FO·MO
ˈfōmō/
noun
informal
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- anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website.
- “I realized I was a lifelong sufferer of FOMO”
Urban dictionary definition: The fear that if you miss a party or event you will miss out on something great.
My definition: DON’T MISS THE EVENT.
Luckily, I’m here to provide you with all things you’ve missed, in this popping city of Los Angeles. My name is Shirley Ju, and I live, breathe, sleep Hip Hop. Coming from the Bay, I grew up to the hyphy movement. That being said, turning up is all I know. This will be a weekly recap of the dope events that I myself felt like I couldn’t miss, and you guys wish you were at.
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Saturday, January 14
I woke up to a sunny, beautiful Saturday in Los Angeles. What a perfect day for the LA Art Show. This five-day event took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center, in the West Hall. I was just here for The Fit Expo, which took place in the main building. Thank goodness it was here instead, there’s no way we could have walked that main room in one visit. Even the West Hall, which is ten times smaller was too big. As much as you want to catch every piece, it’s nearly impossible.
Tickets are $30 a day, which is a bit pricey, but you’re getting your money’s worth. A huge thanks to Lyn for allowing me to cover this. Per their website, the show “embraces its role as the region’s preeminent art fair and emerges as the annual civic celebration of the visual arts.” I was so fascinated before we even entered the show. For example, look at this video in my tweet. I had no idea it was about politics until my homeboy brought it up.
The “Shred Your Worries” station.
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That seemed to be the theme of the visit: interpreting the art for however, whichever way you see it. There’s no right answer. This station was one my favorites. You literally right down your worries and then proceed to shred them. There were colored stock paper and permanent markers. I wrote “stress” and the machine shred the shit out of it. It felt amazing. We’re still not inside yet. . .
Welcome to Asian art.
This piece tripped us the fuck out. It’s so different. I couldn’t help but think about how much time these artists put into their pieces. I could only imagine. This is their life. Today was the day their dreams come true.
One of my favorite pieces.
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Some pieces were for sale, such as this one for $17,500. Gulp. I could live off that. Look at it, though. It’s so dope. We were trying to figure out the message. Are they saying the constitution is worthless? My homeboy touched the pennies to see if they were glued down. They were not. It was seriously free money. Surprisingly, there was no one nearby to yell “Don’t touch the art!”
Candy=gold.
This piece reminded me of Big Sean. “24K of Gold” is one of my favorite tracks by him.
What’s up, Pharrell?
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This Pharrell piece is too raw. If I was Pharell, I’d hang that in my crib.
I had to hunt these pieces down for the DX Gram. And you know I rep the West Coast.
President Obama in a superhero mask on the cover of GQ Magazine? Yes, please.
No better inspiration.
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We stayed about two hours. Definitely not enough to see everything, but we did our best. You get so much inspiration from these events. Art is life.
Tonight was 93.5 KDAY’s The Rap Show featuring DMX, Nelly, Too $hort, etc. I was super bummed because Cam’ron was originally on the lineup. That was who I was going for. Nelly had my back, though. He threw it back with all the classics. We were jammin’.
93.5 KDAY in the building.
This took place at The Shrine next to USC, but this time, it was in the auditorium, versus the Expo Hall where I usually am. This is a huge theater with assigned seats, but everyone flocked to the front. We pulled up a lot later for the headliners. The moment we walk in, we noticed how turnt everyone was. Makes sense- it was a Saturday night laced with throwback Hip Hop.
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I could not believe the ladies screaming over Nelly. I was right next to them. No lie, they were screaming our ears off. It was a trip to witness. We really thought they were trying to get chose. I had a photo pass which allowed me to get up, close, and personal. I died when he performed “Air Force Ones.” Who remembers Murphy Lee?
“Dilemma” featuring Kelly Rowland had us all in our feelings. Can you believe it came out in 2002? That song gave us hope in love. Today’s R&B does not compare. “Hot In Herre” had the entire venue rapping along word for word. Nelly was the shit. I couldn’t help but notice his pants hanging below his butt. . . he a country boy.
The headliner: DMX. He is the OG if there ever was one. He graced the stage with orange Timbs, with the tag still on them. There’s no doubt all the dudes were here for his set. He literally comes out barking, proceeding to get on top of the speakers to perform “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem.”He did the same thing last time I saw him live, at Rock The Bells back home in the Bay. We actually ran into him after the festival. He was on the streets asking for a cigarette. It was priceless.
I loved this Snap I got. “Get It On The Floor” was the hype song of his time. His voice goes from normal to very aggressive (“Let’s get it on!”) at any given second. I was scared for a second lmao. His music makes you want to go kill someone or do some crazy shit. “It’s All Good” was a crowd favorite also. Solid evening. Thank you, 93.5 KDAY. I can always count on them when I need some classic old school Hip Hop in the whip.
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Sunday, January 15
Today started with T-Boz Unplugged: an old school concert to benefit Sickle Cell Disease awareness. This took place at Avalon in Hollywood. Last time I was here, I saw Desctructo and E-40 turn all the way up. This was a little different.
The show featured performances by T-Boz, Snoop Dogg, Naughty by Nature, and Da Brat. If you don’t know T-Boz, she is the “T” in TLC (verbatim in her IG bio). Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, to be exact. At the age of seven, Watkins was diagnosed with Sickle Cell Disease and continues to receive treatment to this day. She is now one of the spokespersons for Sickle Cell Disease Association of America.
We were warned that media was only good for the red carpet. Womp womp. I was glad to get this shot of Naughty By Nature, but I had to dipset after that one. This red carpet was a mess. It was tight, crowded, and someone really smelled like BO. I could not deal. Right when I arrived, it was a wrap. No offense to the event organizers at all, but it is what it is. Media isn’t always glorious. There are just as many losses as there are wins. Shout out to Jen Deleon hosting. I wanted to say hi but she was doing her thing.
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I cut across the street to meet V (the senior news writer) who knows Trev Rich. They’re both from Denver. She asked me to meet her for his single listening party. I had plans to hit yoga, but I decided to put it on hold. I fully support people from my hood (the Bay), so I totally understood. Plus it was literally right here. I walk into Tiffany’s on Vine to find the most glorious restaurant/venue. It looked so basic on the outside. . .
The Packers versus Cowboys game had just ended, and I walked into a crowd of people screaming, cheering, high-fiving, etc. I don’t follow football, so I had zero clue what was happening. I noticed I was also the only non-African American there (until V came). That usually doesn’t bother me, but I’m also usually with someone. All I knew was, Social Sundays here were lit. There’s a DJ and an outdoor patio with hookah and a fire. The food looked bomb too, and girls were showing out with their Sunday brunch attire.
Unfortunately, I did not get to see Trev perform. Always add three hours to the start time, guys. On the real.
Happy born day to Jae Murphy! This was a damn celebration. I actually just met him at the DJ Mustard For Every 12 Hours documentary screening on Wednesday. He was honestly such a chill dude. I honestly love artists that are down to fuck with you and hold a conversation. You might recognize him from his single “You Playin’” with Game, Problem, and Eric Bellinger.
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Jae is an L.A. cat, so you know he had to do it big for his big day. And he did. The glorious Globe Theatre downtown was sold the fuck out. Last time, I was here for one of those Drake parties. This time, I experienced it on a whole different level.
Tacos on deck.
I have to say a huge thank you and salute to Jahmal with Millennium Age. He made this show happen, along with the alley-oop to cop an interview with Rob $tone. Rob had just pulled up when I had, and we were posted backstage (underground). I have to take a moment to shout out Nay Tacos for feeding the people. I actually don’t like tacos, but this was the most elegant taco bar I’ve seen. Everyone was going in. They were a hit.
Repping San Diego, Rob $tone is the man behind “Chill Bill”, that hit song with a beat that makes you demand to know the artist the first time you hear it. He was rolling up and getting on for his performance. We did the interview in a tiny ass room which his homies ended up barging in and hotboxing. I didn’t mind.
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My homeboy actually had the VIP balcony, so I decided to bring him some tacos. I’m such a good friend. I literally carried this plate of four tacos around the whole venue which was literally packed. People were staring, but no fucks given. We had a bird’s eye view of the venue up there. People watching is probably one of my biggest strengths. Rob $tone finally performed close to 1 a.m.
So, this was definitely a club event/party, not a show lmao. Meaning, the “headliners” come out, play one song, and that’s it. I ain’t mad, though. It was Jae’s birthday and it was a packed house. I had to text Jahmal a congrats on that one. All the guys and girls below us were literally turnt. I guess it’s a holiday for most tomorrow. They were excited to see MadeinTYO perform “Uber Everywhere.” SKRT SKRT.
AD got on and played his banger “Juice.” I was sad because no one around me knew who he was. Even one girl was from L.A. Come on now. He’s from Compton. Jae Murphy was up there just vibing. I super fucked with his outfit tonight: a pink velour sweatshirt paired with all-white Special Field Air Force 1s. Clean.
Monday, January 16
Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a holiday for most. This means most of us thrive off the fact that it’s a three-day weekend, and forget the real meaning behind the day. Luckily for me and you, we follow Hip Hop and that shit does not go unnoticed. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights legacy, and he would have been 88 years old today. Salute.
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My brother and I decided to go see Patriots Day, pretty fitting if you ask me. This film stars Mark Wahlberg and retells the story of the Boston Marathon bombing, which took place in 2013. It was a terrorist attack. If you ask me, 2013 is pretty recent. This movie was fucking heavy. I was legitimately in tears by the end. My heart broke.
I was so shook from the actual story, and all the details that were revealed after who knows how many countless hours of investigation went into this. This film was extremely well-made. Shout to Paul Berg who directed it. It was phenomenal- highlighting how they captured the two college students responsible for the bombing. It boggles my mind that these kids are so brainwashed by their religion that they would kill mass amounts of people. One had a wife and baby.
Arclight Cinemas in Pasadena, CA.
We were in the area so we decided to hit Arclight in Pasadena. These are probably the most bougie movie theaters out there. The price says it all: $17.25 for one ticket. Thank God I had a movie pass. The 4:30 p.m. showing was pretty empty, which I didn’t mind. I honestly was sobbing at the end. They showed real survivors from the Boston Marathon who had lost their limbs and were still running. It was so touching.
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Tonight was another real Hip Hop show, stemming off the KXNG Crooked/Crooked I show on Friday. R.A. The Rugged Man’s Definition Of A Rap Flow Tour featuring A-F-R-O. I was actually really stoked because I’ve never been to The Troubadour. This is one of those classic, historic venues in Weho, similar to The Roxy. The two are very different, though.
Shout out to my girl Lyric Jones for accompanying me. I did want to go alone and I didn’t even bother my friends to ask if they wanted to see these two artists. . . on a Monday night. I already knew the answer. I mainly came to see A-F-R-O because that kid can spit some fire. He is so talented. Not too sure what he’s saying, but he goes in. It was crazy because he had just got in a car accident earlier, but he still came to rock with us.
I loved that he was using two mics. That was great. He had his homies with him, and they were definitely lit. R.A. actually called him out again deep into his set, and he was nowhere to be found. He tried a second time and it looked like they hunted him down. They made a joke about him drinking (away the car accident) and I was like wait, homeboy ain’t even of age.
Man, R.A. The Rugged Man was a fucking riot. This show was an equal combination of Hip Hop and entertainment. First of all, he chewed out everyone on the balcony (where we were posted) for sitting down at a rap show. He had a point. I was standing lmao. If you guys aren’t familiar, he’s an old school MC from New York. He is super quirky, but there’s no doubt he can spit. I was surprised at the turnout. He had fans going crazy, including his baby sister in the front row.
He was rocking this floor-length coat with a fedora, which he eventually stripped, revealing a blue satin button-down shirt and a do-rag. Legendary. Hearing him play songs like “Every Record Label Sucks Dick” really defined his character. Shout out to Hopsin in the building. Real recognize real.
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Tuesday, January 17
Is it really only Tuesday? Feels like the end of the week already. This just meant I had to take advantage of the half off movie tickets at Regal L.A. Live. Really, though, what a deal. Tonight we saw The Bye Bye Man, a horror film. If you saw previews, you were probably spooked. I walked into the 7:50 p.m theater with actual fear. That’s me every scary movie, though. I jump really easily and may accidentally hit you if you’re sitting next to me.
Per IMDB: Three friends stumble upon the horrific origins of the Bye Bye Man, a mysterious figure they discover is the root cause of the evil behind man’s most unspeakable acts. I honestly thought the movie was dope until some overly cheesy parts towards the latter half. If you’re creating a horror film, please make sure the zombies/monsters are scary and realistic. These guys were a joke.
I probably wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re into scary movies. But hey, shout out to the Drake twin (Lucien Laviscount) in the movie. Literally couldn’t get over how similar they looked. He definitely made it better.
