Grammy winner Lil Wayne's 'I am music' hits Sears Centre
The winner of four Grammy Awards just two months ago, rapper Lil Wayne's credentials as a musician and lyricist need no polishing.
With his "I Am Music" tour coming to the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates on Friday, he's apparently out to make the same statement as a performer.
Lil Wayne first drew raves with a Chicago stop on the then-24-city tour back in December when - with T-Pain and Gym Class Heroes in tow - he rocked the United Center.
Tonight, the eight-time Grammy nominee will reprise the show in the suburbs through an extension that will give thousands of suburbanites a second - and slightly more intimate - shot at hip-hop's most ubiquitous artist.
Since bursting onto the scene as a 15-year-old prodigy in the New Orleans rap group Hot Boys more than a decade ago, Lil Wayne - whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter - worked to earn his self-described title as "the greatest rapper alive," but now tells Rolling Stone magazine he's tiring of rap and growing toward rock. The transition is evidence of what Lil Wayne fans have always felt about him, that his main interest, as the title of his tour suggests, is in the music.
Yes, he's a multiplatinum Grammy-winning artist with a body full of tattoos and a mouth full of diamonds, performing on a label title Cash Money Records, but his first duty is to the music and his goal is to be simply "the best." His nightly recording sessions and frequent collaborations with other artists have earned him a reputation as one of the hardest-working entertainers in the music business, and he describes his efforts as a constant drive to excel.
"You look at yourself and say, 'You ain't the best,'" he told Rolling Stone. "'Show me you're the best. Show me you can play the (expletive) guitar without lessons. Show me you can make a hit song and make everybody tell you, "I love what you're doing." Show me you can do that.' And then I come out that door and jump back in my body. I do that every night."
The process can also apply to his live performances, which have drawn enthusiastic reviews as a blend of spectacle and artistry.
While the "I Am Music" shows draw liberally from his rap canon, especially the multiplatinum "Tha' Carter III," they also represent his shift toward the rock sound, frequently with the singles "Prom Queen" and "Hot Revolver."
With hits of his own like "Good Life" and "Shawty," T-Pain is no slouch to open tonight's show, and his collaborations during Lil Wayne's set have been a highlight of previous performances. The show also is scheduled to feature performances by Keri Hilson, rappers Gym Class Heroes and some of the young artists Lil Wayne is promoting.
<p class="factboxheadblack">Lil Wayne</p> <p class="News">With T-Pain, Gym Class Heroes and Keri Hilson</p> <p class="News">7:30 p.m. Friday, April 10</p> <p class="News">Sears Centre Arena, 5330 Prairie Stone Parkway, Hoffman Estates</p> <p class="News">Tickets $69-$150, <a href="http://www.ticketmaster.com" target="new">ticketmaster.com</a> </p>