Labor Day should be a very good weekend to be a hip-hop fan in the Bay Area.
That’s because not just one, but two cool tours — both rich in nostalgia — are coming through town.
First up is F.O.R.C.E. Live, which touches down Sept. 1 at Chase Center in San Francisco.
F.O.R.C.E. (which stands for Frequencies of Real Creative Energy) is LL Cool J’s first headlining arena tour in more than 30 years. Fans will turn out in hopes that the Grammy winner — who is also an accomplished actor — will perform such classic cuts as “Going Back to Cali,” “I’m Bad,” “Rock the Bells,” “I Need Love” and, of course, “Mama Said Knock You Out.”
The bill also features a number of other hip-hop icons, including the Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Z-Trip, Big Boi, Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick, Ice-T, Rakim and — the act we would be most excited to see — Salt-N-Pepa.
The Roots are serving as the house band for the show, with the other artists taking turns onstage.
Showtime is 8 p.m. and tickets are $29-$349, ticketmaster.com.
Next up is 50 Cent, who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the triumphant 2003 debut “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” with a massive concert tour.
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The road show is dubbed the Final Lap Tour, which, granted, sounds a bit ominous. Yet, we have yet to see any announcement or news report saying that this intended as a farewell tour.
Showtime is 7 p.m. Sept. 2 at Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View. Tickets are $39-$249 (subject to change); livenation.com. The artist also performs an 8 p.m. show Sept. 4 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Tickets are $32-$249 (subject to change), ticketmaster.com.
Both tours offer excellent ways for fans to continue celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop in 2023.
