Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa must be best friends outside of their rapping career. The way sang and rapped together, how natural their movements and dialogue between songs were, and how hilariously they tried to outsmoke one another (Snoop won easy) all showed a tandem of best friends that not only share in their desire to create amazing music but also to inspire the world and make it a little more chill, ahem, and loving place.
Enter Snoop Dogg, the long-dreaded and skinny middle-aged rapper coming out to the classic "The Next Episode" to the instant adornment and ear-splitting cheer of the half-baked crowd. For being 44 years old, Snoop doesn't miss a beat. He seems know the entire set so well he could do it asleep, but that doesn't stop him from bringing in youthful energy to have in each of his songs. Wiz probably helped that energy keep flowing, and when he came out to do "We Dem Boyz", his laughing, jumping and infectious attitude spread to the whole crowd, including Snoop. Together, the two gave an incredible performance from start to finish.
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I'm a fan of 90's rap, and Snoop did a really cool thing by shouting out the late Notorious BIG with his song "Hypnotize" which Snoop rapped along to. After playing Biggie, Snoop said "you all have to love this", referring to Tupac Shakur, and he started performing one of their classics "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted". Snoop had one of his DJ's pretend to rap to 2Pac's lyrics, and it was a really cool moment as Snoop lived and rapped out to one of his idols and good friends, the now deceased Tupac Shakur. Snoop's delivery was right on, and being close enough to the stage to see Snoop's emotions during this song was interesting and intimate; he was really rapping with Tupac, and the emotion showed. It was something amazing to witness live.
Keeping the show going, a now shirtless Snoop raised a glass to all the party-goers in the crowd and blessed us with his classic "Gin and Juice", which remains one of my favorite 90's song to this day. There was definitely a presence of older Snoop fans, and contrasting that with the mostly younger crowd of Wiz fans gave the whole concert a unique vibe to it, with the multi-generational influence that both of these artists bring coming to light.
Wiz was absolutely the star of the night, and Snoop let him shine in the spotlight. After some great Snoop throwbacks, Wiz went through his greatest hits and newer music, including my personal favorite "Pull Up" with Lil Uzi. The greatest treat was in between the songs. Wiz would stop the DJ and start rapping freestyle, and even Snoop was in the back very obviously impressed. Anybody who thought that Wiz has no rap talent needed to witness those freestyles. They would be blown away.
The real message to the show, other than "Wiz and Snoop Love Marijuana" (the name of the tour is 'The High Road'), would be to enjoy life, love the people around you, and stay true to who you are. With the tearjerker "See You Again" among the last of the show's songs, Wiz and Snoop definitely brought a more heartfelt vibe than one would think to get at a rap concert. Wiz even turned to Snoop, saying "I love you Snoop Dogg" and Snoop saying "I love you Wiz" before they hugged it out on stage after this song played. It was touching, and an even stronger indicator of how much their friendship has blossomed.
If I could have any other takeaways from this concert, here they are:
1. Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa are AMAZING live. It was such a treat watching them perform. I've been to other concerts where artists and rappers are not nearly as good live. Snoop and Wiz are even better in person. Their talent is off the charts.
2. Snoop and Wiz absolutely love performing with each other. Their energy and easygoing attitude the whole concert gave the audience a refreshing "turn up but don't freak out" vibe that no other artists can really bring out. Their artistry in both the music as well as the set on stage made this experience completely pleasant and extremely intoxicating; I was pulled into the music and zoned out of everything else. It was what every concert, and truly what every artist and artistic event, should aspire to.
3. Kevin Gates deserves a shoutout. He's a good artist rising, and he'll learn immeasurable tidbits about performing from Snoop and Wiz throughout this tour. He made a smart move picking them to open for, and vice versa.
All in all, the tandem of Wiz and Snoop is perfect. They're both immersed in similar lifestyles and rap extensively about the same subjects, and they're both great at drawing crowds of the same kind but different ages. More importantly, they're phenomenal artists who are both equally headliners anywhere else, but decided to co-op their music and perform together. The concert ended with the Snoop and Wiz classic "Young, Wild and Free" (here was my view for it), and it was the perfect ending. If you want to have an amazing concert-going experience, get yourself some Wiz-Snoop tickets.
