Lil Wayne If I Die (Ft. Rick Ross)

Lil Wayne invaded the United Center with a throng of guest stars as he brought his I Am Still Music Tour to Chicago last Friday night, returning to the limelight after being released from Riker's Island in November following an 8-month prison sentence stemming from a gun possesion charge.

Starting off the night was former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker alongside Mix Master Mike of Beastie Boy fame. From inside a giant boom box, Mike spun records as Barker furiously blasted away at his drum kit.

Next was Rick Ross, who may have actually been the highlight of the evening. His short, stripped down set featured just him and his DJ, and although there was a huge backdrop displaying a giant visage of Ross along with fireworks, it was really his raw rap talent on display.

By the time Lil Wayne took the stage, the gigantic stadium had filled with smoke and a very distinct odor. A three-story wall of lights displayed graphics, even scenes from Gladiator, as Weezy strutted across the stage dropping rhymes as a full live band drilled through hits that spanned his 16-year career. Featuring snippets from his variety of mix-tapes alongside Grammy nominated, blockbuster hits, Weezy displayed the versatility that's landed him a headlining spot at this year's Bonnaroo music festival.

Although he sported a White Sox hat, Wayne got some push back from the crowd who booed him as he played homage to the Green Bay Packers, presenting "Green and Yellow" (a remix of Wiz Khalifa's "Black and Yellow," originally written for the Steelers). Afterwards, he apologized, "I forgot, these are Chicago Bears!"

Nicki Minaj took over midway through Wayne's set, presenting 10 songs that had the massive crowd screaming along. During the set, she did little to disspell comparisons to Lil' Kim. Although her barbie doll visage may be more marketable, it does little to challenge Kim's rap world credibility. Although energetic, Minaj's schtick already feels tired, as she lacks the talent of even Rhianna.

Presenting guests such as Yelawolf and Chicago's own Cool Kids, even The Birdman, (rap's fourth richest mogul behind Diddy, Jay-Z & Dre) made an appearance on "Fire Flame."

Rap shows can generally be hit or miss. With artists that show up late, or not at all, more often than not you end up with a failed attempt at inauthentic hype. Although the 40-plus song set that lasted several hours might have felt a little clunky, it rose well above those amateur issues, but didn't match the grandeur of other arena-sized hip-hop acts like Jay-Z or Kanye West. I mean, how many Lil Wayne songs can you name? And remember, one of them is "Lollipop."

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