Salt-N-Pepa stormed the nation’s capital for the latest stop on their “Legends of Hip-Hop” tour over the weekend at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. Sandra “Pepa” Denton and Cheryl “Salt” James tagged teamed through their classics including “Shoop,” “Whatta Man,” and “Push It” to commemorate the 25th anniversary of their 1986 debut Hot, Cool, & Vicious.

The rap pioneers brought along fellow vets Kurtis Blow, MC Lyte, Biz Markie, and Doug E. Fresh to perform hits from hip-hop’s Golden Age. The legendary crew will travel to St. Louis, Memphis, and Chicago before wrapping the trek on April 2 in Atlanta.

Blast back to the past by checking out the pics below.

It was a not-so-silent night for listeners of Power 106. The L.A. radio station started the weekend off right with its annual Cali Christmas concert at the Gibson Ampitheater in Universal City, Calif. Waka Flocka Flame, New Boyz (with Teairra Mari), and Far East Movement performed early in the evening, making way for Rick Ross, Pitbull, Ice Cube, and Chris Brown, who brought his own gifts with guests Bow Wow, Tyga, and Ester Dean. E-40 and Too $hort received a warm welcome from their L.A. fans with their surprise set.

Check out our photo gallery from the blazin’ evening below.

Photos by Rap-Up

Inside New York City venue S.O.B.s on Thursday night, attendees enjoyed apple and berry cocktails as they awaited performances from the likes of Travie McCoy, Wynter Gordon, and XV. And though there were fun and games to be had, the Hennessy Artistry event had a deeper purpose benefitting Artistry GIVES, a program that raises funds to keep the arts alive in schools.

“[They do] a lot of music education, which a lot of schools need these days, because [schools are] cutting back,” Wynter tells Rap-Up.com.” A lot of kids don’t get to have the arts programs like I did when I grew up. This is a great thing for them.” Travie adds, “Once they told me how they were helping young artists get off the ground through [their charity], inspiring them to get to the next level, I was super stoked about it.”

Before Wynter took the stage, Hot 97′s Peter Rosenberg warmed up the cramped crowd with tunes from Rah Digga and even Bobby Caldwell. Soon the frizzy-haired Wynter grabbed the mic, singing her electro-dance single “Dirty Talk” and “Till Death.” To the shock of the audience, she then took out a whip decorated with a black heart to perform the David Guetta-produced “Toyfriend.”

XV was next on the bill, and the crowd clearly knew his name. He performed his single “Nevermind,” spitting, “I was gonna step out the whip/ In a fresh outfit/ But then I went and thought about you/ Nevermind.” He followed up with “Mirror’s Edge” before handing the mic over to headliner Travie McCoy.

When the tattooed rapper burst onto the stage for his first tune, “Dr. Feel Good,” the crowd was captivated as he brushed through hits from his solo debut Lazarus. His vibrant friends, The Oxymorons, joined Travie for “We’ll Be Alright,” causing hands to shoot up in the air. “Billionaire” came mid-set, sans collaborator Bruno Mars, however, the audience dissonantly made up for the singer’s absence. Before rushing off stage, Travie gave new and devoted fans some parting info: he’s 16 tracks deep into a new album with his Gym Class Heroes comrades.

–Tanya Remekie

Photos by Cassidy Maldonado

T.I. arrived at Capitale in a rush, but quickly settled in for a night to remember during his first full show since his “brief vacation” at AXE Music’s “One Night Only” launch concert in New York City on Monday (Aug. 16). The motto, “Who did you bring?” was plastered on the widescreens positioned at the sides of the stage. As for Tip, when he entered the room, he brought with him a collected demeanor, unfazed by the pushes and pulls of the press and anxiety of the crew, and a wad of Benjamins in his pocket. But that wasn’t all he brought.

When he arrived on the platform to perform his hits later that evening, a few trusted friends tagged along. His labelmate Maino got his shine on during his empowering anthem “All the Above.” Grand Hustle’s own B.o.B. came out for his smash “Nothin’ on You,” while Cam’ron and Vado got the audience live with “I Really Mean It.” Everyone could feel the love in the room when Mary J. Blige accompanied Tip on “Remember Me” and “Good Love.” The incomparable hit battalion that is Swizz Beatz got down with “Fancy,” giving way to Keri Hilson, who strutted across stage in a leopard-print top, leather shorts, and combat boots for “Got Your Back.”

T.I. wasted no time delivering the hits that made him King of the South including “Whatever You Like,” “Swagga Like Us,” and “Bring ‘Em Out,” while his new bride Tiny waited in the wings. Trey Songz was also spotted in the audience. Clifford Harris Jr. ended the show with his chart-topper “Live Your Life,” sans Rihanna, and by telling his fans to believe in their dreams, for if no one else does, “I believe in you!”

They say T.I. has the South on lock. After winning over NYC and a throng of celebrity supporters, it was apparent that he also holds the key to the North.

–Tanya Remekie

Photos by Cassidy Maldonado for Rap-Up

Still beaming with pride, the city of Los Angeles celebrated the Lakers’ NBA championship by welcoming some of the boys in purple and gold and hip-hop’s power players at Power 106′s Powerhouse 2010 concert at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday (June 19).

The lineup was packed with hip-hop and R&B all-stars, starting with rookies Jason Derulo and B.o.B, with special guest Bruno Mars, who warmed up the crowd before passing the mic to Baby Bash and ladies’ man Trey Songz. The screams reached a high when Drake took the stage in all black, bringing out Kobe Bryant for “Over.”

The surprise of the night came from Diddy, who made an unannounced appearance, performing a 15-minute set, including “Bad Boy for Life,” “Last Night,” and his latest hit “Hello Good Morning” with Dirty Money’s Dawn and Kalenna. He wished Tupac “Happy Birthday” and was joined onstage by his son Christian, who seems to be taking a page from his pop’s book.

A dapper Ne-Yo delivered the evening’s most impressive set, with tightly choreographed routines that had the R&B star breaking out a sweat in his designer suit. He performed his two new singles “Champagne Life” and “Beautiful Monster,” before giving way for the show’s headliner, Snoop Dogg.

The smell of weed was thick as the Doggfather catered to his hometown with classics such as “Murder Was the Case” and “Gin and Juice,” and newer fare including “Gangsta Luv” and “Sexual Eruption.” But it wouldn’t be a gangsta’s party without Warren G (“Regulate”) and the D.P.G.C., who had the West Coast on its feet with “Ain’t No Fun (If the Homies Can’t Have None).”

Photos by Cameron Lazerine for Rap-Up

Drake and Nicki Minaj made their first appearance at Hot 97′s annual Summer Jam concert at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday (June 6). The Young Money Millionaires treated the crowd to a performance of their new collaboration “Up All Night” from Thank Me Later.

The hip-hop Barbie changed outfits three times throughout the show, rocking an orange wig during her and Drake’s sets, pulling out a black-and-white bodysuit for DJ Khaled, and finishing in a pink dress and black wig for Usher, where she held hands with her “Lil Freak” Cassie.

Rick Ross, Trey Songz, Ludacris, Gucci Mane, Fabolous, Juelz Santana, and Reflection Eternal (with special guests Estelle and J. Cole) all took the stage before DJ Khaled, who had everybody’s hands in the air for an all-star set that included Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, Cam’ron, and T-Pain.

Queen Latifah, Pharrell, and Diddy shared hosting duties, Chris Brown returned to the stage, Nas and Damian Marley debuted their music live for the first time on television, Mary J. Blige dueted with her soul sister Jazmine Sullivan, and former President Bill Clinton drew some of the loudest applause during BET’s “SOS Saving Ourselves: Help for Haiti” concert and telethon in Miami on Friday (Feb. 5). Watch some of the highlights below.

Chris Brown – “Crawl” and “With You”

Nas & Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley – “Strong Will Continue”