Where Was Lil Wayne?
The much-buzzed-about platinum-plus Southern rapper Lil Wayne was in town last night headlining 1st Mariner Arena. It was also the same day his hotly anticipated new album, the charming but uneven Tha Carter III, hit stores.
Homeboy must have been celebrating the release too long and forgot he had a show, because more than an hour and a half passed before Wayne made it to the stage. Talk about unprofessional. The crowd, mostly under 21, was surprisingly patient, given that it was sweltering inside the arena. (I later found out that Wayne's folks had requested no air conditioning, because the cool air affects his vocals. Whatever. And I thought Kayne West was hip-hop's biggest diva.)
When the pint-sized rapper finally dragged himself onstage, he offered no apology or an explanation for his tardiness. He was a flanked by a huge entourage. It looked like a family reunion behind him. The miscellaneous people just stood onstage -- looking disinterested and snapping pictures of the audience on their cell phones -- while Wayne gave a half-hearted and noticeably slurred performance. What a shame. The guy is talented but clearly needs some lessons in professionalism.
