Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar, Meek Mill headline Summer Jam’s 25th-anniversary show

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Hot 97 Summer Jam music event, which celebrated its 25th anniversary Sunday, had some wheelie fun moments.

Take Meek Mill’s grand entrance: He did a wheelie on the four-wheel ATV he rode onto the stage.

It was quite an entrance for Mill, aka Robert Williams of Philadelphia who was released from prison in April. His August incarceration on probation violations became a cause celebre for the hip-hop community and civil-rights advocates, who thought he got a bad rap.

Here, Mill delivered a studied and sizzling set that started with the impassioned Dreams and Nightmares.

“I used to pray for times like this,” Mill said.

► June 11: CMA Fest honors Randy Travis
► June 10: Eminem fans scared by 'gunshot' sound effects during Bonnaroo show
► May 29: Snoop Dogg breaks Guinness World Record at BottleRock Napa festival

Mill wasn’t taking the ATV anywhere. Two misdemeanor arrests for reckless motorcycle riding in New York City previously caused legal problems for him and sent him to jail in August.

“Last time I was in New York with my bike I lost my freedom,” Mill said. “This time we ain’t going to jail.”

On the topic of wheels, Swizz Beatz provided a New Jack Swing moment for the crowd that included Bell Biv Devoe performing their classic Poison while backup dancers on roller skates rolled back and forth.

What's New Jack Swing? It's the music that Bruno Mars and Cardi B's Finesse is based on.

Here was the real thing and the crowd loved it.

A producers battle between Swizz and his guest Timbaland started out promising but fizzled out as the producers aren’t exactly world-class performers.

Lil Wayne, hugely influential on the music of today, for good and for bad, also was a headliner. He appeared stripped down, no guitar but with a drummer, and performed Tha Carter era hits such as Lollipop.

► May 4: New Orleans' Jazz Fest helps celebrate the city's 300th birthday
► April 30: 8 magic moments that made Stagecoach 2018 a hit

Kendrick Lamar, Pulitzer Prize winner for his hit Damn album, also came out unadorned — no crew, hype man and barely a light show, just his rhymes against the constant daylong mist and the New York-New Jersey attitude in the audience.

The audience attitude won. His set was met with lukewarm cheers and some boos.

Apparently, New Jersey residents are still bitter over his calling himself the "King of New York" five years ago. He was very good on this stage, demonstrating excellent verbal dexterity on tracks like New Freezer and his own hits, including Humble and Don't Kill My Vibe.

► April 16: Kendrick Lamar wins Pulitzer Prize for music for 'Damn'
► April 15: Beyoncé brings Destiny's Child back at Coachella; Internet wasn't ready

Remy Ma, Tory Lanez and BBD also worked the stage Sunday for the feverish audience at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Summer Jam, hosted by New York hip-hop radio station WQHT-FM, branded as Hot 97, was launched in 1994.

Follow Chris Jordan on Twitter: @chrisfhjordan

WPXI