Five Hip-Hop Legends Take the Stage for Art of Rap at Walmart AMP

Hip-hop history is rolling into Rogers, and it’s bringing five legends with it. Any one of these names could sell out the AMP on their own, so grab your friends, brush up on your favorite verses, and get ready for a night that runs through five decades of the genre in one sitting.

THE DEETS

Who You’re Seeing

The Art of Rap tour brings together Rakim, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Big Daddy Kane, Sugar Hill Gang, and Ice-T with DJ Evil E, backed by DJ Kevie Kev Rockwell on the ones and twos and hosted by Mick Benzo. Rakim is still the guy people point to when they talk about flow. DJ Jazzy Jeff can make two turntables sound like a full band. Big Daddy Kane and Sugar Hill Gang were doing this before most of the current NWA concert crowd was born. Ice-T rounds it out, and his own path through the genre is a story on its own.

The Ice-T Story You Might Not Know

Before you ever heard “O.G. Original Gangster,” Ice-T spent four years in the Army and came home to Los Angeles chasing a hustler’s life. He’s talked openly about the moment that changed his path: a friend told him he had a shot at rap, and that word “chance” stuck with him until he walked away from the streets for good.

His stage name traces back to author Robert Beck, who wrote under the pen name Iceberg Slim. Ice-T signed with Sire Records in 1987 and released his debut album, Rhyme Pays, later that year. He also recorded the title track for the Dennis Hopper film “Colors,” which dealt with life in the LA projects and marked the start of Ice-T’s own, often controversial, depictions of South Central in his music.

He didn’t slow down from there. His 1991 album “O.G. Original Gangster” helped define gangster rap as a genre, and his band Body Count took him from rap stages to Lollapalooza. Their 1992 self-titled album included “Cop Killer,” a song that drew national backlash and led Time Warner to shelve his next solo record. Ice-T broke from the label and kept releasing music through his own Rhyme Syndicate imprint and Priority Records for the rest of the decade, picking up collaborations with Black Sabbath and Slayer along the way.

Before You Go

Ticketmaster has warned that availability can change mid-checkout, so have your payment info ready when you sit down to buy.