Live Review: Juicy Fest 2023 (Nelly, Ja Rule, Ne-Yo, Bow Wow, Xzibit, Chingy, Mya, Pretty Ricky)
Juicy Festival, Red Hill Auditorium (outskirts of Perth) on 20th January 2023.
By Sheldon Ang
Photos by Sheldon Ang Photography
This is the part of the show that I wanna tell y’all how much I love y’all…how much I appreciate y’all… how much I really I want to thank y’all. Without you, there’d be no me, and I just want y’all to understand that hip hop is the power of f#cking love. They don’t want you to know it, they want to demonise hip hop and they want you to hate hip hop. What we do is this right here; we bring the beautiful people together – black, white, Asian and Aboriginals…every race, every creed, every colour. This is what hip hop is. I want to show y’all tonight the power of love – Ja Rule at Juicy Fest 2023, Perth.
The line-up – headlined by Nelly, alongside Ja Rule, Ne-Yo, Bow Wow, Xzibit, Chingy, Mya and Pretty Ricky was dubbed as “too good to be true” by some sceptics, sparking a rumour that it could be a “scam”. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case for the RnB army across New Zealand and Australia as they took the midnight train, plane and automobile to reminisce on old school rhythm and blues that reigned across the nightclubs from New York to Perth, Melaka to Milan in the late 90s and 00’s. For the thousands who braved the Perth scorcher, it was a surreal experience at the unique Red Hill Auditorium in the outskirts of Perth. So…
Super swagger Ne-Yo charmed the crowd with his confessional narrative through his distinctive and breezy falsetto on the back of addictive hooks. As expected, he compounded his performance with the never-ending dance solo and (appropriately) provocative choreography, consisting of bone bending, hip gyrating and pelvis thrusting repertoire in a watertight synchronisation with a bevy of dancers.
Michael Jackson may have left us over a decade ago, but his legacy and influence are still churning through the likes of Ne-Yo. The vegan rapper is the epitome of showbiz; backed by a full piece musician rather than a DJ, he meandered effortlessly through the ageless bangers in the likes of So Sick (of love songs), Sexy Love, Miss Independent, Because of You, and One in a Million as part of a twenty-one-song salute.
New Yorker Ja Rule graced the stage with a dramatic entrance, before a thematically five-minute display on the big screen, “Where is Ja Rule?”. He was wheeled onto the stage on an ambulance stretcher, a symbolic display of rising from the “dead”. He sparked the setlist with a bang – “Livin’ it up”.
The rapper achieved massive popularity due to his songs that appeal to female audiences, a genre that often dismissed the demographic in the 90’s. Ja Rule brought his melodic barks to the crowd, resonating the sensitive thug-like vocals and presence, but on a melodic and tear-jerking rap that defined the genre for two decades. His inescapable and croaky frogstorm vocals were as maniacally ferocious as they were in the music videos of the 90’s and early 00’s. Just like Ne-Yo, it was as if the rapper never left the dawn of the millennium, bringing the A-game with the likes of Always on Time (with Ashanti in background speakers), Wonderful, Mesmerize and New York.
He also ensured the audience knew he is still in good nick when the forty-six-year-old rapper performed shirtless from two third into this set, looking like a twenty-six-year-old Olympic sprinter from Kingston Town.
Nelly was the headliner, and it was probably the latest start time in Perth for some time at 10:45pm. For the next seventy minutes or so in a twenty-one song setlist, the (almost) half a century rapper darted the anthemic tracks of the 00’s with Hot in Herre, Ride Wit Me, Country Grammar, and Just A Dream.
It didn’t take long to realise that the St Louise rapper has more than a dozen Top 10 US hits. Yet he remained humble on stage, eliciting a genuine smile throughout – well… as humble as anyone could be with thick platinum chain, diamond encrusted watch, ring and bracelet – even displaying a Gulfstream jet “Nelly Airlines” on the big screen! Dilemma became the sing along of the night, featuring the music video on the screen with Kelly Rowland, showcasing his vulnerable facet in a genre that was full of bravados and egos.
Those were the final three in the lineup.
The only female on the lineup was Mýa. She got off the block with the massive 2000 hit Case of the Ex, cashing on the dramatised, stuttering and high tempo intro, setting the benchmark for the rest of her setlist. Her performance was infused with energy, through a combination of dance choreography with freestyle jazz and tap dance with a hint of ballet. Her mezzo-soprano vocal range spanning four octaves was evident towards the climax of Lady Marmalade. Mýa’s live act was compelling, with a dose of sexiness, bounce and elasticity – ultimately oozing a sultry zest – yet, classy with the respectable je ne sais quoi that only a few could pull off.
Chingy – famous for the world wide club banger and the heavy thumping bass Right Thurr and other feel good verse delivered the concert with bold delivery, street confidence and playfulness that we’d come to expect. There was the Ludacris-esque embedded into his performance given Chingy was the protégé,
Xzibit came out as one of the West Coast’s most illustrious MC’s in the 90’s. He is also an actor, presenter and radio announcer has become a household name in the US with movie credits alongside the likes of Samuel L Jackson, Jennifer Aniston and gave the crowd the block busting beats and wall busting flow through the likes of X.
Discovered by Snoop Dogg as a preteen, Bow Wow (or formerly Lil’ Bow Wow) started with Fresh and Side to Side and showed why he was a child prodigy. The pint-sized singer who also moonlighted as an actor was criss-crossing the stage and deeply engaging with the crowd. He also gave a tribute to 2 PAC, Big, DMX and Nipsey.
Miami’s Pretty Ricky was the first on the setlist. With songs such as Your Body and Grind on Me – the stage antics were sometimes R rated, but fans came to expect that shenanigans, with a few underwears on stage.
As Ja Rule stated, the night wasn’t just about a revelry for the RnB lovers, it was also an evening of recognition and solidarity. RnB mantra is about respecting differences among people of background, with the crowd resonating that sentiment despite the fiery summer, and the evening was a fine showcase. We can’t wait for Juicy Fest of 2024.
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The writer would like to thank Juicy Festival for the Press Accreditation.
Author/Photographer: Sheldon is the founder of SAM. Since its launch in May 2022, the music media platform has been accredited to photograph and review some of the hottest live shows across all genres in Perth, such as RnB Fridayz Live, KISS, The Killers, The Kid LAROI, Rufus Du Sol, UB40, Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet), Louis Tomlinson (One Direction), Guy Sebastian and many more. You can follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
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