Review: Juicy J interactive, personal with Cotillion crowd

Wichitans had a choice of concerts Friday night: long-time singer-songwriter James Taylor or long-time rapper Juicy J.

Juicy J fans nearly filled the Cotillion floor Friday, but not without a two-hour wait before the Three 6 Mafia rapper, whose real name is Michael Jordan Houston, finally hit the stage.

When he did come out, Hennessy bottle in hand, the crowd was ready, a sea of camera lights.

To kick off the night, the eager and rowdy crowd gave a warm welcome to Emporia native C Major, the opening act. The local rapper, whose real name is Chad Carson, gave a 15-minute set complete with a crowd selfie as he exited the stage.

Big Boyz packed the stage next with their crew, five members strong, for another 20 or 30 minutes. The duo, which lived up to its name, got the crowd’s hands up and swaying side to side. They also took a selfie, but a video version.

P. Muma, a New York City native, was up next. He kept the crowd interested, despite more than an hour having passed since the show began.

Bill Niels, however, couldn’t keep the audience’s attention. Niels is a product of Most Dope, a group that also contributed Mac Miller to the rap world.

Two hours in, the crowd was growing impatient, booing to the stage.

But when Juicy J was up, he made his presence known.

“I want to smoke some with the fans,” he said at the start of his set.

Juicy promised his “trippy” comeback, and he delivered. His 30-some songs moved quickly, but he gave the crowd some of their favorites.

Barely five minutes in, Juicy was quick to rap his spot in Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse,” and the crowd loved every bit of it. And after that, “Bandz a Make Her Dance,” another crowd favorite.

Juicy made it clear, though, that he’s no novice to the rap scene.

“A lot of people think I’m a brand new artist,” he said to an encouraging crowd. “A lot of people think I just started rapping. I started Three 6 Mafia.

“Juicy J did not start rapping yesterday. I’ve been doing this for 20 years.”

The rapper skimmed through his Three 6 Mafia hits, including “Stay High” and “Poppin’ My Collar,” which got the crowd even rowdier.

Juicy stayed interactive and personal with the crowd, pausing to chat or rapping solo without beats in the background. An hour later – the opening acts had taken twice as long – the concert ended abruptly with a promise of an after party at Pandora Night Club in Old Town.

“I love Kansas, man,” Juicy J said to his audience. “This is home, man, this is home. Real talk.”

Reach Shelby Reynolds at 316-268-6419 or sreynolds@wichitaeagle.com. Follow her on Twitter: @_shelbyreynolds.

This story was originally published June 20, 2014 at 11:44 PM with the headline "Review: Juicy J interactive, personal with Cotillion crowd."