It’s been another incredible year for live Hip-Hop concerts in Toronto! As we bring the year to a close, we’re taking a look back at some of the best shows I got to attend and review this year. While I admittedly missed out on more shows that I would’ve liked, particularly skipping over a lot of the newer generation of artists to debut within the past decade, the shows I did get to see included several veteran artists celebrating milestones, from 20 and 30-year anniversaries of classic albums to legacy artists getting their long overdue recognition with major world tours. Last year’s theme of celebrating Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary carried over into this year, with celebrations ranging from niche underground shows to massive festival and arena stages.

Sending a big thank you to all the promo companies and artist management who put these shows on and helped grant media access for this blog to review a lot of them, including Klee MaGor & Landmine Entertainment, R-Evolution Media, Robbie G Presents, Embrace Presents, DJ Chino & The Hella Treez family, The Reel Wolf family, The Raw Dog Entertainment family, JD Era & Roadman Productions, Supreme Genes Entertainment, 5 Elements Entertainment, RAP SEASON, Ink Entertainment, and Live Nation. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! Let’s get into the Top 10:

Click here to check out last year’s Top 10 covering 2023.

(All shows were in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, unless otherwise noted)
*Indicates a show I did not write a review for

Honourable Mentions (in chronological order):
D12 & Obie Trice at The Rec Room
k-os at Club Fuego in London, ON
Termanology at Rooftop On College
Slick Rick at The Phoenix Concert Theatre
Lloyd Banks at Maxwell’s in Waterloo, ON
Killer Mike at The Danforth Music Hall
Bastid’s BBQ Festival at The Bentway
¡Mayday! at Lee’s Palace
Raekwon at The Opera House
Justin Timberlake at Scotiabank Arena*
YASSiN & Sean Terrio at El Mocambo*
NYE Block Party (Shad, Maestro Fresh Wes & More) at Celebration Square in Mississauga, ON

10. Limp Bizkit at Budweiser Stage*
(July 24, 2024)

Although this is a Hip-Hop blog, I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to see one of my 12-year-old self’s favourite bands, the day after my birthday no less. As a fan who hasn’t really listened to Limp Bizkit’s music since high school, their performance was everything I wanted to see, as their core setlist stuck to that 1997-2001 era of their discography with all the hits that brought the nostalgia factor. They definitely had the crowd partying like it was ’99 again, performing “Break Stuff” both near the start of their setlist and again as the big finale to their show, and Fred Durst would comment that Toronto was one of the few stops at that point of The Loserville Tour that had mosh pits breaking out. This was easily one of the most energetic concerts of the year!

9. Mobb Deep & Smif-N-Wessun at The Phoenix Concert Theatre
(December 15, 2024)

The most recent concert is always the toughest to rank since there’s usually recency bias, but Supreme Genes Entertainment really did have a strong close-out to their 2024 concert season, bringing us two iconic New York Hip-Hop duos with legacies worth celebrating. Just as we saw them do the previous year, Smif-N-Wessun displayed impeccable showmanship as a duo, spitting their raw raps with perfect execution, while Havoc and Big Noyd carried the torch for Mobb Deep, putting in a team effort between themselves and the fans to cover the late Prodigy’s verses. Havoc & Big Noyd’s performance in particular took us through several eras of Hip-Hop as they put Mobb Deep’s longevity on full display, and as an added bonus they brought out fellow Queens legend Cormega as a special surprise guest. While’s it’s bittersweet not having Prodigy here to witness how Mobb Deep’s music is still resonating today, Havoc & Big Noyd still honoured the legacy with help from the fans.

Click here to read the original concert review.

8. Elzhi & Phat Kat at The Rivoli
(March 31, 2024)

With small-venue shows being the most intimate and interactive, The Rivoli was the perfect setting to see Detroit veterans Elzhi & Phat Kat shred the mic with their sharp lyricism. Often considered one of the best emcees to ever come out of Detroit, Elzhi put on an impeccable, raw performance, rapping every verse he spit word-for-word with no hypeman or backing vocals, and sounding just as sharp in person as he is on his albums. Along with Elzhi taking us through the years with his deep discography, Phat Kat was also hyped to be performing in Toronto for his first time in over 24 years, staying true to that Detroit style of raw, in-your-face emceeing. Between Elzhi, Phat Kat, and a surprise appearance by Dankery Harv, all rapping over beats by J Dilla, Black Milk and others, Detroit excellence was definitely celebrated with this event, although we also have to shoutout Toronto’s Juno award-winning group Naturally Born Strangers reuniting for a rare performance among the local openers, as they brought a ton of energy out of the hometown crowd.

Click here to read the original concert review.

7. Your Old Droog at Adelaide Hall
(September 28, 2024)

Your Old Droog has been somewhat of a reclusive figure over his 10+ year career, rarely ever going on tour north of the border but sure to make an impression on those who do get the opportunity to see him perform live. Including Toronto as the sole Canadian stop on The Movie Tour, this was YOD’s first time headlining his own show in the city rather than opening for other artists, and he made sure to put his full range of artistry on display, showcasing the strong discography he’s built over the past decade. Even for longtime fans familiar with his music, it was surprising as hell to see him open the show with a guitar, playing riffs from Black Sabbath before even getting on the mic. Between Your Old Droog and DJ Edan, it was an action-packed two-man show, with YOD showing the hunger of a still up-and-coming emcee by killing every verse he spit, and DJ Edan helping him shine more by highlighting certain punchlines and adding comedic anecdotes. With the intimacy of Adelaide Hall, it felt like a room full of fans in-the-know being united in appreciating one of modern-day Hip-Hop’s best kept secrets.

Click here to read the original concert review.

6. R.A. The Rugged Man at Hard Luck Bar
(March 9, 2024)

This was my personal first concert to start the year off, and it was a hype one! On the anniversary of the passing of The Notorious B.I.G., it’s only right that we spent the evening seeing one of his one-time collaborators perform live. As always, R.A. The Rugged Man showed that he’s a master of setting off mosh pits no matter what kind of venue he’s in, and he did it with new material off of his All My Heroes Are Dead album being performed in Toronto for the first time. Between the local openers and special guests joining Rugged Man at this show, it was a diverse display of Hip-Hop elements, including beatboxing, DJing, breakdancing and emceeing, mixed in with the rowdy, hardcore vibes Rugged Man is known to bring to the stage and out of his fans. Not being afraid to interact directly with the fans and keep the crowd engaged, it’s always a lasting memory seeing R.A. The Rugged Man perform live, from the blunt, unapologetic lyrics to the otherworldly breath control.

Click here to read the original concert review.

5. Method Man & Redman at The Phoenix Concert Theatre*
(July 20, 2024)

Being one of the illest duos to ever exist in Hip-Hop, it’s always going to be one of the best concerts of the year when you see Method Man & Redman perform live. Even though their setlist was pretty much 90% the same from when they last performed at this same venue in 2022, it’s the execution, stage presence, showmanship, and synergy between the duo that keeps their live show from getting stale. Highlights from their setlist besides the expected hype included T-Dot’s own Saukrates making a surprise appearance to perform “Ayo” with them, as well as Streetlife joining Method Man for a few songs, and a reluctant Anthony Mackie being pulled on stage from the VIP area to say hi to the fans. Although Red & Mef didn’t get to stage dive mid-song like they used to back in the day, they did get to do some organized crowd surfing at the end of the night, something that seems to happen fewer and far between as they get older and fans holding their phones up throughout the show continues to become the norm. While Red & Mef’s live show is near flawless already, I’m hoping they can switch up the material at future shows with Redman recently releasing his long-awaited Muddy Waters Too album.

Also need to shoutout the openers who performed at this show, as Vancouver emcees Junk & Hungry made a dope first impression with their speedy raps, and local artists Swish Styles, MLNY, Konan Doyle and The Wolf Pack all killed their sets.

4. Cypress Hill at Toronto’s Festival of Beer at Bandshell Park
(July 26, 2024)

Toronto’s Festival of Beer never misses when it comes to their Hip-Hop night of the festival. This year’s edition was a west-coast, ’90s-themed concert with Oakland legends Souls of Mischief returning to Toronto just a year after blessing us with two shows on their 30th Anniversary Tour, and Los Angeles’ own Cypress Hill headlining. As always, there was the full day of enjoying good food and beer samples out in the summer weather, but the main draw for most may have been the rare opportunity to see Cypress Hill headline a Hip-Hop concert, as their last few times performing in Toronto were as openers for different Rock bands. For me personally, it was my first time seeing a full setlist by Cypress Hill, and they crushed it on stage with their performance, blending the Rock and Rap with their live drumming over the beats. With endless party anthems and mosh pit starters (although this crowd didn’t mosh much), Cypress Hill brought the right energy as the Beer Fest headliners.

Click here to read the original concert review.

3. Missy Elliott at Scotiabank Arena
(August 19, 2024)

It was long overdue for Missy Elliott to headline her own arena tour after seeing her music age gracefully over the years and receiving recent major accolades, including inductions into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Known as one of Hip-Hop’s most visually creative artists through her iconic music videos, The Out Of This World Tour saw her bring that same level of creativity to the stage. Every song she performed had its own unique look and feel to it, with levitating platforms, pyrotechnics, outfit changes, and an incredible team of backup dancers; even the fans were given wristbands that lit up the arena in colours and patterns that fit each song. The tour’s openers all bought into the vision as well, with Busta Rhymes bringing his authentic, raw approach to the arena stage with the same energy we’ve seen from him at smaller club shows, and Ciara showing off incredible choreography as she and her dancers ran through her Pop and RnB hits. Missy Elliott’s always been known to bring the fun factor to Hip-Hop and RnB, and that’s exactly what she did with her live performance.

Click here to read the original review.

2. M.O.P. & Kool G Rap at The Phoenix Concert Theatre
(March 30, 2024)

Supreme Genes Entertainment set the bar early in the year with this showcase of New York Hip-Hop excellence, and time would tell us that not many shows in 2024 could match the energy that this concert had. This was just the second time in history that Corona, Queens legend Kool G Rap performed north of the border, and for me personally, it was my first time seeing the Brownsville, Brooklyn duo M.O.P. perform live. Between G Rap’s highly influential catalogue going back to the ’80s and M.O.P.’s all raw, no bullshit approach to live rapping, this felt like a truly authentic New York Hip-Hop experience. Each emcee relied solely on their microphone and stage presence to bring the energy out of the crowd, and M.O.P.’s synergy, execution and showmanship as a duo were especially mind-blowing to see for the first time. While their hit “Ante Up” is known as one of the most hype, energetic Hip-Hop songs of all time, M.O.P. reminded us that they have a deep discography that spans multiple decades, making this a worthy inclusion in the year-long celebration of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary.

Click here to read the original concert review.

1. Childish Gambino at Scotiabank Arena
(August 18, 2024)

Intended to be his farewell tour before he retires his Childish Gambino persona, The New World Tour saw Donald Glover put together one of the best executed performances of his career. From the innovative lighting and projection technology being showcased for the first time on a concert tour, to the setlist that went all the way in on his decade-plus-long discography, this was the ultimate appreciation piece to one of modern-day music’s most creative, diverse and multitalented artists that is Childish Gambino. Seamlessly moving between his many styles of music, blending Hip-Hop, Rock, Pop, Funk, Soul and RnB, Childish Gambino had something for everyone and kept the crowd engaged throughout his action-packed performance. While health problems later caused him to cancel the bulk of what was originally going to be nearly 60 arena-sized shows across 16 countries, Childish Gambino gave Toronto an epic performance early on in the tour, putting his showmanship on full display as he performed songs off of his latest album, Bando Stone and The New World, and also pulled out rare throwbacks from his back catalogue for the day-one fans.

Click here to read the original concert review.

And that wraps up the Top 10! Let us know in the comments on social media which were the best concerts you saw in 2024, links below!

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