For a recent film role in Things Fall Apart, multi-platinum superstar rap artist and burgeoning actor 50 Cent shed more than 50 pounds (and much of it muscle mass) to play a football player who gets cancer. Yes, the pictures are astonishing – the dude’s head looked like a giant melon on his deathly thin body – but he should be in fine shape (if still lean and mean) for “The Invitation” tour. Meant to be a more intimate concert experience than 50 Cent fans are used to, the stops will feature the rapper performing select hits from his catalog as well as songs from his forthcoming album, Black Magic, which he’s described as “more soulful” and “more mature” than his previous works. Weds., June 16, Jannus Live, St. Petersburg, $47.50, jannuslive.com. —Leilani Polk
This article appears in Jun 10-16, 2010.