By Nadeska Alexis
Big Sean, DJ Khaled, Tyga, Wale and Wiz Khalifa were among the artists who rocked Power 99’s annual Powerhouse concert in Philadelphia on Friday night (October 28), in addition to headliners Chris Brown and Meek Mill. Brown was the final artist to hit the stage at the Wells Fargo arena for his anticipated performance, but Philly native Meek Mill received an equally uproarious response from his hometown crowd. Despite the noticeable absence of Rick Ross, who pulled out of the show, Maybach Music still held court at the annual concert.
Big Sean and MMG rapper Wale hit the stage early in the night, with Sean performing singles from his debut Finally Famous and the D.C. native performing tracks from his upcoming sophomore LP Ambition.
DJ Khaled kept the packed house buzzing by bringing along a few guest appearances for his set. “The performance was crazy, I brought out Ace Hood, I bought out Jadakiss—it was 20 minutes of straight excitement,” Khaled told MTV News backstage. “The show was amazing, my first official performance at Powerhouse. I love Philly, always do shows in Philly but never got a chance to touch the big stage.”
There was still plenty of action left when Khaled cleared off the stage, including sets from T-Pain, Tyga and Wiz Khalifa, who skipped back-and-forth between tracks from his Rolling Papers album and Kush & Orange Juice mixtape. The crowd went wild for the Pittsburg rapper, but still, few things were more exciting than Meek Mill’s performance.
The Philly native made a triumphant return to his hometown, after his 2010 Powerhouse performance, which put his current Maybach Music deal into motion. “Last time I got off stage I actually ran into Rick Ross,” Meek Mill told MTV News, referencing the previous year’s show. “Rick Ross was like ‘Yeah I’ma call you man, bring you down to Miami so we could talk.’ We talked and it’s been MMG ever since, so it feel good to be back again.”
“It always feels good to be back home, home is the best spot, where they gonna show you the most love at,” he added. During his set Meek Mill performed his hits “I’ma Boss,” “Tupac Back” and “House Party,” making note of Rick Ross’ absence before launching into Rozay’s fan favorite “9 Piece.” “My ni--a Ricky Rozay couldn’t make it here tonight but you know he got love for Philly, so I need you to show love for him,” Meek told the crowd.
Chris Brown was the final act of the night, decked out in camouflage pants and a simple black tee, as he performed against an elaborate LED-lit set.