New York based rappers Raekwon and Havoc (of Mobb Deep) have officially joined forces for a new tour to cap off 2025 which made its way north to Toronto on December the 2nd. The pair are have been celebrating the 30th anniversary of their landmark albums ‘Only Built 4 Cuba Linx’ and ‘The Infamous…’ which were both released back in 1995. This 1990’s hip-hop nostalgia run started last month in early November and is scheduled to finish up on December the 15th in Miami but not before making stops in multiple locations from the east to the west coast. I’m sure there will a lot of memorable dates on this tour but this concert in Toronto is surely to be one of the biggest. Not to mention that this was the only Canadian tour date on the schedule and just how packed History was as fans filled the venue to capacity. There were also a slew of special guest appearances which surprised everyone in attendance. Starting out with Kardinal Offishall who opened up the show along with his friend DJ Mastermind, the Canadian connection was the perfect touch the kick off the night. It wouldn’t take long for Raekwon and Havoc to hit the stage to a thunderous applause from the sold out crowd. 
Both rappers came dressed in matching leather, football style jerseys with the number 30 on them. The number 30 being symbolic of course referring to the 30th anniversary tour so it was a cool and creative idea taking wardrobe into consideration. Raekwon, who appeared to be getting into the holiday spirit as he walked up to the mic smoking a blunt along with a gentleman’s glass of cognac. The smell of marijuana was the aroma of the night which is common place at hip-hop concerts but adds to the flavour in my opinion. Although, Raekwon and Mobb Deep frequently collaborated over the past three decades, the pair would perform a lot of classics with just one verse from one to the next giving the fans a musical sampler of New York 90’s era rap. The first portion of the show contained mostly songs from 1995 album releases mentioned earlier, a few notable songs being “Survival of the Fittest”, “Glaciers of Ice” and “Eye for an Eye (Your beef is mines)”. Queens bridge and shaolin’s finest were on the same stage, but there were still more special guests yet to come. The first guest appearance came out early in the set list who was Big Noyd – the rapper has been featured on countless Mobb Deep songs over the years and is considered an affiliate to the crew (as close as it gets with out being an official member). Not only did he perform his own original verses but he also stood in for the late, great Prodigy on some songs.
The biggest surprise of the night was when another Queens Bridge based rapper was brought out from the back who is known only as Cormega. I don’t think anyone expected to see him in Toronto but the emcee received a grand reception although his time on stage was limited only performing one track being “Beautiful Mind”. After a short intermission during which DJ Scratch spun some tunes to keep the vibes flowing. Havoc and The Chef would eventually return to the stage with an outfit change to start the second half of the performance. The second part of the set list would contain some newer material and at one point both rappers each played some new tracks off upcoming projects that have yet to be released. Reakwon has just released a new album in 2025 titled ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ but updated the crowd that he has more in the works. Havoc would go on to spit some material from the early 2000’s like “It’s Mine”, “Burn” and “Got it Twisted”. Raekown would continue with more classic Wu-Tang joints such as “Ice Cream”, “Heaven and Hell” and “Daytona 500”. Another memorable moment during the concert was when Havoc, Raekwon and Big Noyd payed tribute to Prodigy by performing “Keep it Thoro” which got the crowd going nuts hearing the iconic beat. Homage was also paid to Loud Records by way of the video screen serving as the back drop of the stage.
As the show drew to a close, Raekwon would mention to the audience that their time on stage was coming to an end and that “they are trying to kick us off stage”. I’m not quite sure if it was a legitimate concern or just some sarcastic stage banter but it did help to rile the crowd up. Next, DJ Mastermind would return to the stage pushing a cart containing a special cake stylized with 30th anniversary tour logo on it which was unexpected. The set list was wrapped up with the final two tracks being the Wu-tang classic “Triumph” and the Mobb Deep song everyone was waiting to hear “Shook Ones” which inspired Cormega to return to the stage and sit beside DJ Scratch for the remainder of the show. Seeing how many people attended the concert in Toronto, it is safe to say the interest in classic New York rap is still very high as new generations become fans. I’m not sure if all hip-hop heads would agree with me but I suspect the 1990’s will be seen from now and into the future as the golden age of this genre of music. I suspect it is unlikely that Havoc and Raekwon will ever tour together again officially so we are honoured to have documented this once in a life time show with our exclusive photo gallery as a visual record of this performance in Toronto. Lastly, stay up to date on the rest of the 30th anniversary tour by following Raekwon @Raekwon and Havoc @MobbDeepHavoc on Instagram for all future updates.
Article & Photos By Kyle McNeil (@kyle.justin.mcneil)
