TOLEDO, Ohio — Wednesday night was a big one for music fans in northwest Ohio, as Toledo played host to both Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa.
The two took the stage inside the Huntington Center, and some local artists said they were the biggest acts to play at that venue.
Their spotlight is shining a light on our local music scene.
Local rapper Hansum and thousands of others packed the Huntington Center to lay back with Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa.
"If you ain't at the Snoop show tonight, then that is crazy," Hansum said in a freestyle rap earlier Wednesday. "Really came up and I'm an east side baby. Hansum in the city and I'm really going crazy."
Local artists said having two influential performers in town is major.
"They are A-list celebrities," rapper Fred Dukes said. "It's the biggest name I've ever heard. I can confidently say that Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa are the biggest acts to be at the Huntington."
Not only that, they said Snoop Dogg is generational. It doesn't matter what age you are, you've likely heard one of his songs.
"He's the most famous rapper, period," rapper Chiefalone said. "He's got some type of star power that appeals to every person."
Snoop is also an influence on local rappers and is usually one of the first rappers they listened to.
"I grew up listening to Snoop Dogg because my dad played him. Wiz Khalifa is more my time. I love Wiz Khalifa," Hansum said. "Having them both in the city tonight is legendary."
Snoop had an influence on Chiefalone, too.
"Snoop's been my favorite rapper since like 1991. When I saw 'Deep Cover,' I was like, that's my favorite rapper. Ever since then, that was just it. So I chose right."
For these local musicians, having Snoop and Wiz in town puts a bigger spotlight on their music and pushes them to keep creating.
"The song is called 'Black like Rice.' People ask me why I call it 'Black like Rice,'" Fred Dukes said of an original song of his. "I tell them because no rice comes out of the ground white. It has to be bleached. It's dirty rice. In those lyrics I implicate, is it because I'm black like rice? My momma made dirty rice."
All of these rappers say most of their songs come from things they've seen or experienced, and they are also working on releasing some new music.