T

he audience, mostly young Jakartans, all stood up in excitement when the lights were put out and a thundering sound of music filled the air.

American rapper Curtis James Jackson III, better known by his stage name 50 Cent, came to the stage, belted out a song and threw his black jacket into the screaming audience.

“Indonesia hands up!” James shouted.

The audience soon raised their hands up and down, nodded their heads and swayed, following the beat of his songs.

Accompanied by a fellow rapper, James quickly got the area jumping, which was divided into a festival on the first floor and a VIP area on the second floor. The audience might only have sung along for short bursts, but they all waved their hands, shook their bodies and screamed in excitement.

The award-winning rapper with a DJ and a live band, as well as some hot video clips on the stage’s screen, created a real American hip-hop party in Jakarta.

50 Cent, who traveled for 21 hours from the United States to bring the party to his Indonesian fans, said he had no fears of visiting Jakarta, despite the recent bomb blast in a church in Surakarta, Central Java.

The singer said he had traveled to so many places that had experienced terrible problems, including a place where dozens of people had been killed when a bomb was detonated in the middle of the town.

“The time that I actually got the chance to perform there was one of the first times for some of those people to have the opportunity to smile following that situation. It’s exciting to be a part of that,” he said during a pre-show press conference.

He said he might not be able to fix the situation or make it any better for people, but he could help them enjoy themselves — albeit for a moment.

The rapper, entrepreneur, record producer and actor, who was shot eight times in 2000, said he was inspired by Eminem and Dr. Dre.

He said the performance in Indonesia was special for him, adding that he had made the best preparation to give a strong impression for people in the country’s capital city.

“The entire set is different from show-to-show. I’ll go for some of my favorite music verses. The hit music,” he said.

Bringing a live band and DJ to a performance abroad, he said, was not something he did regularly.

“It’s because I’m excited and I want to raise the value of the performance,” he said, adding that the live band helped him to give the ultimate performance because he could ask them to play the way he liked.

When asked about whether he ever suffered from stage fright, James admitted that such a thing always happened, although it did not last long.