Music Review | Screamfest: Impromptu Summit Of Kings In New York

Yung Joc had an announcement to make: Yall know I got T-Pain backstage. Yall know I got Ciara backstage. Yall know I got my big homey — both of em, T. I. and T. I. P. The occasion was the New York stop on this years Screamfest Tour. The place was Madison Square Garden. And no doubt Yung Joc figured that if he couldnt be the headliner, he might as well act like the host. (What does he mean, I?)

Those, anyway, were the big names on Wednesdays bill. But this is New York, and at a show like this, surprise guests are pretty much mandatory. Yung Joc brought out Diddy. Ciara brought out 50 Cent. And T. I. brought out Jay-Z, who brought out Kanye West. Then Diddy and 50 Cent reappeared, and soon the crowd was gaping at the surreal and thrilling scene: T. I., Jay-Z, Mr. West, Diddy and 50 Cent, all sharing the stage. Somehow, a traveling teeny-bopper tour had produced one of the years definitive hip-hop moments.

This was an unlikely summit. 50 Cent and Mr. West both have new albums scheduled to be released on Sept. 11, and the looming sales showdown keeps threatening to evolve into an outright feud; Jay-Z, Mr. Wests mentor and label boss, has long had a chilly relationship with 50 Cent. And it seemed as if T. I. was trying hard to be polite to 50 Cent when he bounded onto the stage, uninvited. (Apparently T. I.s confrontational alter ego, T. I. P., had remained in the wings.) As these oversize personalities worked the crowd, Diddy acted as a buffer, often putting himself between 50 Cent and the others.

Even so, there were hints of tension. While Mr. West performed the recent single Cant Tell Me Nothing, 50 Cent reached into his pocket and pulled out a fat wad of cash as Mr. West rapped, Wait till I get my money right. Later 50 Cent made a statement using sign language: he flashed the sign for Roc-A-Fella Records (the label that Jay-Z runs and that Mr. West is signed to), then dragged his fingers across his neck, shook his head and thumped his chest.

Before he left the stage, 50 Cent made a typically provocative announcement: I run New York! And T. I. (who had moments earlier declared Jay-Z the King of New York) feigned nonchalance, responding, Yo, 50, Im glad you up here, cause you can share my enthusiasm. This pitch-perfect rejoinder was the verbal equivalent of a pat on the head, and 50 Cent finally left the stage as the beat for T. I.s biggest hit, What You Know, rattled the rafters.

You probably know someone like 50 Cent: the smiling guy at the party who will do anything for the spotlight and becomes notably hostile when it shines on someone else. You have probably enjoyed this guys antics and have probably cringed when he picked the wrong time to make a scene. But shamelessness isnt often an obstacle on the path to success. Sometimes this guy wears out his welcome, but sometimes he ends up getting what he so transparently craves.

Before the cavalcade of guests arrived, the concert had been surprisingly dull. There were workmanlike, crowd-pleasing sets from the pop-rapper Yung Berg, the oily crooner Lloyd (who moved a lot better than he sounded) and the gregarious Yung Joc, all of whom increased the screams by removing their shirts. And T-Pain filled his set with snippets of his biggest hits and collaborations; he also bucked a trend (and, perhaps, dodged a bullet) by keeping his shirt on.

Ciara was T. I.s co-headliner, but she seemed a bit out of place, and not just because she was the only female performer in a room packed with female fans nursing pop-star crushes. During Like a Boy, a song that spawned a memorable cross-dressing video, she mimicked the swagger of her male counterparts, flexing her impressive biceps. And she showed off her pole-dancing skills during Promise, an ethereal slow jam that pairs liquid synthesizers with a dry-ice beat.

It was clear from the start that this was a partisan crowd. Nearly everyone, it seemed, had come to see T. I., the adroit Atlantan who has become one of hip-hops biggest stars. His recent album, T. I. vs. T.I.P. (Atlantic), isnt his best, and it soon became clear that these fans couldnt rap along word for word with the new songs. But even when his stylish stanzas were swallowed up by the arena, or drowned out by his hypemen, T. I.s famous swagger came through loud and clear.

T. I. said he was happy to be following in the shoes of former Screamfest headliners like Bow Wow (the former child rapper) and Omarion (the former boy-bander). This is a big move for me, he said, and its true. Hip-hop is in an unusually cheerful, youthful phase, and so teen-friendly franchises like Screamfest and BETs 106 & Park (whose hosts made a brief appearance) seem more central than ever. Nowadays no rapper with an eye on the pop chart — not even Mr. West or 50 Cent — can afford to ignore this crowd.

Screamfest is in Baltimore tonight. More tour dates can be found at screamstar.com.

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