“Excuse me, what are you writing?”
I looked up from my notepad. A short Latina with bright eyes and wavy brown hair was standing over me. I was sitting on the lawn at Xfinity Theater in Hartford, nodding my head along to the R&B crooning of Jeremih coming from the stage. He was the opening act for 50 Cent’s “Final Lap” tour, a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the release of one of the greatest albums of all time, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. I told her that I was taking notes to write a review of the show later.
“Oh wow, that’s really cool. I thought you were sitting there writing 21 Questions!” she said, chuckling at her joke. We chatted for a few more moments until Jeremih began singing his hit song “Birthday Sex”. Cheers rippled across the theater, which was packed with people and lawn chairs. After the song ended, the woman looked around at the crowd and sucked her teeth.
“These young folks ain’t got no business here,” she said, gesturing towards one of the packs of roaming teenagers that kept walking past us. “How do they know anything about this? This is grown folks’ business.”
You’re going in my story, I told her. I asked her name.
“Claudia,” she yelled over the applause. Jeremih had just finished his set.
“Babe, come here! This guy is a writer!” Claudia called. The constantly shifting crowd and low light had somehow obscured the tall man standing only a few feet away from us. He was wearing a 49ers cap, so I knew he was a man of culture and refinement. “This is my fiance, David.”
His massive hand reached out and shook mine. “What’s up man, you enjoying the show?” he asked. So far, yeah. They’d been together for almost 20 years, so the show was a nostalgia trip back to the beginning of their love story. But Claudia wasn’t there for fuzzy memories. Even the music was secondary for her.
“I need answers,” she explained. But before she could continue, the stage went dark and the crowd erupted again. When the lights came on, Busta Rhymes was sitting on stage in a throne, and his partner Spliff Star started hyping up the crowd.
Busta Rhymes was one of my favorite rappers when I was a kid, so I was looking forward to his set. It became clear throughout the performance that the years had caught up with him. His performance was more like a sampler than a full-blown meal of his zany greatness. He touched on a few of his hits, like “Put Your Hand Where My Eyes Could See” and “Pass the Courvoisier,” but performed only the first verse. While that was disappointing, Claudia was nearby to keep me entertained.
“If this is the Final Lap, I need 50 to answer some questions,” she said. “Is he gonna peace it up with Ja Rule? Where’s Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo? What happened between 50 and Vivica A. Fox? Will he address the beef with The Game? Why did he kill Ghost? I need to know!”
Before we knew it, the wait was over. The stage darkened again, and when the lights returned, 50 burst onto the stage and went straight into his set.
50 brought tons of energy to the stage as he worked though almost a decade of hit after hit. I felt transported back to 2003, when I had just graduated from high school and the world was wide open with possibilities.
Thankfully, Claudia was there to keep me grounded.
“Where’s Lil’ Kim’s verse?” she asked as 50 launched into “Magic Stick.” “He has the sexy girls on stage, but where’s the eye candy for the ladies? That’s why I wanted Lloyd Banks to come!”
50 did two encores, saving his most beloved songs like “Many Men,” “Wanksta,” and “Patiently Waiting” until his fans were ravenous. As hype as singing “Many Men” was with thousands of other people, it felt like something was missing.
The final verdict on the Final Lap?
“7.5 out of 10,” David said. “It was cool, but I wanted more mixtape 50.”
Claudia was less generous.: “5 out of 10. There was no G‑Unit. He didn’t answer any of my questions.”
I agreed with both of them. Maybe it was unfair to expect G‑Unit to show up when they weren’t billed. I was with Claudia though. I came into a show called “The Final Lap” expecting a sense of closure that wasn’t fulfilled.
However, I did make two new friends. They told me to let them know the next time I hit the Xfinity Theater, so look forward to more from Claudia and David in the future!
Claudia and David are set to be married on Sept. 22. You can view their registry here.
Trippie Redd will perform at the Xfinity Theater on Sept. 9.
NEXT: Jamil is gonna practice some improv at CT Improv on Tuesday night.
