Lil Wayne, E-40 and Iowa's hip-hop summer

If you’re checking your entertainment calendar, there’s a notable concert Thursday at Casey’s Center in Des Moines.

Lil Wayne, who is credited with three No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits, performs in one of the biggest hip-hop shows ever held in Iowa.

He performed at the then-Wells Fargo Arena in 2024, drawing a big crowd. Other stars of the genre, like Drake and Cardi B, also visited our state.

But face it. Iowa rarely gets big-time rappers, even though there’s certainly an audience. Hip-hop is unlikely to topple country music as Iowa’s most popular music.

Lil Wayne performs at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines April 11, 2024. (Photo by John Naughton.)

There have been baby steps to Iowa attracted big names in hip-hop and its smoother cousin, R&B.

*E-40, a West Coast musical godfather of sorts, played April 23 at the Horizon Events Center in Clive, along with KC-based rapper Tech N9ne. That spring show seemed to kick off the trend.

*Sioux City’s annual Saturday in the Park earlier this month featured performances from Tech N9ne and 2DEAD BOYZ.

*The Iowa State Fair includes performances by Salt-N-Pepa, the first all-female hip-hop group inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2025. They play the Grandstand August 18 (side note, joined by TLC with Des Moines native Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins). BigXThaPlug takes the stage August 22. On August 20, pioneers The SugarHill Gang play in a free performance.