Live Review: Drake, 2 Chainz

Former teen soap actor and current hip hop superstar Drake has graced our shores for the first time to serve up delectable bites of hits spanning over his half decade-long career.

2 Chainz got the crowd warmed up, and from the get-go it was clear he was all about three things: booze, ballin’ and b...abes. He performed I Luv Dem Strippers before a giant projection of two pole dancers’ silhouettes, which really got the crowd going. For the most part, though, the set consisted of him staggering around on stage while churning out every second line of his verses, a blaring backing track doing most of the vocal work. However, when he was on, he was on. Riot had heads bopping, arms waving and hips shaking, while I’m Different saw the Georgian native go harder than he’d gone all night.

After a somewhat lengthy wait, the lights dimmed and people lost their minds. Aubrey Drake Graham, aka Drake/Drizzy/Wheelchair Jimmy appeared on stage and launched straight into Trophies. The arena seemed to literally be set ablaze as flames shot out from behind the superstar, prompting more applause. The crowd was already on its feet by song #2, Headlines seeing the entire room moving.

An extensive discography meant that songs were only half-recited before moving on to the next, but this format ensured that everybody’s dream set list was fulfilled. A brief interlude allowed Drizzy to take a breather backstage, the resident DJ taking folks on a journey through time, revisiting the man of the hour’s early hits like Forever and Fancy during the break.

Refreshed and ready to go, the Canadian rapper returned for a slowed-down reggae rendition of Find Your Love. The man was ethereal as he seemingly floated around the stage decked in white. He even dipped into the audience at times, allowing fans to grab any part of him they could reach. His monster hits Take Care and Hold On, We’re Going Home were next and had every single person singing along. The crowd was constantly feeling the love, with the rapper continuously giving little old Perth shout-outs throughout the night.

He picked things back up for the tail-end of the night, with HYFR and Energy getting the crowd moving again, before closing the show with his most famous ode to the grind, Started From The Bottom.

Let’s get one thing straight: Drake knows he isn’t the hardest of rappers. It’s not everyday you see a hip hop artist dedicate an entire block of their set to tender ballads, but that’s exactly what Drizzy did. His genre is unclear, teetering somewhere between pop and hip hop. But whatever category he’s in, he’s killing it.