Rapper proves he still has the

50 Cent, who’s on his first U.S. tour in three years, proved over the weekend that he’s still got enough gangsta swagger and physical presence to wow fans. During concerts at Club Nokia in Los Angeles on Friday (June 4) and the Majestic Ventura Theater on Saturday (June 5), the rapper served up a two-hour show packed with platinum hits, including “Disco Inferno” and “In Da Club,” plus tunes from his 2009 CD, “Before I Self Destruct.” He also performed snippets from his upcoming fifth studio CD, “Black Magic.”

Although 50 told The Star last week he had prepared “three different shows” for this tour and that his “music would completely change” from night to night whenever he was playing cities in close proximity to one another, the rapper’s shows in L.A. and Ventura were virtually carbon copies. Fans at both venues loved the show. If any of them made the trip to both gigs and were upset that they saw largely the same show, they didn’t make their feelings known. The 2300-seat Club Nokia didn’t quite sell out, but the 1,200-seat Ventura Theater did.

Before both concerts, there was much buzz about 50 Cent’s dramatic weight loss. He recently had dropped 60 pounds from his normally muscular 214-pound frame for a movie, in which he plays a college football star battling cancer, and fans were curious to see if he had regained his buff physique.

Turns out the rapper looks leaner than usual, but nowhere near as gaunt as he did in a publicity photo from the film. 50 told The Star last week he ended his liquids-only diet on May 1, and had already bulked back up to 198.

When 50 hit the stage, he launched into “Then Days Went By” and followed it up with “So Disrespectful,” both tunes from his 2009 album. Fans at both venues greeted him with plenty of applause.

Tony Yayo, who is signed to 50 Cent’s G-Unit Records label, joined his boss for the entirety of both shows and provided plenty of onstage energy. On some of the songs, 50 was backed by a four-piece band while DJ Whoo Kid worked the turntables.

This is the first time 50 has used a live band on tour in the U.S. and it was a nice touch. The group added a more robust sound to many of his more commercial, R and B-tinged songs like “Baby By Me.” In both cities, singer Governor joined 50 Cent onstage for that song, delivering the hooks originally performed by crooner Ne-Yo on the “Before I Self Destruct” album.

50 brought out some of his celebrity friends at the Club Nokia, including boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., who arrogantly flashed a thick wad of bills in front of the audience.

The rapper, however, looked much more comfortable during the Ventura show, where the energetic crowd hung on his every word and women threw their panties on stage.

“That makes me feel good,” 50 Cent said to the Ventura crowd as they lost control after his performance of “P.I.M.P.” “You know, it’s been three years since I’ve been out here, and that made me feel good.”

One of the highlights both nights was 50’s a cappella version of “Backdown” and a remix of “Outta Control,” a 2005 collaboration with Mobb Deep that was featured on 50’s second studio album, “The Massacre.”

For added dramatics, the house lights in L.A. and Ventura went off for a few minutes while 50 took his post at the top of a set of stairs as the band launched into “Many Men.” Standing below a massive backdrop picture of a more ripped and muscular version of himself, the rapper seemed to directly challenge critics who might question if he is still at the top of his lyrical game.

50 closed out both shows with his 2003 hit “In Da Club,” then teamed up with Yayo to give fans a sample of Yayo’s new G-Unit single, “Pass da Patron.”

Even though 50 had to drop a few weight classes to get his movie made, he proved in L.A. and Ventura that he’s still a true rap heavyweight.