‘Drake Vs. Lil Wayne’ Tour Stops In New York For Hip-Hop Battle

Was it a concert? A smack-down? A video game?

The highly inventive “Drake Vs. Lil Wayne” show, which came to Forest Hills Tennis Stadium on Tuesday night, whipped together elements of all three.

The one-of-a-kind tour gave two of hip-hop’s leading lights the chance to return to their mic-wielding roots, if only for a two-month stand. The show’s set-up recreated the kind of classic rap battles that help younger emcees hone their skills, with the two contenders trading rhymes, as well as playful put-downs, along the way.

The audience could also get in on the act by downloading an iOS and Android app. At least in theory they could. At the venue, the app took forever to install, so many fans gave up.

But plenty of enterprising fans had taken the opportunity to download it before the event. That let them choose which star went on first, and decide the winner at the end.

The app’s graphics borrowed visuals from the popular “Street Fighter” video game, in the process blurring the line between the game and concert mediums with pluck.

It helped seal the deal that Drake and Weezy have a long history together. Wayne signed Drake to his label in 2009, and the two have appeared on the same stage many times over the years. Still, this tour brought their on-stage intimacy to a new level, while making smart use of their chummy rapport.

In some ways, the stars aren’t an even match. Drake sings as well as raps, while his elder mentor has a, shall-we-say, less than stellar vocal talent. To even the score, Wayne made a point of sneering about Drake’s “sweet singing.”

On the other hand, Wayne’s songs tend to have more energy and aggression than Drake’s. The latter star has long been known as one of hip-hop’s most vulnerable and sensitive emcees. But, for this context, Drake upped his game, picking up speed in his verse and leaning into his cadences with more edge than on his own recent “Would You Like A Tour?” roadshow.

Both stars had an ample list of hits in their arsenal to draw from. Wayne had the edge in sheer number of releases, having put out 12 albums in the last 15 years.

Drake hit back on that point. “I know his career is longer,” he said, “but my s--t is stronger.”

Wayne responded by stressing the value of experience over his rival’s youthful chart-power. “He got hits,” Wayne said. “But there’s a difference between hits and classics.”

The two stars opened the show on stage together. By audience request, Wayne spit the first rhymes, opening with “Blunt Blowin.’” He navigated his dense verse with a wily resolve. The exaggerated nasality of voice gave many of his songs a winking humor, even in his more earnest disclosures.

Drake answered back with pieces like “Draft Day” and “We Made It.”

The night then broke into a variety of separate sets from the rappers, followed by a direct, sustained rap battle between them. In this segment, they traded songs right in each others faces, upping the tension and the stakes. The encore section found them performing on the same songs, like the cheerfully profane “HYFR.”

The audience’s choice of winner has gone back and forth during the tour, which began back on Aug. 9. The New York title went to Drake — though, given suspicions over the effectiveness of the app, the result had about as much credibility as Bush’s win over Gore. Either way, with so much striking verse and good will in play, the win ultimately went to the fans.

When I heard Drake was on a pole, I thought his a$$ was swinging down the sh!t!!!

Turns out, he was just using it to fly through the air …...

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