50 Cent's Las Vegas residency slammed as ‘worst live performance’ by critic but fans come to his defense

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: While Las Vegas' golden age was marked by Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, a new wave of performers such as 50 Cent has staked their claim on the Entertainment Capital of the World.

Rapper-turned-mogul 50 Cent, whose recent residency at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino’s PH Live Theater cemented hip-hop’s growing influence on the Strip, faced criticism for a “lack of energy” during his Las Vegas performance.

50 Cent's Las Vegas residency slammed as 'worst live performance'

50 Cent’s six-show residency, which kicked off on December 27 and included a New Year’s Eve finale, was met with significant buzz.

However, not all the chatter was positive.

Culture critic Jennifer Gay, widely known as Vegas Starfish, didn’t mince words when reviewing the performance on Instagram, as reported by Newsbreak.

She wrote on X," I’ve seen 50 Cent perform in warehouses in Memphis, TN (where I’m from) decades ago and it was pure magic. His limited time residency in Las Vegas was the opposite of that. The sound was balanced poorly making it impossible to hear the performance."

"His hypemen were unrelenting and overbearing making it difficult to hear anything but their echos. The stage design and graphics felt like they were organized 15 minutes before the show with a Chat GPT prompt for “90’s hip hop images”," she added.

She continued, "During the build up to this show, 50’s publicists suggested this would be an unforgettable night full of surprises and energy. The only surprise was the lack of energy."

She concluded, "There was almost no crowd engagement, the calls for an “encore” began 63 minutes into the performance and he returned to do another 15 minutes before unceremoniously leaving the stage without so much as a Thank You. This was the worst live performance, for any artist, I’ve ever attended. I understand that he’s successful and doesn’t need a residency, so why do it if he doesn’t want to put any effort into it?"

Fellow artists, fans, and even 50 Cent respond to criticism

Not everyone agreed with Jennifer Gay’s harsh assessment.

Hip-hop influencer Dove Clark, who attended the December 30 show, praised 50 Cent’s performance, emphasizing his unique style.

“I went to the show the other night 12/30, and I thought it was great. 50 has never been a hype performer—that’s just not his style. So where he lacks in energy on the stage, he more than delivered otherwise,” Clark commented under her post.

Reportedly, other critics, including Cesar from LandonBuford.com, highlighted the rapper’s ability to captivate an audience through his extensive career catalog.

Known for hits like 'In Da Club' and 'Candy Shop', 50 Cent seemed to respond to Gay's viral review of his residency during a recent show.

Doing his signature hand motion that he had done for almost every song in the show, he humorously mentioned, "You was supposed to say '50 you keep doing this s**t'."

“What you thought, I’m gonna be out here rollerblading like Usher?” he asked and continued, “I seen some s**t, Chris Brown was flying in Africa. I don't have records that require me to fly in Africa.”

As far as his fans are concerned, one pointed out, "His most recent americas/world wide tour which got him in the top 5 grossing hiphop tours of all time, is the same as this… lol majority like it."

A follower commented, "The show wasn't for you," referring to Jennifer Gay's criticism.

One opinion stated, "I loved it, and that he played songs real fans know."

Another individual observed, "It’s a legacy performance lmao.."

As someone explained, "Ngl it sounds fine Rap isnt meant to be heard live and hasn't been since the early/mid 1980s. Are white people unaware of this? Or is it a mindf**k to most white people? Very serious question…not even tryna racialize it."

Hip-hop’s Las Vegas revolution

50 Cent’s residency is part of a broader shift that has seen hip-hop and R&B acts thrive on the Vegas Strip.

This wasn’t always the case.

In 2018, Salt-N-Pepa attempted to break into the scene with a residency on the Strip, but the production was canceled due to poor ticket sales.

The tide turned when Usher debuted his residencies at Caesars Palace and Park MGM’s Dolby Live.

These shows were nothing short of spectacular, collectively grossing $114.6 million. Usher’s 'My Way: The Vegas Residency' alone brought in $95.9 million from 394,000 tickets sold, setting a new standard for urban artists in Las Vegas.

Similarly, the Wu-Tang Clan made history in 2024 with 'The Saga Continues … the Las Vegas Residency' at The Theater at Virgin Hotels.

Their early projections showed $30.7 million in revenue from just 17 shows, averaging an impressive $1.8 million per concert.

Innovative productions like DJ Cassidy’s 'Pass the Mic Live' have further pushed boundaries.

Featuring hip-hop legends like Chuck D, Slick Rick, and Fat Joe, Cassidy’s 'Rap Pack' cleverly bridged Vegas’s entertainment legacy with the fresh energy of hip-hop’s current generation.

Beyond the cultural impact, these residencies are lucrative.

TMZ reported that 50 Cent earned a staggering $15 million for his six-show run labeled '50 Cent: In Da Club'.

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