Lil Wayne was the opening act for his own Lil WeezyAna Fest at a sold-out Smoothie King Center on Saturday, and part of the main event.

That main event was a reunion of the Hot Boys, the all-star quartet that helped elevate Cash Money Records from New Orleans to national powerhouse.

For its final two hours, the 2024 Lil WeezyAna Fest was a cohesively structured highlight reel of the best of 1990s New Orleans hip-hop.

Within that context, it's hard to imagine a more monumental reunion than the Hoy Boys'. It was even bigger than if, say, the founder of rival No Limit Records proclaimed Wayne the greatest rapper alive (which also happened Saturday; more on that later).

In its first decade, WeezyAna Fest alternately hit and missed. Some years, surprise guests such as Drake or Nicki Minaj gave the show extra juice. Other years, the run-of-show and/or Wayne himself were unfocused and meandering.

And then there was the disastrous move to the University of New Orleans Lakefront Arena grounds in 2019. On that blazing hot September afternoon, fans roasted on the open field and vendors ran out of bottled water. Two separate crowd stampedes resulted in multiple injuries and overturned tents and tables.

Not surprisingly, WeezyAna Fest returned to Champions Square following its two-year pandemic hiatus. Realizing the Hot Boys would be a huge draw, promoter Live Nation Urban moved the 2024 WeezyAna Fest into the Smoothie King Center, which can hold several thousand more attendees than Champions Square.

The Smoothie King Center also allowed for a stepped-up production in a climate-controlled environment, which in turn created fewer potential hazards for the livestream broadcast.

The calculations were correct: the show was completely sold out. Gross ticket sales likely topped $1 million - or, in Lil Wayne terms, "a milli."

Long way to the top

Whatever his considerable talents on record, Wayne onstage can be less impressive. During one especially ill-advised appearance at the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience in City Park, he spent most of the show playing guitar not particularly well.

Fortunately, he limited his guitar heroics Saturday to his opening, walk-on solo. He then lit the first of numerous cigarillos, or whatever it was that he was smoking, and got on the mic.

Maybe he tightened up because the show was being livestreamed to a global audience. Maybe he didn't want to get upstaged by the Hot Boys. Or maybe he wanted the Super Bowl halftime selection committee to see it was a mistake to choose Kendrick Lamar over him.

Whatever the reason, Wayne seemed more engaged than usual, even if he did still truncate most songs and trot out the tired "I ain't s--- without you" gambit.

He arrived onstage 20 minutes after the conclusion of Rob49's inconsequential opening set (which had in turned followed DJ Ro spinning music for more than an hour). As the stage belched out fireballs and smoke, Yayo the Drummer, aka Wayne's "One Man Band," supplied the beat as DJ T. Lewis added additional tracks and hype.

At times, such as in the song "Bill Gates," only Yayo's drums augmented Wayne's raps. "Hustler Musik" got a huge reaction. Wayne dedicated the quasi-ballad "I'm Single" to the women in attendance. As soon as a song cut off, he issued a quick "thank you" then moved on to the next, whether it was "Lollipop" or "Mrs. Officer."

LSU women's basketball star Flau'jae Johnson joined Wayne for the final song of his opening set, their collaborative "Came Out a Beast." Without a word of goodbye or explanation, they exited the stage, leaving behind a somewhat puzzled audience.

Big Tyme hit list

Wayne's non-farewell was soon forgotten as the Big Tymers - Cash Money Records co-founder Bryan "Birdman" Williams, aka Bryan Williams, and the label's longtime producer, Mannie Fresh - hit the ground running with no warning. The duo's seven minutes onstage touched on "Still Fly" and "Get Your Roll On," both of which electrified the audience.

Williams departed as suddenly as he'd arrive. Fresh, who produced just about the entire Cash Money catalog, stuck around to welcome Tab Virgil Jr., aka Turk, and Christopher "B.G." Dorsey for brief solo turns. Terius "Juvenile" Gray got a crowd-pleasing solo turn too.

"That was everybody apart," Wayne said as Juvenile's set concluded. "Now let's put that together."

And suddenly, there they were - the four Hot Boys, onstage once again for the first time in years. The 2024 Essence Festival of Culture in the Caesars Superdome pulled off a partial Hot Boys reunion this summer (B.G. and Juvenile collaborated while Wayne opted for his own, solo surprise set).

But WeezyAna Fest was the first full-blown reunion in more than 15 years. With the nearly 25-year-old single "Get Your Roll On," the audience was transported back to the summer of 2000. Dozens of guests crowded each side of the stage, craning their necks and pointing their cell phone cameras at the four rappers on the short, narrow runway protruding from the main stage.

The four, their arms around one another's shoulders, took turns as lead rapper. Juvenile led "Neighborhood Superstar." Fresh fronted the group for "I Need A Hot Girl."

Williams returned to the stage and joined in just in time for "Project Bitch," from the Cash Money Millionaires collection.

They all seemed to be enjoying the company and the moment. Wayne draped his left arm around Turk's shoulders for "Bling Bling." Even Williams, for whom "glower" is the default facial expression, smiled broadly at times.

Juvenile once sued Williams for allegedly not paying money he was owed. That long-ago lawsuit seemed all but forgotten Saturday as Juvenile wrapped a brotherly arm over Williams' shoulders before leading his signature "Back That Azz Up."

Twenty-two minutes in, the long-awaited Hot Boys reunion was over, at least for now. The Boys are leaving many millions of dollars on the table if they don't set aside their differences and take their reunion on the road.

Doing the work that may be necessary for such a reunion, Williams called Wayne "one of the realest n----- out here."

Wayne replied simply, "I appreciate it."

Alone again, he embarked on an exploration of his mixtape era that included "No Ceilings" and "Tunechi Rollin'."

Soon it was time for Wayne to receive his flowers.

Master P, Mayor Cantrell honor Weezy

Mayor LaToya Cantrell, wearing what appeared to be a black leather pantsuit, took over the microphone to present Wayne with a key to the city. She spoke extensively about his prominent place in the firmament of New Orleans culture and read most of the lengthy proclamation accompanying the symbolic key.

Rapper/businessman Percy "Master P" Miller, founder of No Limit Records and Cantrell's recently appointed "entertainment ambassador," revealed Wayne was one of the first honorees for a planned New Orleans Walk of Fame at the foot of Canal Street. He referred to Wayne as the greatest rapper alive - which would never have happened back in the '90s, when No Limit and Cash Money were hardcore rivals.

For his part, Wayne seemed genuinely moved by the hometown accolades - especially because, as he made clear, he's still upset about being snubbed in favor of Kendrick Lamar as the halftime performer for Super Bowl LIX. That opportunity, he said, was "ripped away" from him.

But no one, he noted, can take away the moment he was honored at WeezyAna Fest: "Make some noise for the mayor and Master P, what the f---?!?"

Once the dignitaries departed, Wayne reverted to rapping, wrapping up with "A Milli" and one final reciting of his nonsensical "I ain't.... without you."

This night would not have been nearly as fun without the rest of his historically fractured Cash Money family, reunited at least once.