11 Hip-Hop Acts Who Should Have a Residency on the Vegas Strip

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There are no two artists in hip-hop whose names carry as much weight as JAY-Z and Kanye West. JAY is arguably the greatest rapper to ever live, and Kanye, despite his recent penchant for controversy, has changed the course of popular music a handful of times. Their chemistry is undeniable, as is the impact each has had on the other’s career. A shared residency would allow the two to explore each other’s catalog and—most importantly—the intersections between them. Their 2011 blockbuster album Watch the Throne deserves a sequel, and what better venue to test new material than Las Vegas? Not to mention, it would signify the squashing of any ongoing JAY and Ye beef—and isn’t that what the world needs right about now?

(Sample setlist: “No Church in the Wild” / “Otis” / “Gotta Have It” / “Never Change” / “Never Let Me Down” / “99 Problems” / “Power (Remix)” / “Made In America” / “Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)")

Hailing from Miami, both Trina and Trick Daddy have spent decades building cult followings and occasionally penetrating the mainstream. While they’ve yet to release TNT, their long-rumored joint LP, the crossover in their respective singles catalogs makes them a natural pairing. A joint residency with two famous Floridians would be a wonderful bit of cultural exchange.

(Sample setlist: “I’m a Thug” / “Pull Over” /“Shut Up” / “Take It to da House” / “Single Again” / “Let’s Go” / “Tonight” / “I Don’t Need You” / “I’m So Hood”)

When Jeezy debuted (as Young Jeezy) back in 2005, he came with a radical new energy, carrying the torch for an Atlanta scene that was taking over commercial hip-hop. While sands shift and trends come and go, Jeezy has thrived for more than a decade, bending the sound of rap radio with his own new, creative musical direction. He’s one of the godfathers of trap music and has anthemic, instantly recognizable hits in a half-dozen different styles and from across various eras that would make for an engrossing—and incredibly turnt—live experience.

(Sample setlist: “Standing Ovation” / “And Then What” / “Put On” / “I Luv It” / “Air Forces” / “My Hood” / “Go Crazy” / “My President” / “Go Getta”)

Vegas is where you come for once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and there’s nothing more elusive than a Lauryn Hill performance. In a perfect world, the ethereal artist reunites with Wyclef Jean and Pras to play classics from The Score, The Carnival, and The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. For fans who have hung on the group’s every word for the last two decades, that would be paradise. Despite a relative dearth of material, The Fugees have had an indelible effect on modern music and hearing them on today’s Strip would place their influence in its proper context. You can actually catch Ms. Hill performing this fall at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel. Hopefully, her groupmates will follow.

(Sample setlist: “Ready or Not” / “The Score” / “Gone Til November” / “Ex-Factor” / “Fu-Gee-La” / “Lost Ones” / “No Woman, No Cry” / “Doo Wop (That Thing)”)

Lil Wayne has lived many lives: He was something of a child star, then became the best rapper alive, went into the wilderness (read: Rikers Island), and has emerged as an embattled veteran. While his relationship with his longtime label, Cash Money, has been contentious and litigious in recent years, his back catalog is undeniable, as is his record chemistry with the likes of Juvenile and Baby. A career-spanning residency from Wayne, where he digs into his old Hot Boyz material—as well as his commercial and creative hits from the late aughts—would represent a living, breathing hip-hop time capsule. And the amount of guests he could bring out given the endless list of tracks he’s been featured on? Sheesh.

(Sample setlist: “I’m Me” / “Go DJ” / “Bling Bling” / “I Need a Hot Girl” / “Tuesday & Thursdays” / “Back That Azz Up” / “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy” / “Leather So Soft” / "Mr. Carter" / “A Milli” / “Lollipop” / “6 Foot 7 Foot” / “Tha Mobb”)

While Las Vegas is home to some of the most respected mainstream entertainment institutions in the world, the desert retains a bit of an outlaw mystique. What better way to honor that than with a residency from Ghostface Killah and Raekwon—charter members of the Wu-Tang Clan, the group that became a mainstream behemoth without ever sacrificing the outsider aura that made them magnetic in the first place. A joint show would give the longtime collaborators a chance to air out all of their brilliant pairings, including their work together on 1995’s seminal Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...

(Sample setlist: “Criminology” / “Can It All Be So Simple (Remix)” / “The M.G.M.” / “The Faster Blade” / “Apollo Kids” / “Bring da Ruckus” / “Gihad” / “Ice Water” / “Verbal Intercourse” / “Heaven & Hell”)

As anyone familiar with the four elements will tell you, rapping is only one aspect of hip-hop. Last year, Just Blaze and Swizz Beatz—both New Yorkers, both among the most consequential producers of the past 25 years—staged an absolutely unbelievable DJ battle, where they went back and forth, spinning classic songs they’d produced for a variety of (often legendary) MCs. The thing is, both Just and Swizz have catalogs so deep that they could battle every month for a full calendar year without ever repeating themselves. So let’s give them Vegas’ biggest and brightest stages to put on a show.

(Sample setlist: “U Don’t Know” / “Money, Cash, Hoes” / “Roc the Mic” / “Banned from TV” / “Dynasty Intro” / “Ruff Ryders Anthem” / “Public Service Announcement” / “Party Up (Up in Here)” / “I Really Mean It” / “I’m a Hustla”)

In a way, Bad Boy embodied all the glamour, sheen, and vision that people associate with the Las Vegas Strip. 20 years after the label’s heyday, Puff is still an inimitable entertainer, and as the recent Bad Boy reunion tour proved, they can still put on an earth-shattering show. The ideal Vegas residency may whittle the label's roster down to its two surviving spiritual leaders, Puff and Mase, along with guest appearances by Lil Kim, 112, Faith Evans, and French Montana, ending with, finally, some creative tributes (can you say hologram?) to the late Notorious B.I.G.

(Sample setlist: “Feel So Good” / “I Need a Girl (Pt. 1)” / “Lookin at Me” / “Mo Money Mo Problems” / “I Need a Girl (Pt. 2)” / “Bad Boy For Life” / “I’ll Be Missing You” / “Flava in Ya Ear (Remix)” / “Juicy” / “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down”)

More than two decades since Missy Elliott debuted, her music still somehow sounds as if it was beamed back from the future. This is due in large part to her legendary sonic chemistry with Timbaland, the producer who helped craft her unmistakable sound. What better way to bring Missy to the Vegas Strip than with Timbaland behind the decks, spinning songs he produced and carving out a few moments to show off his illustrious production catalog with quick medleys? It wouldn't hurt for them to have JT come on stage for a guest appearance or two either.

(Sample setlist: “4 My People” / “Work It” / “Gossip Folks” / “I’m Really Hot” / “Burnitup!” / Timbaland DJ medley: “Dirt Off Your Shoulder,” “Pony,” “Is That Your Chick,” “4 Page Letter,” “Raise Up,” "Sexy Back" / “Get Ur Freak On”)

No one needs to explain to you how massively famous Eminem is. The rapper from Detroit could tour the world and sell out stadiums everywhere he sets foot from now until the end of time. But a Las Vegas residency would allow Em to invade the same spaces he’s always liked to crash: the ones that have previously belonged to squeaky-clean pop stars. As he did on his masterpiece The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem has made a career on filling any gaps he can find in tracks with warped, acrobatic lyrical tricks—something that will surely captivate Vegas-goers.

(Sample setlist: “I’m Back” / "My Name Is" / "Without Me" / “Role Model” / “White America” / “Patiently Waiting” / “Stimulate” / "My Band" (featuring D12) / "Rap Game" (featuring D12) / “Any Man” / “Same Song and Dance” / "Till I Collapse" / “Lose Yourself”)

Drake is the consummate entertainer. His Las Vegas residency would probably have more in common with a Frank Sinatra showcase than with any rap show you’ve ever been to. Can’t you imagine him serenading dinner guests in a tuxedo? If you’ve caught any of Drizzy’s appearances on Saturday Night Live, you know the 6 God embodies the perfect balance of cool and self-deprecation to make a show like this feel new every night. Oh, and he’s pretty charismatic, too.

(Sample setlist: “Trophies” / "Best I Ever Had" / "Find Your Love" / “Headlines” / “The Motto” / “Started From the Bottom” / “Hold On, We’re Going Home” / "Passionfruit" / “Stay Schemin’” / “Nice For What” / “Crew Love” / “Energy” / “The Ride” / "God's Plan")