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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Friday, April 7
Shout out to Joey Bada$$ for one of the best albums of the year (so far). I woke up to this RT from Joey and was excited haha. If y’all want to listen to some real Hip Hop, bump All-Amerikkkan Bada$$. It’s about real issues happening in the world today.
Today, I had four press passes to The Broad. The only one down was the homeboy Corey. Shout out to him. We love art. Get you friends who love and appreciate art. There’s nothing like going to a museum to get inspired by everything it has to offer — all the creativity and talent. After almost falling asleep after a quick shower (long day), I muster up the energy to make moves. The motivation: Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room.
I’ve been to The Broad before and it’s super dope because it’s free. All you have to do is reserve tickets online in advance. The museum is downtown so that was clutch. It stays open until 8 p.m on Fridays, also clutch. What’s not so dope: the line for the Infinity Room. Last time, we were told it was a four-hour wait. That’s blasphemy. But this installation is as dope as it sounds. It was the most serene 45 seconds of my life.
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Huge thanks to The Broad for these passes. It means a lot. This is probably the most popular thing-to-see in all of Los Angeles. “A mirror-lined chamber housing a dazzling and seemingly endless LED light display.” In fact, it was supposed to be gone by now, but it did so well they decided to extend the stay. I found out the artist is a female thanks to the staff nearby. She wasn’t having it though. Being a writer, I ask a lot of questions. It was around 7 p.m. and it seemed like it had been a very long day for her.
We waited in a short line, which goes by super fast. So yes, you only get 45 seconds in the room. While waiting, we were able to peep inside as the door opened and closed. “Lit” is an understatement. It looked like the doors to heaven. The light exuding from the room was so strong and beautiful. I honestly panicked inside. As much as you want to enjoy the moment, you’re frantically trying to take the best selfie. My first three takes were extremely off-centered. And then I put my phone down. Soaking it all in, it was transformative.
After we both exchange thoughts on how we felt inside that sacred room, we make our way upstairs. The other motivation: Takashi Murakami. This is the man behind Kanye West’s “Good Morning” music video. And that’s not even his claim to fame. He is one of the most visible, popular, creative (the list goes on) Japanese artists working today. He is the Andy Warhol to his country.
It’s crazy because there were only about four pieces of his in the main room on the third floor. It’s actually one of the first exhibits you see as you get off the elevator, which is dope. This skull piece was one of my favorites, and it’s only a small section of a piece that is so long, it takes up two walls. It literally told a story from beginning to end, whichever way you approached it.
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Art is life. We had both been before so a quick walk-through before we left the premises sufficed. There were a lot of new pieces. I feel like this museum is one you could regularly go to and be just as satisfied each time you visit. All the pieces are so relevant to the culture (#Migos). It’s 12 dollars to park in the lot. So bring a friend and split it <3.
Saturday, April 8
Holy shit. I feel like I just experienced another show for the books (Jeezy was the last one). Playboi Carti at The NOVO in downtown L.A. I’m pretty sure this was his mixtape release party, but I can’t find an official flier. All I know is it’s #CartiSeason. Huge thanks to Mireya for the all-access wristbands. I usually love being part of the crowd, but it was like dangerously lit tonight. I would have been concerned for my well-being. The second song he played was “Telephone Calls” by A$AP Mob. That’s my shit.
Carti graced the stage in a bright red Supreme x Playboy jacket. It was fire. Shout out to my homegirl for getting lit with me and understanding my love for Carti. We were the minority. It was about 99 percent boys tonight — teenage boys. He got a crazy fanbase though. The NOVO was stacked not only on the floor, but all the way up (Fat Joe voice). Looking out into the crowd, you could just see the layer of smoke. This was a hot box.
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I honestly had no idea he was signed to Interscope. Even more lit. This song had the crowd (and us) feeling ourselves. It was the first time he performed his record with Lil Uzi Vert called “woke up like this*,” with an asterisk. It was so great live. I’m actually trying to download Carti’s music right now from Apple Music and notice they don’t have a lot of his tracks.
The next track he played was Rich The Kid’s “Plug,” another one of my turn up go-tos. At this point, we all just can’t help staring at this Asian chick near the front of the crowd. I noticed her on someone’s shoulders at the beginning of the show and thought “Oh that’s cute.” Next thing I know, she’s topless. Literally, her tits were out the entire show. It got progressively worse as the show got more turnt by the minute, too. People were grabbing her body. Literally, strangers’ hands were all over her torso. It was not okay. We were concerned.
I know Carti loved her. He definitely shouted her out. He also took a lot of selfies with the fans tonight, going in the crowd and taking their phones. He’s dope. Whatever he’s doing, he’s doing it right. “Of Course We Ghetto Flowers” with Lil Uzi Vert and Offset was another banger. And then he stage dives into the crowd. Twice. It took so long for security to pull him out the first time, and then one second later, he dives in again. Zero fucks.
“Run It” had the bass on 1,000. It’s this record with Lil Yachty. “I get the guap and I run it” as the crowd jumped in sync. He announced he had two songs left and I was sad. I didn’t want this to end. “Fetti” with Maxo Kream and “Broke Boi” were the perfect closers. Also, I forgot to mention the crazy dope visuals on the screen behind the DJ the entire time —those psychedelic vibes the youth love.
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Sunday, April 9
This was my mood all day today, which is why I’m so glad I was able to check out A Night With Sho Baraka tonight. Thanks V. She always looks out for me without even trying. Sho is a Christian rapper signed to Humble Beast. I have a whole new respect for this record label after we shared a special conversation with Odd Thomas, the founder. I have a whole new respect for Christian Hip Hop in general.
Sho was performing at The Resident in downtown L.A., a venue I quickly fell in love with. In fact, my brother said he ended up here on his birthday. Turn up. This place has the cutest outdoor patio with the most hipster vibe. Definitely could feel the Arts District vibes. I pull up around 9:15 p.m., which is right when Sho hit the stage. The timing was impeccable. I walk into a room with nothing short of positive energy. The area surrounding the stage was real intimate, which made the spoken word vibe even better.
I was sad because apparently, I had just missed Propaganda on stage. He’s so dope. I remember when he came through #DXLive and we were vibing so hard with him, the sesh went for over an hour and a half. It was nuts. But anyway. Sho Baraka really lifted me up tonight. Little did he know I really needed a pick-me-up. I loved this part — he joked about how he only cared about three things in this world: God, his family, and Kanye. He then performed his Kanye rant: “Kanye, 2009.”
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The concept of his album, The Narrative, is so dope. Every record has a year next to it, set up like a timeline. What really got me was when he performed “Fathers, 2004.” He gave a little precursor spiel, revealing to us how much it meant to him to be a father. He has two autistic children and you could just tell how much he loves them. He gave some wise words of wisdom, telling everyone in the room to be active for their children. This record is a celebration for the fathers.
He kept saying this was a grown folks room, which for once made me feel okay about my age. I really wish I could have stayed for the entire show, but I had to dip to my next event: Mike Darole’s Hello mixtape release party. This was at Blue Moon Hookah, which I always see when I hit Belasco across the street. I’ve always wondered about it, too, because I fucking love hookah. Growing up in the Bay, there wasn’t shit to do. So we hookah-ed.
I literally walk into a situation. I soon found out this was not ending at 12 a.m., but 2 a.m. Shout out to my girl Jen DeLeon for inviting me. She said she only invited a handful of friends so I feel special. She introduced me to Mike and it was automatic friendship. He’s from the same exact city I’m from in the Bay: San Jose. Well, I’m from Sunnyvale, but same shit. 408, stand up.
Not going to front — this function was litty. I didn’t even notice this pop-up dispensary in the corner. Shout out to Mike’s manager. He was so sweet, along with literally everyone tonight. I must have been asked if I needed anything 10 times throughout the night. “Drinks? Water? Food? Anything?” Even from Mike himself, the artist. I told Mike how A1 the hospitality was and he said it was just the result of the good vibes tonight. He couldn’t have been more accurate.
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Omar laced me with these, and I tried to give them to Jen or Mike, but then I realized I wanted them for myself. They were so pretty and smelled so dank. Shout out to my homegirl Uzo for rolling through also. Got her some tacos. If you had a wristband tonight, you were solid. Heading inside was another story. This was ratchet. But good ratchet. Turnt ratchet. Shout out to DJ Carisma spinning. It was all fam tonight.
Fuck man. I love RJ so much. I swear West Coast Hip Hop is its own genre. There’s nothing like it. The DJ dropped “First Day Out” by Tee Grizzley and it was game over. Okay, he’s from Detroit. But this is the first I heard this in a huge party setting. This hookah lounge was now a club. It was too lit for a Sunday. “Blast,” “Flex,” “No Idea Challenge”. . . RJ damn near took over this damn event.
Mike Darole finally got on the mic and played us gems from his Hello mixtape. The fans were waiting for this all night, including myself. First was the single “Hello” featuring RJ and Compton A.V. My whole thing is seeing artists perform in real life. There’s this element you feel, causing you to fall in love with an artist. This shit knocks. He also played us his records with YG, Ray J, and King Lil G. Shit, I’m downloading the tape as we speak.
I can’t get over how sweet Mike was. He’s got a crazy story, too. All love.
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Monday, April 10
Wow. I’m speechless. I just got home from Desiigner’s show in L.A. This shit was wild. I knew going in that it would be, but he really blew me away tonight. He brought out all the homies. We pull up to the Fonda Theater in Hollywood, one of my favorite venues, around 10:30 p.m. He wasn’t on stage yet, but the DJ was dropping all the slaps. Immediately, I run into all the homegirls.
Shout out to my homegirl Nechelle for rolling with me. She’s a sweetheart. I was warning her how entertaining this was about to be. I’ve seen Desiigner perform a couple times and die every time. It’s straight comedy. Not in a bad way either. He’s just so lit. Like energy level on 1,000. His facial expressions are to die for.
Honestly, the stage set-up was adorable. I wasn’t expecting that. The screen had #LOD flashing throughout the evening. The best part: homeboy not showing up on stage, but the sound stage in the back. Very random, but very Desiigner. The poor people on the balcony had no idea what was happening.
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Shout out to my girl Brooke for coming out also <3. It was definitely a Monday night, but we were here for it. I was crying when I saw Desiigner had the same exact red adidas jacket on. Literally, twins. But then he threw it off into the crowd within the first minute. His shirt also came off within the first song. His hype man, who I swear is his real brother, too. They are too similar.
Desiigner is lit. Literally. And yoked. It’s no wonder he has the 12-pack abs. His energy from beginning to end is something not of this earth. Would love to know what he’s eating. The show was a riot and we were stuck on the floor where people were trying to mosh. Hell no. We thought it was hilarious that the screen had the lyrics flashing as he rapped. I feel like they’re trying to prove a point that this isn’t mumble rap.
Don’t forget, homeboy is part of G.O.O.D. Music. It was game over when Pusha T came out. King Push is literally one of my favs. “Circles” had everybody twerking. Speaking of, before this happened, Desiigner had some fun with the ladies, getting in touch with his ratchet side. He brought out three girls at a time on stage to twerk. “Switch!” as the next group of girls came on. Our girl Miryam went up, too. It was epic.
“A fuck ni**a that’s that shit I don’t like. Bang bang!” My heaven. We were joking earlier when Desiigner kept boasting about a Lambo in a track. We concluded that G.O.O.D. Music is taking good care of their boy. I honestly have a new respect for the man. Not anyone can put on a show like this. Honestly. Truly.
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This next part had me so turnt. King Los is the man. I had no idea they were even friends. So dope. Next he played “Timmy Turner,” one of the reasons I came out tonight. That’s my favorite record by him (I hate “Panda,” I’m sorry). He brought a little kid on stage who knew all the words. Heartwarming.
Tyga was the cherry on top. I’m a huge fan of T-Raww.“Feel Me” with Kanye was definitely in rotation when it dropped top of the year. Then they performed their record together: “Gucci Snakes.” If anyone is swimming in high fashion, it’s Tyga.
