On Friday, June the 9th the hip-hop group The Lox played at the Queen Elizabeth Theater in Toronto along with Canadian rap legend Kardinal Offishall. This concert would prove to be the biggest show during Canadian music week in Toronto last week in terms of star power and celebrity guest appearances. This event would be the Canadian music week’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
American rapper Conway the Machine was originally scheduled to perform as well but couldn’t make the trip due to a recent injury but there would be no shortage of guest appearances to make up for it.
Toronto rapper Kardinal Offishall would kick off the show by playing a special DJ set which consisted mostly of east coast classic hits from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. Some other Canadian hip-hop artists would make appearances during the opening DJ set such as Rich Kidd, Solitair, and Bishop Brigante. The big surprise came when Kardinal brought out actors Jabari Banks and Adrian Holmes who star in the new TV series titled ‘Bel-air’ which of course is the reboot of the original 90’s sitcom ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-air’ starring Will Smith. Actor Jabari Banks who plays ‘Will’ in the new series was in Toronto doing some promotional work for the program which streams online on Peacock. Kardinal Offishall would conclude his time on stage with a performance of his classic song “Ol’ Time Killin” which would have Canadian legend DJ Mastermind come on stage to take over the 1’s and 2’s during the song.
As anticipation built for the main event of the night, the crowd could be heard chanting “D-Block!” repeatedly trying to coax the rap group out to the stage. Before that would happen however a short set from New York rapper and D-Block affiliate Tony Mox would take place which was anchored by The Lox‘s DJ Technician on the turn tables. Tony Moxberg would serve as the official warm-up for The Lox bringing the New York hip-hop flavor to the audience in Toronto.
The three-piece rap group from Yonkers, NY consists of Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek Louch who have a music career spanning over 25 years. This group has an extensive catalog of music which ranges from the late 1990s when they were first brought to fame when they signed to Bad Boy Entertainment by Puff Daddy and later joined the Ruff Ryders with DMX. Needless to say that they have achieved and earned legendary status in hip-hop with music in four different decades including getting to record with the late great rap artist The Notorious BIG. In late summer 2021, The Lox once again made headlines when they participated in the now famous VERZUS battle against fellow New York rap group The Diplomats when they brought interest in east coast hip-hop back to the forefront for a brief period.
Riding their resurgence of popularity since the VERZUS battle in which The Lox were the victors by winning the battle by a shocking margin but most importantly it showed that these artists were still capable of putting on an incredible display of lyrical ability and skill after a multi-decade career already behind them. Jadakiss has said in interviews that they have seen a huge spike in bookings and ticket sales since the battle in 2021. Back in the early 2000s “Money, Power, and Respect”, “Kiss The Game Goodbye” and “Kiss of Death” were all regulars in my car CD player. Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek Louch would all perform their biggest solo hits and underground fan favorites like “All For The Love” that didn’t get radio airplay. I don’t think there are many others in music that have a catalog like this that could produce a set list of street bangers and club hits that could rock any venue no matter the crowd size.
When it was all said and done, everyone involved in this event brought justice to the celebration of a half-century of this musical art form known as rap. It’s definitely a rare occasion to have a concert like this in Toronto or anywhere in Canada for that matter so it was a treat to document it with this article. One of the best concerts of 2023!
