There are plenty of reasons for hip-hop heads to be excited about Powerhouse 2010, the annual assemblage of heavy-hitters presented by Power 106 FM. There’s R&B fave Ne-Yo, Imogen Heap-sampling Jason Derülo, rising star B.o.B. and, why not, the ubiquitous Snoop Dogg. But by far the most compelling reason is headliner Drake, the Canadian-Jewish rap superstar who’s built his reputation through a string of critically acclaimed mixtapes and close ties with Lil Wayne. Powerhouse comes just days after the official release of his first studio album, the much-anticipated Thank Me Later. Even though the whole thing leaked a couple of weeks ago, there should still be a lot of excitement around the performance—especially since after Powerhouse, Drake’s headed to Europe for a series of festival shows in July.
Sat., June 19, 7 p.m., 2010
