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Wednesday, April 30, 2003

By Sarah Lolley

It was clear whom everyone was there to see Monday night at Mellon Arena, but they still came early for the party. The parking lot was packed at 7 p.m. and stayed that way past midnight for the first large hip-hop concert of the season.

	Official site www.50cent.com

Superstar gangster rapper 50 Cent performed the first of his two concerts scheduled here over the next few months. The newly minted star was accompanied by Ludacris and his crew, Disturbing Tha Peace.

The night began with Clipse, the first Neptunes Star Trak act, and a local dose of Strict Flow. The Neptunes knew what they were doing when they produced the beats and hooks for Clipse, a brother duo from Virginia. The pair performed tracks off last year's "Lord Willin'" album that mixed old-school drum beats with harmonious pop/jazz influences.

Ludacris probably didn't realize he had so many local fans, but it seemed everyone knew the words to "What's Your Fantasy," the song that got Def Jam South to notice him.

The cling-clang of bullet casings broke up the party for 50's entrance. Exploiting his life as a well-shot-at gangster from Queens, 50 Cent and about 10 of his friends, the G-Unit, bounded on stage with bulletproof vests. The 26-year-old rapper is the biggest thug on Earth right now, and he knows it. And whether the world likes it or not, the image sells. However, unlike most gangster rappers, 50 goes beyond thug life with a passionate depiction of what it feels like to be him. He climbed to the top of side speakers to sing "Have mercy on me/Death has got to be easy because life is so hard" before hitting the crowd with "In Da Club," his permanent party anthem.

His vocal delivery was breathy from bouncing back and forth on stage and running down the front stage aisle, but he executed his lyrics like nobody's business. Although he was Eminem and Dr. Dre's discovery and project, he has grasped his place with the fans, who will get to see him again this summer at the Post-Gazette Pavilion.

Throughout the evening, announcements were made for the official after-parties for 50 Cent and his crew. Clearly, the party merely started with the music.

Sarah Lolley is a freelance writer.