Las Vegas’ bright lights are no longer just illuminating the path for Frank Sinatra’s legendary Rat Pack. In recent years, the Entertainment Capital of the World has become a hot spot for hip-hop and R&B stars, with 50 Cent being the latest to secure a residency at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino’s PH Live Theater.
The rapper-turned-mogul’s six-date performance schedule, which kicked off on December 27 and featured a New Year’s Eve concert, has generated considerable buzz — though not all of it positive.
Bad Reviews For High-Dollar Performance
Culture critic Jennifer Gay, aka Vegas Starfish, sparked attention with a scathing review on Instagram, describing the show as “the worst live performance, for any artist” she had ever attended. Gay took to Instagram to criticize everything from poor sound balance to lackluster stage design, questioning 50 Cent’s commitment to the residency.
She wrote in part, “I’ve seen 50 Cent perform in warehouses in Memphis, TN (where I’m from) decades ago and it was pure magic. His limited-time residency in Las Vegas was the opposite of that.”
“During the build up to this show, 50’s publicists suggested this would be an unforgettable night full of surprises and energy,” she later said. “The only surprise was the lack of energy.”
However, other critics and influencers quickly came to the rapper’s defense.
Hip-hop influencer Dove Clark, who attended the Dec. 30 show, praised his performance. She commented under her post, “I went to the show the other night 12/30, and I thought it was great. 50 has never been a hype performer, that’s just not his style. So where he lacks in energy on the stage he more than delivered otherwise.”
Critics like Cesar from LandonBuford.com echoed these sentiments, celebrating the “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” rapper’s dynamic performance and ability to showcase his illustrious career.
50 Cent’s residency follows a growing trend of successful hip-hop and R&B acts in Vegas.
Most notably, Usher’s Vegas ventures have set new standards for urban artists in Sin City. His two residencies — “Usher: The Las Vegas Residency” at Caesars Palace and “My Way: The Vegas Residency” at Park MGM’s Dolby Live — proved to be massive successes.
Usher brought out Nas at his Las Vegas residency show last night pic.twitter.com/rYb7gnZ5mK
— KING'S DISEASE (@GodsonNasir) October 21, 2023
According to Billboard Boxscore, these shows collectively grossed an impressive $114.6 million, with his “My Way” residency alone generating $95.9 million from 394,000 tickets sold. Each show averaged $1.198 million in revenue, surpassing earnings from any of his previous tours.
The Wu-Tang Clan made history as the first hip-hop group to secure a Vegas residency, launching “The Saga Continues … the Las Vegas Residency” at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in early 2024. The Staten Island collective’s venture proved lucrative, with early projections of their shows indicating $30.7 million in revenue from their first 17 shows, averaging $1.8 million per concert, according to Forbes.
Wu Tang Las Vegas Residency Ain’t Nuthin to F With 🐝 @methodman @ticalofficial @buytical #Tical #TicalOfficial #MethodMan #IronLung #MethodManOfficial #JohnnyBlaze #WuTang #WuTangClan #Vegas #WuTangForever #LasVegas #HipHop #HipHopCulture #HipHopMusic #Music #GoodDay… pic.twitter.com/K1qbaRfNBk
— TICAL Official (@ticalofficial) February 10, 2024
This success marks a significant shift from earlier attempts to bring hip-hop to Vegas.
In 2018, pioneers Salt-N-Pepa announced plans to do a Las Vegas Strip series that could have made them the first hip-hop act with a Vegas residency, but the production was canceled due to poor ticket sales, local news outlet KTNV reported at the time.
The landscape has clearly changed since then, with Usher and Wu-Tang Clan’s successes opening doors for other urban artists.
The evolution continues with innovative formats like DJ Cassidy’s “Pass the Mic Live” show in July 2024, featuring an all-star lineup of hip-hop legends including Chuck D., Slick Rick, Fat Joe, Jermaine Dupree, Raekwon and Ghostface, Too Short, and many others. Cassidy cleverly dubbed his ensemble the “Rap Pack,” paying homage to Vegas’s original entertainment icons while claiming space for hip-hop’s new generation.
While numbers remain unknown about how much each of the performers in the star-studded lineup received over the six days, each artist’s booking price can range as high as six figures for major performances. Also, each show was sold out.
As 50 Cent’s residency demonstrates, Vegas has transformed into a vital platform for hip-hop and R&B artists. For six shows alone, according to TMZ, the Power executive scored a $15 million payday.
While reviews may vary, the financial success of recent residencies proves that Sin City audiences have embraced these genres. The strip’s neon lights now shine just as brightly for hip-hop moguls as they once did for acts like Sammy Davis and Dean Martin, marking a new chapter in Las Vegas’s entertainment history.
