J. Cole topped off the lineup at the Soundset festival in 2015. / Mark Vancleave, Star Tribune (Special to the Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
J. Cole, Chris Brown each announce 2017 Xcel Center dates
After cancelling his 2015 local gig, Brown will try again with 50 Cent and Fabolous for openers.
February 21, 2017 at 5:26PM
Chart-topping rap star J. Cole and comeback-baiting R&B singer Chris Brown each announced upcoming Xcel Energy Concerts on Tuesday, giving fans till next week to save up their ticket money or choose between them.
Brown's concert is coming up very quickly, April 9, so he will have to come up with a better excuse than "scheduling conflict" should he cancel the show like he did his last date in town at Target Center in 2015. To help with ticket sales this time, he is bringing mid-'00s rap hitmakers 50 Cent and Fabolous for opening acts, along with O.T. Genasis, Kap G. Tickets go on sale Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster and the arena box office for $30-$200.
Still best-known as the guy who assaulted his former girlfriend Rihanna -- and accused of abusing another woman more recently -- Brown has managed to rack up several modest hits in recent years, including "Ayo," "Back to Sleep" and "Party." He has also been a popular choice for a "featured artist" guesting on hits by DJ Khaled ("Do You Mind"), Nicki Minaj ("Only") and Pitbull ("Fun").
J. Cole has been steadily working his way up the local concert ladder from Myth nightclub in 2013 to the Soundset festival in 2015 to his first arena headlining date at the X on July 21. His tickets go on sale Feb. 25 at 10 a.m. for $30-$110. The slow-stewing North Carolina rapper has not yet announced opening acts for his 57-city 4 Your Eyez Only Tour. Last year's album of the same name holds the distinction of landing all 10 of its tracks on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, thanks in large part to streaming.
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