Review: Drake steals the inaugural Real Show while other artists mostly phone it in

Since its debut earlier this year, the Real (92.3 FM) has looked to position itself as a worthy competitor to L.A.’s uncontested dominant force in rap radio, Power 106 FM.

Owned by mega-conglomerate iHeartMedia, the station lured Power’s key on-air personality Big Boy in a controversial move (and resulting legal battle), and on Sunday it staged its first arena spectacle with the Real Show, a sold-out concert that brought an amalgam of hip-hop talent to the Forum in Inglewood.

Where the Real succeeded was offering a glimpse at nearly every rap trend currently steering radio dials.

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From Internet sensations (Rich Homie Quan) to rap-inflected vocalists (Jidenna, Jeremih, Ty Dolla Sign) to chart toppers (Rae Sremmurd, Future, Kendrick Lamar), the Real Show was crammed with an impressive number of acts over nearly five hours of performances.

But for the most part, that’s where the successes ended.

To be fair, radio shows have become a necessary evil in the industry, a hit-or-miss run-through of the biggest songs and artists the station has championed in the months before.

With lightning-fast set times in overcrowded bills, radio shows aren’t where many acts bring their A-game. Artists know what the audience came to hear — the hits and not much else — and it’s much safer to play to that.

What can be more frustrating is when when an act isn’t onstage and the audience is subjected to interstitial commercials or, if they are lucky, banter from station personalities, thus turning a night of music into a live version of a morning commute.

The Real did little to stray from this tried and true concept for Sunday’s show. Performers quickly cycled on and offstage, seemingly exiting as quickly as they arrived. Technical glitches marred much of the night, and when there was no music pre-recorded segments from the station’s personalities filled the time, a sometimes confounding disconnect considering Big Boy held court backstage and in the crowd yet appeared via video for most of the night.

Performance-wise too, the night was largely paint-by-numbers.

Jidenna impressed during his opening set, running through a lively three-song set as early arrivals danced along. Rich Homie Quan appeared more concerned in reveling in his hype than delivering upon it. His set was bouncy but surprisingly unfocused, with the Atlanta rapper jumping about onstage as the crowd did most of the heavy lifting by rapping his songs for him.

Jeremih’s titillating R&B served as a wise appetizer for Ty Dolla Sign’s darker, randier blend of rap and R&B. The first of the night’s marquee acts, Ty’s energetic set helped the show find the groove it had yet to find.

Backed by a six-piece band, including a horn section, the L.A. rapper-singer moved the crowd with club hits like “Or Nah” and “Paranoid” and special guests including Omarion, DJ Mustard and Wiz Khalifa.

Surprise guests ultimately stole the night, but none as much as Drake, who arrived unannounced during Future’s set.

Arguably two of contemporary hip-hop’s most valuable players, Drake and Future moved through a few songs from their collaborative mixtape “What a Time to Be Alive” along with their own arena stompers.

The night’s headliner, Kendrick Lamar, proved disappointing.

Not that the Compton rapper isn’t a formidable performer. In fact, he’s continued to demonstrate he’s in a league of his own when compared with his contemporaries, which made Sunday’s set all the more frustrating.

In recent showings, Lamar has been unpacking his latest offering “To Pimp a Butterfly” — a jazz- and funk-infused album packed with meaty lyrics and lyrical subject matter that cut across a number of concepts backed by a muscular band (or in the case of one special show, the National Symphony Orchestra).

But instead of challenging the Real Show audience Lamar opted to please, running through his revered and deeply accessible 2012 breakout “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.”

Although the album is one of few recent rap records that truly deserves to be called a classic, it’s been familiar territory on stages across L.A. since its release. The set felt like a repeat of his slot at the BET Experience in June, which itself was a repeat of sets that he’d been doing for months.

Lamar was armed only with a DJ spinning beats and his fierce showmanship. This meant the masterful “Butterfly” — far less accessible than anything performed on Sunday, but far more interesting — remained shelved, save for the funky “King Kunta” and his empowering, post-depression joint, “Alright.”

Lamar’s set is durable, yes, but any rap fan who spent money on tickets for Sunday’s show had seen it all before.

But then again, there’s nothing new about a radio show.

For more music news follow me on Twitter: @gerrickkennedy

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