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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Wednesday, March 8
Happy International Women’s Day. Today, we celebrate females and their rights. It was so nice seeing everyone shout out their boss babes. Men included. Fact: women currently control 51% of the wealth in the US and are estimated to control 22 trillion dollars by 2020. Amazing. Today, I got approval from my supervisor to attend this all-day event: The Inaugural State of Women Summit presented by Women INVESTING in Women.
This was an all-day event for anyone interested in attending. Tickets were steep, I believe $125, but I quickly could see why. There was so much knowledge to be absorbed by so many great, influential speakers. The invite came equipped with a jam-packed schedule, which was really cool because you could pick and choose what to attend (although most stayed all day). It ran from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Huge thanks to Cindy with State of Women for allowing me to cover.
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The list of speakers comprised of experts whose main goal is to uplift women. Whether it’s high impact philanthropy and/or investing, it was for a good cause. I pull up to the Wanderlust in Hollywood around 1 p.m. to find a swarm of yogis, all socializing and getting their grub on. I check in at a table outside and was informed the event was in the other room. Thank goodness lmao. I walk inside and immediately notice the food (what was left), photo booths, and networking in the air.
At that moment, I felt very alone lmao. I hate going to events solo! But then I ran into Kayvan, the owner of girlsmeetsstrong.com, who I actually write for. Stoked. Not only a familiar face, but an extremely warm one. He’s the best. Sadly, he had to dipset, which left me finding a seat to myself in one of the row. I was happy to have caught the Mid-Day Refresher Meditation Session with Lisa De Narvaez. This was a guided meditation to re-energize our minds and awaken our souls. Much needed, especially for someone like me who suffers from anxiety.
The next speaker I absolutely fell in love with, which happened before she told everyone she used to produce videos for No Doubt. Introducing “The Power of Intention In Elevating The State of Women” with Mallika Chopra, the founder of Intent.com. This was actually the portion that Cindy had recommended I attend. She reminded me of Mindy from The Mindy Project: extremely lit with this amazing sense of humor.
Her talk really hit home for me. She spoke about how life is this messy journey. We may be in this great space: feeling connected to our job, where we’re living, etc., and then one day something happens, and we’re not there anymore. This just goes to say, life never keeps happening. It’s a matter of settling down and finding your intention. Ask yourself: “Who am I?” “Where did I come from?”
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It’s this notion of “I am” that’s just so powerful.
On my way home, I had to stop by the DX offices (in Hollywood) to meet with the boss man. He got sent this amazing Bape hoodie and I wanted it so fucking bad lmao. We both attended that screening. No fair.
Next on the agenda: a special Thelma & Louise showing in recognition of International Women’s Day. This event featured a panel and Q&A discussion with successful women in the entertainment industry. “Successful” was an understatement. The panel included Alisa Xayalith, lead singer ofThe Naked & Famous, Callie Khouri, screenwriter and producer of Thelma&Louise, Kirsten Schaffer, Executive Director of Women In Film Association, Tori Letzler, singer and composer for film music (American Horror Story), and Yvonne Orji, actress (Insecure).
The cherry on top: the moderator was Lisa Licht, Chief Marketing Officer of Live Nation. Talk about being in the presence of some of some incredible human beings. I felt real basic at that point lmao. I walk up to The Wiltern on Wilshire and was relieved to find they were just getting started. Unfortunately, I could not stay for the screening of the film which took place after the panel. It was soon concluded this was a must-see.
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It was a full house. I make my way to the front and make one sweep of the audience to find women of all ages. Whether you’re a teenager or an adult, these six women on stage were here to inspire and motivate you to follow your dreams. If they could do it, you could too. Each one discussed their career, obstacles in getting to where they are today, and gave advice for all the young women wanting to get into the business. I loved hearing Yvonne Orji speak. She literally just went public with the fact that she’s a virgin at age 32. So damn admirable.
This was such a great event- the perfect best ending to this day of celebration. Tickets were only $10 and partial proceeds went to Planned Parenthood. Huge thanks to Silvia and Nik with Live Nation for having me tonight. So happy to witness this. Throughout the evening, the lobby was flooded with eager females taking photos, getting drinks and popcorn, and writing sticking Post-its on this wall. It was all smiles.
Last stop: Saba’s LA stop on his Bucket List Tour. I caught him last time he was in L.A., which he actually brought up tonight. That show at Los Globos comprised of like 40 people. Now he was at the infamous Roxy on Sunset. His Bucket Listproject is one I really, truly fell in love with. Such great production laced with the smoothest flow. It’s something I can always revisit and vibe to.
Tonight was just one huge reminder of how much I love Saba’s music. Right off the bat, he jumps on stage playing “Stoney,” with the most energy and charisma. After seeing him perform “GPS,” “Bucket List,” and “World in My Hands,” I realized wow. I actually fuck with every single track he’s put out.
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I was most excited for this. I finally got to meet Rory, his PR/management team (along with Cristela). We’ve built a strong email relationship over the year and it’s always been all love from both ends. It was so great to finally meet IRL. This was a great turnout. We viewed the majority of the show from the VIP, which was thankfully spacious. That 6lack show was a nightmare.
Rory helped me identify the songs I didn’t recognize, like “California” and “Soap Box.” Flashback to last night when I had to rely on die hard fans at the Red Hot Chili Peppers show for the names of songs. Loved seeing Saba perform “Photosynthesis,” “The Billy Williams Story,” and “Symmetry.” Also love his signature orange beanie, which fell off a few times throughout his set.
If you guys don’t know, Saba is on Chance The Rapper’s “Angels.” Chi-Town represent. This was his first headlining tour ever, and he was killing it. Also found out there was a fan who went to the first four shows on the tour. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.
This was the best part. Before he dropped “Church/Liquor Store,” one of my personal favorites, he dedicated it to one of his friends (John) who passed away back home. It was really personal, and you could tell how much this record meant to him. And then No Name come out. Speechless. She’s fucking dope. Her voice is just incredible. Watch out for her.
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Had the pleasure of meeting Josh from All Def Digital, who described No Name as the female version of Chance. #Retweet. Saba closed out with “Westside Bound 3,” another one of my favorites. How many can I have? Lmao. Btw, just added Saba to our Spotify playlists. Follow to make your ears smile <3.
Thursday, March 9
Hello, Bay Area. It’s been a minute. Technically, I’m on Spring Break in school. And of course, I standardly almost miss my flight home. Literally had the worst Uber driver experience, and I had to get to the Burbank airport, stat. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but if you live in L.A., Burbank airport > LAX. Literally, if I was as late as I was today flying out of LAX, I would have been shit outta luck.
I arrive at the Southwest terminal with less than 5 minutes to board. When I went through the security line, I literally heard them say “Shirley Ju” in the intercom. I sprinted to the gate. But anyways. Fast forward to the evening. Did I plan to come home the night of the Isaiah Rashad show in Santa Cruz? Maybe lmao. It ended up working out perfectly. This was his Lil Sunny Tour at The Catalyst, one of the bay’s most popular venues.
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Huge thanks to Thomas and Marina with Ineffable Music for allowing me to cover. They always show me so much love <3. The show was sold out by the time I found out about it, which always makes me so proud. Last time I saw Zay was when Kendrick brought him out at FYF Fest, which was so epic. It had me wanting more. We pull up to the venue and find parking right across the street. Winning. We smoked half a j in celebration.
Isaiah Rashad is my favorite member of TDE. Hands down. Him and Jay Rock. Of course, K. Dot is king, but artists lose my attention a bit when they become mainstream. Zay is an undercover gem. At 10:30 p.m., we walk into a sauna. The body heat was unbearable. While everyone had their spot secured, patiently waiting for Zay to bless them, I squeezed my way to the very front on the balcony. It wasn’t easy, but I was not about to settle for a shitty view.
The first track he performed was “Smile,” the perfect intro. He creates music that you can just vibe to. It’s that real Hip Hop vibe you don’t get much these days. He then played “Brenda,” which he introduced as his favorite song. Excuse me as I add “Brenda” to my most recent playlist.
I loved, loved, loved seeing him in a Dubs shirt. It was revealed when he took off his hoodie one song in. You guys, it was so fucking hot in there lmao. Next, he performed “Dressed Like Rappers” and “R.I.P. Kevin Miller.” He was playing records from all his projects. The couple next to me knew every word. Salute.
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“Tity and Dolla” is a standout track from his last project The Sun’s Tirade. Funny story. I remember one day V texted me “Tity and Dolla,” and I literally thought she meant 2 Chainz and Ty Dolla $ign. Every time I hear that song, it reminds me of that moment lmao <3. Before he played “Heavenly Father,” he passed out a shit ton of water bottles to the crowd. My homeboy’s “Water is life” mantra just kept replaying in my head.
Next, he did “Menthol,” “Modest,” “Park” and “Shot You Down,” my fucking favorite. That track features Q and Jay Rock. Zay took a lot of pauses in between songs to speak with his DJ. It looked like they were scheming. I loved when he said “keep KD in our players.” That made me wonder where he was from again: Tennessee. Before he continued, he responded to a fan in the crowd saying, “Kendrick is not here.” Lmao. That was funny. Maybe in L.A., but they just got something equally as good: SZA. I was FOMO-ing at all the L.A. shows my friends were at.
Isaiah is definitely weed-friendly. At one point, he grabbed a blunt he was handed from the crowd and proceeded to go in on how much it sucked lmao. During “West Savannah,” he turned the mic on the crowd only to be extremely disappointed. No one knew the words lmao. He joked that the females knew the words more than the males. Makes sense, though- SZA’s on the track.
“Free Lunch”: one his best singles to-date. I remember how hyped everyone was when it dropped (me included). I thought this was going to be his last track, but then he blessed us with “4r Da Squaw,” “Find A Topic (Homies Begged),” and “Rope / Rosegold.” The DJ then drops “We Gon Be Alright,” as Zay went into the crowd to say to hi to all his fans.
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Shout out to my best friend for driving. We bumped Nicki Minaj’s “No Frauds” four times on our hour drive back lmao. Fire.
