By Odeisel

Entertainers can be so self-indulgent and the younger they are, the more wrapped in fantasy and fame they can be. So what happens when a teen star on the rise decides to think of someone else and coordinates a concert for cancer research? You think just for a second that things aren’t as bad as they seem. Catholic high school senior Angelica Salem has decided that charity is more important than frivolity. Two years ago, on her Sweet 16, she turned her party into an event where proceeds went to the less fortunate.

Now that she’s a recording artist, with collaborations with Jadakiss and Lil Kim under her belt, her charitable ambitions have gone further and Salem is using her larger platform to affect larger change. Last weekend, Angelica hosted her first concert, with proceeds going to Stamford Hospital’s Bennett Cancer Center. The event featured an All-Star lineup including Flo-Rida, The New Boyz, Jadakiss, Sean Kingston and local artists, all of whom gave their all for the cause. 106 & Park’s Terrance J hosted the sold-out concert and kept the crowd hyped between acts along with hypeman emeritus, Fat Man Scoop.

Glory Daze actor Drew Seeley opened the set along with long-time friend /producer Brandon Slavinsky, followed by new comer and various local acts kept the crowd moving and warmed up for the head liners. Angelica performed numerous sets interpolating Willow’s “Whip My Hair” into her show as well as her own original music.

Jadakiss performed as much radio friendly content (“Knock yourself Out” “Why” “All I Do Is Win”) as he could to the predominantly teen audience and reserved a bit of the raw (“We Gone Make It” Who’s Real”) for the adults and nearby Yonkers brethren in attendance. His set was relatively low energy compared to the headliners, but the crowd was into it and he gave it a go.

Flo-Rida tore the stage down, inviting half the orchestra seats on the stage with him throughout his set. Flo went through his many hits with good breath control, amazingly high energy, a shirtless shoulder ride through the audience (not as garish as it sounds) and show stopping presence. Even if you think his music isn’t the most lyrical, you’d be hard pressed to find a rapper with more club anthems that can perform them with such masculine energy.

Sean Kingston and the New Boyz closed the show out (rumored surprise guest Lil Kim who is featured on one of Salem’s songs was a no show). They are currently on tour together and their energy and stage show work well together. A couple dudes got bum-rushed off the stage by security for thinking it was all good to just get on stage. Kinston had good breath control, though backed by the track vocals, and whipped the crowd to frenzy. The New Boyz blew the roof off with “Ur a Jerk” and played strongly to the teen makeup of the crowd.

It was a great show with disparate artists coming together for a great cause. Angelica Salem and her foundation packed the house, cancer research got the dough and a few dozen teenage girls got to have the time of their lives on the stage with Flo-Rida. A couple dudes, did too along with a couple tackles. We’ll leave you with a few words from Angelica:

Special thanks to the Susan Blond Agency for providing access.

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