Hip-Hop

“I’m just the warm-up, baby!” So declared Timbaland during his opening set (July 12) for one of the most anticipated tours of 2024: the Out of This World Tour — The Missy Elliott Experience: the rap icon’s first headline outing.

It was the second of the tour’s two-night Los Angeles stand at Crypto.com Arena. With a percolating set that included classics in the songwriter-producer’s hit arsenal such as “The Way I Are,” 50 Cent’s “Ayo Technology” and Justin Timberlake’s “My Love,” Elliott’s longtime musical partner gave the packed house an appetizing taste of what would be in store later when the legend herself arrived onstage.

Fellow featured guests Ciara and Busta Rhymes brought their A games as well. Deftly catching Timbaland’s baton toss, a black leather-clad Ciara came out blazing to an explosion of audience cheers. Noting that she “just had my fourth baby,” the singer-songwriter proceeded to demonstrate she’s lost none of her formidable dancing skills as she — accompanied by a fiercely flexible dance crew — undulated, twerked and sashayed her way through crowd-pleasers like “Goodies,” “Ride,” “Like a Boy,” Promise,” “Level Up” and, of course “1, 2 Step.”

Following suit, rap legend Rhymes, alongside his fave hype man Spliff Star, ratcheted the excitement level even higher with songs like Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now” (featuring Rhymes’ signature rapid flow: “We don’t use special effects because we are the special effects,” noted Rhymes), “Turn It Up,” “I Know What You Want” and “Pass the Courvoisier.” He also brought Ty Dolla $ign and 310Babii to the stage. “We lift our artists up,” said Rhymes. “That’s what we’re supposed to do.”

Then it was Missy time. 

Her ensuing 90-minute show was divided into four acts, introduced by dancer/master of ceremonies Kanec. Act one began with the huge image of a spaceship that touched down onstage. Then a portal door, emblazoned with a giant M, rose and there stood the woman that everyone — all cheering their hearts out — had come to see. Launching into “Throw It Back,” a silver-helmeted Elliott wasted no time getting down to business as she and her 20-member dance crew got to stepping on an invigorating eight-song set that also included “We Run This,” “Sock It to Me” and “I’m Really Hot.”

Elliott left no stone unturned (“We’re going to see who the real Missy fans are.”). as the next two eight-song acts featured roaring crowd pleasers from “The Rain,” “She’s a B—-” (wearing a bubble coat that billowed out behind her at one point) and a rollicking “Get Ur Freak On” to gems “One-Minute Man,” “Drip Demeanor” and “Coochie Don’t Fail Me Now.” To give fans an equal opportunity to view the proceedings a bit closer, four circular screens near the top of the arena relayed what was happening onstage as an energetic, red-haired Elliott went toe-to-toe with her male and female troupe of dancers. And at one point, to get even closer to fans during the second act, she hopped onto a smaller circular platform that was rolled out above the fans on the floor.

In act four, “the last stop on the planet,” Elliott (wearing a large pink fake fur hat) and crew donned graffiti-splashed outfits whose kaleidoscopic neon colors flashed brightly onstage (as did bracelets that were distributed upon entering Crypto). Segueing from a “WTF (Where They From)” mashup to “Bring the Pain” and another rousing fan fave “Work It,” Elliott surprised everyone by coming offstage and walking the perimeter of the venue, a seeming victory lap with her smilingly slapping hands as she passed by clamoring fans. Coming back onstage, Elliott rounded off the final act of her love fest with “Pass Dat Dutch” and “Dance with Me” before ripping it up with Timbaland on “Up Jumps the Boogie,” Rhymes on “Touch It” and Ciara on “Lose Control.”

“I say this every place I go,” the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer said toward the show’s end. “I never take for granted that you spent your hard-earned money; this means a lot. I appreciate every last one of you all. Amen!” And as a satiated crowd filed out of Crypto.com, their comments echoed what Rhymes had noted earlier in his show: “Thank you, Missy, for putting us all together.”

The 30-date, North American Out of This Word Tour – The Missy Elliott Experience lands in Las Vegas Saturday (July 13) with upcoming stops in Denver (7/16), Houston (7/20) and Washington, D.C. (8/8), before wrapping on Aug. 23 in Rosemont, Ill. View the rest of the tour’s itinerary on her official website here.

Nicki Minaj canceled a planned set at the SAGA Festival in Romania on Sunday night (July 7) after the rapper said her security team warned her of potential issues due to a protest reportedly planned in Bucharest on Monday (July 8).

“Out of concern for the well-being of our team and myself, I have been advised by my security detail not to travel to Romania’s festival tonight due to safety concerns regarding protests in the area,” Minaj tweeted on Sunday night just hours before she was slated to take the stage. “I look forward to seeing you all at another time.”

Minaj noted that the decision was also made with her family in mind. “As a mom, I have to make sure I’m making sound decisions for me to make it home to my son and for my team to make it home to their families,” wrote the mother of a three-year-old son with husband Kenny Petty. “To not heed the advice of security at this time is simply not what I think I should be doing. I love you and thank you for your understanding and support. I am very excited to see my fans this Friday in London for another very special headlining show at Wireless Festival.”

Minaj was slated to headline the weekend festival that also featured sets from Armin Van Buuren, Raye, Rita Ora, Hardwell and Tyla among many others. The MC did not specify what the security concerns were and at press time a spokesperson had not returned a request for additional information on the cause of the show’s cancelation; in addition, at press time there appeared to be minimal reporting about a protest in Bucharest on Monday.

According to Rolling Stone, SAGA festival organizers issued a statement on Sunday, writing, “It is with a heavy heart that we have to announce Nicki Minaj has just cancelled her performance due to concerns for her and her team’s well-being in Romania… This has nothing to do with SAGA, and is beyond our powers. The news has left us all devastated, and we know it’s a huge disappointment for all of you, just as it is for us.” Organizers reportedly said that all unscanned tickets for the sold-out Sunday festival gig would be refunded.

The MC also reportedly ran into some issues during her show at Malahide Castle near Dublin, Ireland on Saturday night, when fans complained she took the stage late and performed a shortened set. The Irish Independent reported that some Barbz were demanding a full refund after Minaj was said to have made fans wait in the rain for 45 minutes before reportedly taking the stage after 10 p.m. local time, then cutting the gig short after 45 minutes. Other reports place her stage time between 60-63 minutes. Before the show, producer MCD Productions noted in an X post that “Nicki Minaj’s set is due to start at 8.20 pm,” noting that “the licensed curfew is 10:30pm.”

Typical set times on Minaj’s current tour have been running between 60 and 75 minutes according to setlist.fm and it appeared that the rapper performed for just over an hour in Dublin after being played on by her tour DJ, DJ Boof.

Minaj posted a series of pics from the set in Dublin — which she dubbed “#GagCityDUBLIN” — with followers taking to the comments section to air their disappointment about both shows. “girl when are you coming to romania if you didn’t attend saga?,” wrote on about the scotched Romania gig, with an Irish fan adding, “You have no respect for your fans @nickiminaj actually awful €100 for us to get drenched in the rain for you to play for 40 mins wow its actally shocking!!! No manners young kids badly disappointed you have no morals woman !!!! I hope all your future shows are boycotted.”

In another Instagram post featuring footage of Minaj preparing to take the stage in Dublin, fans continued to complain about the show, with one writing, “Worst gig ever, arrived on stage at 9.50, kept fans waiting in the lashings of rain, proceeded to have loads of length costume changes, lots of fans left disappointed,” with another saying, “The real reality?….Dublin mad as f cause she’s turned up hours late and people had to leave cause they were standing in rain for hours waiting.”

While Minaj has not made any additional statement beyond the one concerning the show in Romania, the rapper did cryptically post a series of images of the terrifying Chucky from the Child’s Play movies on her X account with no additional comment late Sunday night.

This isn’t the first hiccup on the tour. Minaj was arrested in Amsterdam in May on her way to perform in the UK at Manchester’s Co-Op Live after being detained by Dutch police who reportedly found “dozens of joints” in her luggage; shortly after, Minaj canceled a planned June 2 show at Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam.

The next gig on Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 tour is slated for Friday (July 12) at the Wireless Festival in London.

See Minaj’s statement below.