50 Cent And G-Unit Break Out The Hits At Their Official Reunion Show
One glance down 11th street at 7:30 p.m. last night (June 8) was enough to know one thing: G-Unit is back. The block encompassing Manhattan's Webster Hall had cops posted at either end and milling all throughout, while the line of people waiting to get in as the doors opened stretched nearly out to 4th Avenue as everyone showed up as early as they could to get through what was, of course, multiple layers of security. Because for whatever reason, any time 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks and Young Buck get together, there's something about it that just feels bigger, grander, more intense, and a little more dangerous, too.
After all, the Unit hadn't performed together since 2008 before 50 reunited the crew at Summer Jam last weekend, and they couldn't even get through an entire set before Slowbucks was involved in a fight on stage that resulted in Slow getting his chain snatched, later holding a press conference to announce he was "investigating 50 Cent's enterprises." As the saying goes, it's always something with G-Unit.
But last night—billed as their first official reunion show—went off without a hint of drama, and over a continuous set that lasted nearly two hours the crew reminded everyone in the sold-out venue just how many massive hits they have in their arsenal. "I'm So Hood" kicked things off, and from there the onslaught was relentless; despite some volume issues with the mics, particularly Banks', they ran through their brand new remix of Drake's "o To 100," "What Up Gangsta," "Beamer, Benz And Bentley," "Don't Worry 'Bout It" and "High All The Time" without a second of silence between songs. By the time they got to 50's new track "Hold On" off Animal Ambition, the energy in the building was reaching crazed levels as the crowd realized they were witnessing a full-on run through every major track in the Unit's catalog.
Each member of the crew got to shine, of course—Banks' "Beamer, Benz And Bentley" got a huge reaction, while Yayo's "I Know You Don't Love Me" and Buck's "Shorty Wanna Ride" became mega rap-alongs, and even Kidd Kidd got some shine with their new remix "Nah I'm Talkin' 'Bout." As the Unit continued rolling through bangers—"Poppin' Them Thangs," "I Get Money," "Many Men," "So Seductive," "If I Can't," "Let Me," "How We Do"—Buck seemed continually the most animated, at one point screaming, "THE UNIT IS BACK!" into the microphone. As "P.I.M.P." and "Candy Shop" got the room shaking, there was a sense that if 50 broke out "In Da Club" the place would actually go ballistic.
But before that moment, Fif stepped back, said, "Yeah, it's over," and led the Unit off stage, to the protest of their DJ. The encore break lasted less than two minutes, though, because almost immediately they dropped "In Da Club," and before everyone was even back out on stage, Buck had taken a running leap into the crowd. As "Poor Lil Rich," "Wanksta" and "Major Distribution" got shine over two encores, 50 Cent stepped back, a smile on his face, nodding and watching the crowd completely flip out. It was clear that it was a moment for him, one that he was determined to sit back and enjoy for a second or two.
But of course, this is G-Unit, and just when things are running as smoothly as possible, something always comes up that ends the harmony. "I want everyone to get home safely tonight," 50 said just before he dropped the mic and sauntered off stage, "because there's a lot of police in the building right now... Courtesy of Slowbucks."
Previously: G-Unit Reunites At Summer Jam, Fight Breaks Out
50 Cent And G-Unit Are Doing An Official Reunion Show
Slowbucks Holds Press Conference Regarding 50 Cent Summer Jam Incident