Rapper 50 Cent to perform at B.C. Lions home opener

50 Cent hits the stage at B.C. Place on June 15 before the team battles the Calgary Stampeders

B.C. Place is going to turn into “Da Club” with U.S. rapper 50 Cent set to perform at a pre-game concert at the B.C. Lions’ home opener.

The team announced Monday that 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, will headline the Lions’ third annual concert kickoff on June 15 before its first home game of the season against the Calgary Stampeders.

“It’s an honour to give our great fans the opportunity to see a world class performer who resonates across multiple generations of music lovers,” said Lions’ owner Amar Doman in a statement. “Concert Kickoff has become a great tradition in Vancouver and 50 Cent is our best one yet.”

The Grammy- and Juno-award winning artist skyrocketed to fame in 2003 with his debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and its massive hit In Da Club.

The rapper was a guest performer in Super Bowl LVI halftime show in 2022 in Los Angeles, performing with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar in what was the first Super Bowl halftime show to feature entirely hip-hop music.

The artist performed in Vancouver last year at a sold-out show at Rogers Arena as part of his Final Lap tour.

50 Cent is expected to hit the stage at B.C. Place at 3 p.m. on June 15 before kickoff at 4 p.m. There will also be a backyard party at 10:30 a.m. with games, food and drinks, including $5 beers, at Terry Fox Plaza.

It will be the Lions’ first game at their home arena, but their second game of the season. The team start their first game on the road against the Toronto Argonauts on June 9.

Tickets for the concert kickoff start at $25 for adults and $17 for 17 and under.

This is the third time the B.C. Lions are kicking off their season with a celebrity performer.

Last year, LL Cool J drew large crowds to B.C. Place, while pop group OneRepublic kicked off the pre-game concert series in 2022, drawing more than 34,000 to the game, the largest crowd of the regular season for the CFL.