Snoop Dogg at Bluesfest?! Aedan Helmer, of The Ottawa Sun, was on hand to capture Day 7 of Ottawa Bluesfest yesterday in which Snoop Dogg, A$AP Rocky, Lauryn Hill and other well-known hip-hop acts performed. It is considered by many to be the biggest day in Ottawa’s hip-hop history, in terms of the caliber of performers in the city at once.
It’s officially the Dogg days of Bluesfest as the summer extravaganza kick-started its second half with a healthy helping of hip-hop, with A$AP Rocky, Deltron 3030, Lauryn Hill and the Doggfather himself, Snoop Dogg taking the Main Stage Tuesday night.
As Lauryn Hill’s set ran extra-long — after opening her show with a 40-minute DJ rave-up — there was some mild fretting, but little in the way of fanfare to settle the fans who had already spilled over into Snoop’s Main Stage camp.
It was nearly 45 minutes into his scheduled 9:30 start before Snoop first appeared amidst a heady haze of smoke, his DJ puffing down his own Philly blunt onstage and encouraging the swelling horde of about 25,000 — one of the bigger Bluesfest crowds of the year — to do the same.
Not that they needed any encouragement as Snoop dropped the beat on I Wanna Rock.
With all the f-bombs, n-bombs, mf’s, b’s and hoes dropped throughout the evening, the language quickly became less offensive and more a part of the vernacular, just an easy and well-established excuse to rhyme.
Snoop had the crowd waving raised arms as he led the “Hey! Ho!” chorus, and when he wanted some “pimp music,” he went straight to the source with 50 Cent’s P.I.M.P.
“Anybody in the house smoke weed?” Snoop asked redundantly.
The answer, apparently, is everybody, as the crowd obliged his infectious breakout hit, Gin and Juice with some stimulants of their own.
All fans had to do was close their bloodshot eyes to envision themselves “Rollin’ down the street smokin indo, sippin’ on gin and juice.”
He hit up California Gurls, the Katy Perry tune to which Snoop lent his considerable street cred, making the popstar a whole lot cooler than she really should have been.
And by the rapidly approaching deadline, Snoop charmed all the “lovely single ladies” to whom he dedicated the deliciously dirty, and rather blunt I Wanna F— You, and the sexual energy of Sensula Seduction.
Clearly, Snoop doesn’t mince words, and “the King of California” pulls no punches when it comes to getting things his way.
Himself a former protege, busting out in L.A.’s early ’90s gangsta wave from under Dr. Dre’s immense shadow, Snoop could have forgiven the competing coasts to give due props to Harlem’s A$AP Rocky, one of the emerging bright lights on the hip-hop scene, who heated up the Main Stage.
Opening with Pretty Flacko, Rocky raged through his hour-long opening set with his two-man A$AP crew, reeling off rapid-fire ghetto rhymes and bass-heavy beats.
The second track, Bucket Noise, from his upcoming Live Love A$AP debut, came without any beats at all, just a throbbing bass drop, the rhythm provided solely by Rocky’s fresh flow.
“I came to party, I’m young,” said Rocky, streetwise beyond his 23 years. “I just want to welcome you to my world.”
With that, Rocky amped up the swagger with Wassup, and requested all-purple lights for Purple Swag, an ode to his favourite cold beverage, and judging by his approval of the purple cloud hanging over the sun-stroked party-folk, his favourite smoke as well.
“Purple drink, I still sip / Purple weed, blunt still lit.“
Get the picture?
An aggressive Brand New Guy followed, giving way to an equally belligerent Bass, with a trio of slick singles, Goldie, Trilla and Peso coming in quick succession.
As the Bluesfest returned in full force after turning the keys to the Cadillac over to Nickelback for an otherwise off-day — and surprise, the car came back without a scratch on it — it was clear this Dogg had his day.
A$AP Rocky (Photo: Sors-tu)
Source: Aedan Helmer, Ottawa Sun
