Delaware scores Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Slick Rick & others for big 'Masters of the Mic' tour

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Grand announced on Wednesday, Sept. 13 that the hip-hop celebration show for Friday, Sept. 22 at Frawley Stadium has been canceled.

In a strange Spider-Verse way, there's a big rap tour with Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Slick Rick and many other legends hitting Wilmington, North Carolina, right before playing Wilmington, Delaware.

The event, advertised on The Grand's website, is part of the national "Masters of the Mic: Hip Hop 50 Tour," featuring eight legendary hip-hop acts stopping at Frawley Stadium in Delaware on Friday, Sept. 22.

Some of these acts attended and performed at the BET Awards on June 25.

Here's what to know about the "Masters of the Mic" tickets, the full lineup, and who's behind this tour.

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How much are tickets for 'Masters of the Mic'?

Tickets for the Wilmington tour are $170 and available at thegrandwilmington.org.

Who's performing in Masters of the Mic?

The lineup features a blend of contemporary rappers and pioneers such as Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Fat Joe, Big Daddy Kane, Doug E. Fresh, EPMD, Rakim and Slick Rick. Although the lineup varies in different states, that roster is coming to Delaware in September. Some of the legends not coming to Delaware are KRS-One (who visited Wilmington in April), DJ Spinderella and Roxanne Shante.

Will rappers have live bands?

According to the tour's website, "the national tour will see the pioneers of the genre tear it up on stage live as a hip-hop supergroup backed up by a live band in most markets."

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Who's behind Masters of the Mic?

Universal Attractions Agency, RAMP Entertainment Agency and Mahogany Entertainment announced the national tour in June.

Jeff Epstein, Universal Attractions Agency’s co-owner, conceived the tour with Doug E. Fresh, according to the tour's website.

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"Masters of the Mic" is a unique opportunity for folks to witness hip-hop pioneers, individuals who have sold tons of records, come together and rock stages around the country for the culture's 50th birthday bash. 

The tour debuted at Essence Music Festival in New Orleans on June 30, and the final show is Oct. 14 in Texas. Oddly enough, the tour is hitting Wilmington, North Carolina, the day before playing, Wilmington, Delaware.

Rick Ross

Out of the "Masters of the Mic" lineup, the hottest rapper moving at the moment is Rick Ross. The Florida rapper's name is based on "Freeway" Rick Ross, a real drug kingpin from California in the 1980s. Ross is known for big hits like "Hustlin'," "Purple Lamborghini" and "Aston Martin Music."

2 Chainz

Early in his career, 2 Chainz rhymed under a different name (one that referenced breasts) and he was signed to "Fast and the Furious" star Ludacris' Disturbing Tha Peace Records. Chainz eventually rebranded and broke out as a heavy-hitting solo artist, dropping songs like "We Own It," "I'm Different" and "It's a Vibe."

Fat Joe 

The New York icon came onto the scene in the 1990s. Fat Joe was a star in the Terror Squad rap group that included the late-great Big Pun. The Squad also featured a much younger DJ Khaled, years before the world discovered him. Joe's catalog includes "What's Luv?," "Another Round" and "All the Way Up."

Big Daddy Kane

He's a pioneer of rapping fast over a beat. Big Daddy Kane is an OG and lyricist who recently dropped bars on the song "Slap," alongside Busta Rhymes and Conway the Machine. Back when Madonna was one of the biggest music stars in the world, she enlisted Kane to do a steamy photo shoot for her "Sex" photo book in the early '90s. The New Yorker is famous for hits like "Smooth Operator" and Ain't No Half-Steppin.'"

Doug E. Fresh

This beatbox extraordinaire and fellow New York native is best known for beatboxing the instrumental for the '80s classic "La-Di-Da-Di," featuring Slick Rick. The tune is one of the most sampled songs and has influenced a ton of music in pop culture, including bops by Miley Cyrus, The Notorious B.I.G. and Eminem.

EPMD 

New York's Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith comprise one of the most beloved hip-hop duos. EPMD began in the late '80s and have worked with artists like the Wu-Tang's Method Man, LL Cool J and Redman. Popular tunes from EPMD include "Symphony 2000," "So Wat Cha Sayin,'" and "You're A Customer."

Rakim 

Rakim injected hip-hop with a more intricate style of rap in the 1980s, which has influenced generations of emcees to come. There were a lot of happy raps that you could dance to in the '80s. But Rakim helped to grow the genre and give it more depth and seriousness with his smart wordplay and smooth delivery. Early in his career he was part of the legendary duo Eric B & Rakim and dropped gems like "I Ain't No Joke," "Paid in Full" and "Don't Sweat the Technique." As a solo artist, Rakim rocked the mic with "Guess Who's Back" and "When I B on Tha Mic." 

Slick Rick

Rick the Ruler is iconic for his eyepatch, English accent, his buttery rap flow and (of course) the gaudy rope chain. Slick Rick, who Jay-Z credits as an inspiration, caused havoc in the late ‘80s when he dropped his biggest hit, “Children’s Story.”

Rick recently was a guest speaker at a free event for Black History Month at Wilmington Public Library. He sported a large rope chain with a gigantic medallion that displays the African continent. The medallion is so big it looks like a Mac book is hanging on his chest.

The details

Frawley Stadium (801 Shipyard Drive, Wilmington) at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22. Tickets are $170. Visit thegrandwilmington.org or (302) 652-5577.

If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Rick Ross, 'Masters of the Mic: Hip Hop 50 Tour' bound for Delaware