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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Monday, April 17
Time is flying and it’s really tripping me out. Today was a Monday if there ever was one. I was busy from AM to PM, running around the city of angels. And the soundtrack for the entire each destination was K. Dot’s new album. He is GOAT. I fell in love with “LOVE.” yesterday, and today I fell in love with “FEAR.” He is bringing real Hip Hop back. Bless his soul.
Tonight was Banks & Steelz at the lovely El Rey Theater on Wilshire. If you guys aren’t familiar, this is what you get when you take the lead singer of Interpol, Paul Banks, and fuse him with the unofficial leader of Wu-Tang Clan, RZA. I was pretty excited to see what this was all about. Walking up to the venue around 10 p.m., I realized, for once, the venue wasn’t sold out to the brim.
I lead us up to my secret spot to the right of the stage by the exit sign. I was a bit confused because El Rey had allotted a 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. set time for the duo, but they actually only played an hour. That made more sense to me, because I didn’t think they had enough material for a two-hour set. They have a project called Anything But Words. That album title is a statement in itself. Both members are so musically inclined.
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Wow. What happened next had us feeling some type of way. My girl was hot, but I couldn’t keep laughing. We were already well-aware of our surroundings, not by choice. There was this older white woman straight gigging by herself right beside us. One of those ladies you see at festivals in her own world, and 100% on substances. This was the same scenario. I was actually praising her earlier because she looked like the band’s number one fan. Plus the crowd was very calm. Too calm.
Well, speaking too soon, we soon get the wrath of her and her man. They shushed us. Straight up asked us to stop talking. And then we got into an argument. I cannot. I hadn’t seen my girl in a minute, so we were innocently chatting it up. But like, come on. It’s free space. This wasn’t a movie theater where you had to be quiet. This was a concert. I was in shock. But then I just couldn’t stop laughing. My girl checked them so hard.
We tried to keep enjoying the show and pay them no mind. But it was very difficult. RZA helped. He was loving the champagne on stage. He snaps in this clip. Next, they played “Wild Season” and introduced “Speedway Sonora” by shouting out the PCH. I love the PCH. One of the prettiest drives in L.A.
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“Love+War” is definitely my favorite track off the album. Plus Ghostface Killah is on it. We tried to stay through the set but we honestly couldn’t catch the vibe. This wasn’t our steez, per se. Disclaimer: I can honestly respect both Paul Banks and RZA so much for doing what they love best: music. Interpol is probably one of the illest rock bands to this day. But I was craving some YG at this point lmao.
We went next door to get tacos and heard them play “Giant.” And then I went on a run to that new Playboi Carti and this is how I felt afterward. Happy Monday.
Tuesday, April 18
Tuesday night and the “it’s a school night” motto continues to haunt me. It’s literally 2:45 a.m., and I am barely getting home. No complaints though. You do what you love. All three events tonight were lit in their own way, and worth the dread waking up tomorrow morning (hopefully). If you guys aren’t aware, I’m actually part-time in grad school. I have finals for the next two weeks and my stress levels are off the roof. I need to get my life together.
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What do you do when your homegirl invites you last minute to a Clippers playoff game and you already made plans? You cancel them. You guys already know how I feel about Clippers games, I’m sure. Music comes first, but basketball and comedy tie for second. Tonight was game two of the Los Angeles Clippers vs. Utah Jazz series. The Clips lost the first game, so they were coming back with a vengeance tonight.
I actually made it to Staples Center with a solid five minutes left in the first quarter. That’s impressive for me. Huge thanks to my girl Evan for the invite, we had PR7 seats. This girl refused to get her drink on her own, but rather would wait to get it delivered by Sandy. I was cracking up. Sandy was MIA was a good part of the game. I literally get so excited for the T-shirt that’s complimentary every playoff game. Now they even give you a band that lights up in sync with all the others, uniting the entire Clipper nation. I was excited to see my boy Crawford do his thing, and Blake Griffin and CP3. I loved that Paul Pierce was getting playing time also.
My girl caught the DJ dropping “Go DJ” by Lil Wayne every time DeAndre Jordan scored. Clever. Very clever. I was literally sitting in our seats thinking, what if. What if this was the year the Clippers go all the way? Nah. But that would be super dope. I literally hate the Lakers lmao. Go Warriors. I stayed until the very end (Clips with the W) and had to say hi to the homegirl Lizzie. She’s a Clippers girl and did her thang out there on the court tonight. If you guys ever go, look for the girl with the fro <3.
Strategically planned, I get out of the game around 10 p.m. just in time to catch Galantis at The NOVO across the way. They were set to go on at 10:15 p.m. Huge thanks to Yesennia with Goldenvoice for always hooking ya girl up with set times. It’s a necessity. I meet my girl in the middle of L.A. Live and we were on our way. This was Coachella all over again. I already knew.
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But holy hell. They had me straight up in my feels. In a positive way. Most of you who went or is going to Coachella will probably catch their set. No one misses Galantis. They are fucking lit, beyond EDM. In life lmao. I was jumping up and down at this show. We all were. My favorite part was that these two white dudes were on stage literally going HAM on the drums while deejaying. They were so turnt. Legit having the time of their lives up there.
Genuinely enjoyed “Peanut Butter Jelly” with these ladies. Genuinely. This is that summer anthem you blast with your squad and remember forever. Good vibes only on that record. “Visualize it / Spread it like peanut butter jelly / Do it like I owe you some money.” Like, who doesn’t love PB&J? Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay for them to play my favorite song: “Runaway (U & I).” I’ll be okay.
Huge thanks to V for swooping me from The NOVO to head to Weho. Tonight was a private listening for Damian Marley’s upcoming project called Stony Hill. So exclusive, there wasn’t even a flier. Suddenly, it dawned on me while I was there. . . I was in a studio with the son of Bob Marley, getting a rare advanced listen of his new project, that’s not even released until July 22. I am not worthy.
We park and find our way to the Sunset Marquis. This was a hotel smack dab in the middle of bougie West Hollywood. The best part: the studio was underground. NightBird Recording Studios, I’m in love. We get out of the elevator and the smell of incense immediately floods my nostrils. My absolute favorite. I have that shit lit in my bathroom daily. This was also the reassuring sign that we were in the right place. Damian Marley was nearby.
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We enter the tiny studio at the tail end of the first listening. There were two waves: the early birds, and the late birds. The early bird gets the worm, for sure. Shout out to Scoop Deville in the building. That’s one of the best producers in the game. The dimly lit room was laced with wine bottles and hors d’oeuvres. There were two short rows of what looked like the most comfortable black leather couches, that I luckily never had to chance to sit on. I would not have gotten up.
V did her interview during the intermission. I was just her hype man. At this point, I was able to admire the beautiful plaques on the walls of the studio (T-Pain, Rihanna). We then reconvene back in the studio for the second listening. We got to hear the entire project, which is 18 tracks long, all the way through. I was starting to trip as the clock hit 1:30 a.m., but then realized how lucky I was to be there. Talk about living in the moment. We were in a room with J-Rocc and Bob Marley’s son. Two legends.
Wednesday, April 19
Today, life caught up to me. Full on. I fell asleep after my long day at my internship and legit missed my first event tonight. It wasn’t even the event (screening of an EDM movie) that I care about, it was about bailing on my homie. I was his plus one, and I literally can’t stand when my plus one’ss bail. Especially right before an event. Smh. I felt like the biggest hypocrite. But my body legit shut down after my shower. It was gnarly.
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I made it to Empire of the Sun at The Shrine, though. That was a show I was not going to miss, as much as I wasn’t feeling up to par. Huge thanks to Jess for allowing me to cover. I actually ran into her this past weekend at Coachella, along with so many other Goldenvoice staff. They’re literally insane. Most have to work Chella two weekends in a row. I would die.
This venue was perfect for this trippy Australian group. These guys are of their own kind. I guess you can call them a band, but they are in their own lane. Their own genre lmao. I can’t even describe it. This was a group you want to do psychedelics to. I may or may not have in the past. But I will promise you, their shows are one of the best out there. The visuals are absolutely incredible. So crazy- I got approved and posted a Facebook status to see who liked them. . . it got over 100 likes. And 25 comments. They have a crazy fanbase.
Huge shout out to my girl Alex for being my date. We loved every second. We were so stressed out from work and life, and couldn’t get over how much we needed this tonight. Empire of the Sun is pure bliss. Their music is straight vibes. “Alive” had us screaming with our hands in the air. The confetti that came out mid-song had everybody overwhelmed with joy.
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This was literally the moment I was waiting for since this show was announced. “The Thrill” by Wiz Khalifa is one of my all-time favorites. I remember one of the first times I’d seen Empire of the Sun, they played “Walking On A Dream” and I flipped. This is the original sample from that Wiz song. I am always late to the party when it comes to the old school, non-Hip Hop classics.
The show ended around 11:30 p.m. The entire crowd was waiting for an encore but after a couple minutes, we all realized it was a wrap. We all didn’t want it to end. Listened to Empire of the Sun the entire rest of tonight, and now I’m bumping old Wiz. Happy 4/20.
