Summer Jam Wrap Up: Kanye Flashes T&A, Lil' Wayne Channels Jimi Hendrix, Alicia Keys Aint Nuthin' To F With

written by Thomas A. Harden

From SOHH.com

It was an evening that bridged the gap between hip-hop's past and present. From Alicia Keys and Wu-Tang Clan to Lil' Wayne and Public Enemy, Hot 97's annual Summer Jam concert, at Giant's Stadium, was a night that paid homage to the rap's seasoned veterans, while showcasing the talent of hip-hop's raising stars.

The night kicked off with R&B bad boy Ray J and chi-town rapper Yung Berg. The two young guns warmed up the Giant's stadium crowd, (in East Rutherford, NJ) with their smash hit "Sexy Can I." The duo was followed by Def Jam crooner, The-Dream, performing all his hits including "Shorty Is a 10," "Falsetto," and "I Love Your Girl."

Alicia Keys took the stage as the night's first big act. Wearing a white wife beater and tight fitting jeans, the piano woman performed her hits "Ghetto Stories" and "Teenage Love Affair," before she sang a rendition of Mary J. Blige's "Be Happy," which was a crowd favorite.

Unexpectedly, the siren brought out Brooklyn rapper Maino as he made his Summer Jam debut with his street anthem "Hi Haters." After the rookie exited, A. Keys pulled out another surprise. To the packed crowd's amazement, she called out Wu-Tang's Raekwon to the stage. Theey began performing Rae's classic hit "Incarcerated Scarfaces."

Method Man and Ghostface followed, joining Alicia and Rae for "C.R.E.A.M." Meth did what he does best as he amp'd the crowd with his classic cut "M.E.T.H.O.D. Man." After the Staten Island crew left the stage, Alicia finished with her smash hit "No One."

The New York party continued, when The Lox - Jadakiss, Sheek Louch and Styles P - entered the stage to perform their hits "The Benjamin's" and "Wild Out." Fat Joe, Fabolous and N.O.R.E. joined the crew, but it was LL Cool J who stole the show when he hit the stage rapping his infectious hit "Head Sprung."

The 305 followed New York with myriad of present day hits. Rick Ross, DJ Khaled and T-Pain got the crowd going with "I'm So Hood." A shirtless Mr. Mi-Ya-Yo, Rick Ross, showed the crowd why he's the "Boss" as he performed his hit single. Akon, Khaled and Joey Crack then joined him for "We Taking Over." T-Pain ended Miami's stage reign with his club banger "In Love With A Stripper."

Hot 97's Angie Martinez introduced the self-proclaimed best rapper alive, Lil'Wayne, to a standing ovation. Weezy entered with his smash hit "A Milli," before going into a string of his hits. He got the ladies going with his sexual set, performing his freestyle "p*ssy Monster," "So Soft" - which he accompanied with guitar, and the sensual "Lollipop." The crowd went into a roar when Wayne brought out the Louis Vuitton Don, Kanye West, for the remix.

Wayne then ended his set with Whitney Houston's classic track "I Will Always Love You." Weezy was not backed by the Gym Class Heroes band as scheduled, but did have his latest signee, Tyga, onstage with him.

Kanye then returned to the stage for the main event of the evening. With "Diamonds From Sierra Leone," playing in the background, Ye greeted the crowd with a string of fireworks. The audience reciprocated by lighting up the stadium with their cell phones.

West, adorned in a black patent leather bubble vest, black hoody and shades, then went into "Jesus Walks," "Champion" and "Homecoming." Ye brought out Consequence for "Good Morning America" and Young Jeezy for "Put On."

Despite his smash hits, the summer jam crowd didn't seem to moved by Mr. West's performance. But when Ye brought out the seductive Rita G for "Flashing Lights" the Giant stadium crowd stood on their feet as the video vixen trucked across stage in her laced thong ensemble.

Kanye ended his set with "Good Life" with T-Pain. Thanking the crowd, Kanye humbly stated "I'm bombing at summer jam but I took it on the chin," before he went into a freestyle that caused the audience to light up with applause.

Old School NY rap legends, Public Enemy hit the stage for a message of hope and consciousness. Performing "Fight the Power" and other classic hits, Chuck D and Flavor Flav kept the crowd moving and paid respects to the slain husband and father Sean Bell.

For the finale, Harlem representative and Dipset Capo Jim Jones closed the show, performing his smash hit "We Fly High (Ballin')" and "Byrd Gang Money." The local favorite also paid homage to Byrd Gang's fallen soldier, Stack Bundles, on "Emotionless" as Giant Stadium was lit up with cell phones.