10 Anniversary Concerts For Hip-Hop Record Labels We Need to Happen
Did you catch all the photos and videos from the So So Def 20th Anniversary Concert that took place in Atlanta last weekend? If not, do yourself a favor and go look at and watch them, because Jermaine Dupri really went all out for the event. From Jay-Z, Usher, and Mariah Carey to Kris Kross, Da Brat, and Lil Jon, JD brought out everyone from So So Def's past (and present!) to rock the crowd and celebrate one of the longest-running record labels in hip-hop history. It was really nice to see a huge rap concert making tons of headlines for all the right reasons for a change.
And, it also got us to thinking: Why don't more rap labels hold anniversary concerts like this one? We know that there have been a few of them in the past. But, it feels like more rap labels should be taking the same approach as So So Def when it comes time to celebrate a big anniversary. So, we put together a list of 10 Anniversary Concerts For Hip-Hop Record Labels That We'd Pay To See. Some of these wouldn't be able to take place for a few years, but that would give the label heads plenty of time to plan and give each concert the proper treatment. What do you say, guys? See you at these shows?
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The Label: Roc-A-Fella
When They Should Hold An Anniversary Concert: 2016 to celebrate the label's 20th anniversary
Who Should Perform: Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Amil, Young Gunz, and more…
Why We'd Pay To See It: 'Cause it's the Roc! Jay has moved on to greener pastures ever since selling his stake in Roc-A-Fella to Def Jam. But, we still think it'd be amazing to see him take the stage with the folks who were by his side when he was still trying to make it to the top.
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The Label: Bad Boy
When They Should Hold An Anniversary Concert: 2013 to celebrate the label's 20th anniversary
Who Should Perform: Diddy, Craig Mack, LOX, Mase, Faith Evans, Black Rob, and more…
Why We'd Pay To See It: Now that Diddy has seen what JD was able to do with the So So Def 20th anniversary, who wants to see what he'd be able to do with his own anniversary concert? We're sure it'd be wildly over-the-top and include more guest appearances than we could count. There's still plenty of time left for Puff to make this happen. So, why not call the "family" and get this show together before the end of the year?
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The Label: Cash Money
When They Should Hold An Anniversary Concert: 2016 to celebrate the label's 25th anniversary
Who Should Perform: Lil Wayne, Birdman, Juvenile, Drake, Tyga, Nicki Minaj, and more…
Why We'd Pay To See It: The truth is that we probably have paid to see this show at one time or another, since most of the label's biggest acts are still down with Cash Money and performing together. But, you know how crazy it would be if CM sat down and planned out something extra special for their 25th, right? It would be epic and would showcase how far the label has come in the last two-and-a-half decades.
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The Label: G.O.O.D. Music
When They Should Hold An Anniversary Concert: 2014 to celebrate the label's 10th anniversary
Who Should Perform: Kanye West, Big Sean, Common, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, John Legend, and more…
Why We'd Pay To See It: What we said about Cash Money could be said about G.O.O.D. Music, too. Most of the label's original artists (minus Consequence and a few others) are still down for the cause. So, you might be worried about a G.O.O.D. anniversary concert looking just like any other G.O.O.D. concert. But, you already know Kanye would go all-out and make it extra special. We'd be interested in seeing what 'Ye would do to set this show apart from all the others.
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The Label: Shady
When They Should Hold An Anniversary Concert: 2014 to celebrate the label's 15th anniversary
Who Should Perform: Eminem, 50 Cent, Obie Trice, D-12, Slaughterhouse, Cashis, and more…
Why We'd Pay To See It: We'll use any excuse to see Eminem perform. Performances by all of the other Shady artists would just be a bonus.
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The Label: G-Unit
When They Should Hold An Anniversary Concert: 2013 to celebrate the label's 10th anniversary
Who Should Perform: 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, Young Buck, Game (ha!), Olivia, and more…
Why We'd Pay To See It: The anticipation for this concert would be crazy. Will 50 bring out Game? Will 50 bring out Buck? Will any other former G-Unit members (where you at, M.O.P.?!) show up? Something tells us that, if this concert ever happens, it will be full of surprises and special guest appearances that none of us would see coming.
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The Label: Rawkus
When They Should Hold An Anniversary Concert: 2016 to celebrate the label's 20th anniversary
Who Should Perform: Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Company Flow, Pharoahe Monch, The High & Mighty, Hi-Tek, and more…
Why We'd Pay To See It: A lot of the acts on the old Rawkus roster either aren't active anymore, don't perform very much, or simply aren't as relevant as they used to be. But, throw them on stage and label it a "Rawkus Reunion" and suddenly we're very, very intrigued. The backpacker in all of us wants to see this show happen.
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The Label: Loud
When They Should Hold An Anniversary Concert: 2017 to celebrate the label's 25th anniversary
Who Should Perform: Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Three 6 Mafia, David Banner, Tha Alkaholiks, Asher Roth, and more…
Why We'd Pay To See It: Over the years, Loud had a very, very diverse roster. Can you even imagine sitting through a Wu-Tang set and then, ten minutes later, watching Asher Roth perform? It'd be interesting to see the Loud history get told simply by watching all of the acts that take the stage during the concert.
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The Label: The Inc.
When They Should Hold An Anniversary Concert: 2017 to celebrate the label's 20th anniversary
Who Should Perform: Ja Rule, Ashanti, Lloyd, Cadillac Tah, Charli Baltimore, Vita, and more…
Why We'd Pay To See It: We know, we know. JA RULE?!? But, you can't deny that the guy had one hell of a run. Plus, by the time 2017 rolls around, we're sure that people will view Ja much differently than they do now. Say what you want about him, but he could headline this show, run through his hits, and produce something pretty legendary if he wanted to.
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The Label: Death Row
When They Should Hold An Anniversary Concert: 2016 to celebrate the label's 25th anniversary
Who Should Perform: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, Lady of Rage, Crooked-I, 2Pac hologram, and more…
Why We'd Pay To See It: Are you kidding? While we understand that this would probably never happen due to the hard feelings that many former Death Row artists have for the label, it'd be awesome to see them all take the stage one final time together. And, c'mon: How cool would it be to see the rebirth of the 2Pac hologram?! Death Row is run by someone not named Suge Knight these days, so maybe they're down to try and make this happen? We can only hope.
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