including ass clown extraordinaire Maverick Carter made their way to a VIP balcony box.
After performing his first number, Drake acknowledged the NBA’s reigning MVP presence, saying, “Thank you man for being there for me. I’ll do anything for you.” James and Drake share a common bond of having more money than they know what to do with before nearing 30 years of age.
The sold-out crowd packed in shoulder-to -houlder to check out the hot breakout rapper of the year. Drake is popular beyond belief, without yet releasing his first LP, which is due out next month and will be titled ‘Thank Me Later.’ The record will feature production from the likes of No I.D., Boi-1da, Noah “40” Shebib, Timbaland, Swizz Beatz and Francis & the Lights frontman Francis Farewell Starlite. The album’s first single, “Over” peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s Rap chart, No. 4 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and No. 14 on the Hot 100. Its second single, “Find Your Love” was recently released.
His performance relied heavily on tunes from his mixtape, ‘So Far Gone.’ Highlights off the mixtape included “Best I Ever Had,” “I’m Goin’ In,” and the title track. As a ripe 23-year-old, Drake has the stage presence of a seasoned veteran, not even hinting at his young age. Most impressively, the Toronto native flawlessly switched gears from articulately rapping to showing off his vocal cords with his top-notch singing abilities.
LeBron James, no stranger to being onstage at rap concerts, having danced through Jay-Z’s entire set at Quicken Loans Arena in a show attempting to get out the vote for Barack Obama, and making a cameo at Lil Wayne’s show at Blossom Music Center, he once again decided to jump in the spotlight, dancing around with Drake for half of his set. Both millionaires had the ladies in the crowd swooning, many of whom ditched their breast support as the stage became littered with bras.
The king of basketball and perhaps the future king of hip-hop put on a helluva show that no one in attendance will soon forget. Clevelanders’ hope is simply that the first stays here for good, and the latter returns to the area soon.
