From Buddy Hield’s clutch money ball to Aaron Gordon being robbed of his second slam dunk crown, the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend gave us a lot to talk about. And after all was said and done (especially after a particularly competitive All-Star Game), Chicago 2020 should rank as one of the most entertaining weekends in the past decade.
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It wasn’t all basketball, though, as we were treated to some superb (and a few lackluster) performances during the three-day event. From rappers to singers, here’s our ranking of last weekend’s performers.
9. Dame D.O.L.L.A.
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We love Damian Lillard, the basketball player. But Dame D.O.L.L.A. the rapper? Not so much. We don’t know what’s worse, Dame having to sit out the big game due to a groin injury or us having to sit through what could be the most boring hip hop performance we’ve seen so far.
He might have ranked higher on this list if he was able to play and maybe make at least one of his signature long range bombs. But he didn’t and his performance, one that was devoid of energy or anything positive for that matter, is all we have to go on.
We know he’s tired from carrying the Blazers all season long but c’mon, Dame! We know you can do better than this!
8. Kanye West
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There are plenty of hip hop artists that call Chicago home. There’s Ludacris, Lupe Fiasco, Soulja Boy, and Twista, just to name a few. But arguably the biggest name in hip hop who has strong ties to the Chicago area is a certain Mr. Kanye West. While he did make an appearance at court side with his wife, Kim Kardashian, during the All-Star game, we can’t help but rue his lack of contribution to the weekend’s festivities. We love us some Yeezy but sadly, he loses here by default.
7. DJ Khaled
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We’ve never been fans of DJ Khaled and his halftime show appearance alongside Chance and Quavo did nothing to change that. But it was his player introductions for the slam dunk contest that really put him this low on the list.
First, he hesitated on Connaughton’s last name which he should have learned beforehand (he only needed to learn how to pronounce four names for crying out loud). Then he proceeded to completely butcher the very basic set of words, slam dunk contestants (what in the world is a slum dank?). Finally, we believe he gave Drake a shoutout, which really isn’t so bad but... why?
6. Quavo
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The Migos member killed it during his brief appearance during the main game’s halftime show headlined by Chance The Rapper (more on him later). But we have to dock him points for botching that free throw self-oop (learn the rules, Quavo!) and for being the only other person involved in that atrocious Ronnie 2K reverse layup attempt.
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5. Jennifer Hudson
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It’s a well-known fact that Jennifer Hudson can sing, but her All-Star Weekend performance was on a whole ‘nother level than just singing. It was a powerful tribute to one the game’s best competitors and we couldn’t help but be moved by her performance. This was definitely one of the highlights of the weekend.
4. Lil Wayne
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This dude singlehandedly saved Dame D.O.L.L.A.’s performance from being completely unwatchable, and that alone is enough to propel Lil Wayne to the No. 4 spot of this list. We would have ranked him higher if he performed his track "Kobe Bryant", but he was definitely one of the weekend’s brighter spots in the entertainment category.
3. Queen Latifah
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People who only know Queen Latifah from her movie and TV appearances were probably scratching their heads when they saw her singing and dropping bars during All-Star Weekend. But it really shouldn’t be all that surprising as she is a legend in the hip hop scene and has been doing it for a very long time.
How long? Well, Queen Latifah released her debut album back when Magic Johnson was busy claiming his second MVP award and David Robinson was still a rookie. This was probably the best performance of the entire weekend, which is more than enough to place her solidly in the Top 3.
2. Chance The Rapper
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Whoever it was that would perform during the 2020 All-Star Game halftime show would have a lot to live up to after J. Cole’s sizzling performance last year. Fortunately, Chance The Rapper showed he was up to the task.
He is undoubtedly one of the most talented hip hop artist of this generation, and is probably just as good a lyricist as J.Cole. His 12-minute gig was top-notch all the way through and matched the energy and intensity of this year’s All-Star Game.
And after being used as a prop twice during the slam dunk contest by the people’s champ, Aaron Gordon, there’s no way we could deny Chance The Rapper one of the top spots.
1. Common
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Common was a very visible figure the entire weekend and rightfully so. The guy was born and raised in Chicago, and even worked as a ballboy for the Bulls in his teens, so he’s as Chicago as it gets. He’s one of the most respected rappers to ever come from the Windy City and his artistry was on full display during that spoken word set to begin the All-Star game. Even his player intros were extraordinarily good (take notes, DJ Khaled) and ranks as one of the best we’ve ever heard.
And if that’s not enough to justify being No. 1, Common also earned the MVP honors in the All-Star Celebrity Game after netting a stat line of 10 points, five assists, and five rebounds. As they say, game over.
Source: Spin PH
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