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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Thursday, April 20
Today is 4/20, my favorite day of the year. I know that’s a bit embarrassing, but the thought of it just makes me so happy. I think that’s when you know you’re a true stoner. It’s a day dedicated to you getting high and enjoying life. Come on now.
Unfortunately, we were off to a rough start. This is the shit you don’t see on social media. We were invited for a special screening of Snoop Dogg’s Coolaid, followed by a Q&A after with Uncle Snoop himself. An event with the biggest stoner rap artists known to mankind? Sounds promising enough, right? Wrong. This was going to take place before the huge Merry Jane Mount Kushmore concert with Snoop, Wiz, Method Man, Redman, Flatbush Zombies, etc. This venue is like The Hollywood Bowl: a hot mess. I should have known then.
We pull up to The Greek Theatre, on time, only to be waiting for an hour and a half, with nobody knowing what the hell was going on. Not the staff, not the PR team, not nobody. Like seriously, come on. How does this even happen? Even our on-site contacts were helpless. Okay, I need to calm down. I can’t be too mad. I got a free shirt out of it. This event was sponsored by Dutch Masters, and I had to go through a lot to cop this free tee. Not only did I have to fork up all my personal information, I also had to take a survey, and take a photo and post it to social media. The last two combined had me peeved, but hey. Excellent marketing strategy right there. Can’t knock the hustle.
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I had a joint in my pocket the entire time and didn’t even smoke it. The vibe just wasn’t there. When we finally received the ever so coveted green wristbands to enter the venue, the film was already playing. There were maybe 15 people in attendance. It was a joke. The way we were being treated as if this was some event at The White House.
The film was cool though, once I finally settled in. It’s a compilation of music videos off Snoop’s latest project. He’s such a gangster. And today was his holiday. “Legend” was a standout favorite of both me and V’s. That beat goes hard. Can we also talk about the fact that Snoop is still out here making music? He’s just enjoying the ride at this point.
What happened afterward is what really got me. We found ourselves among the VIP Meet and Greet cohort, but the green wristbands were instructed to be escorted out. They were treating us like dogs. I mean, I understand they’re just doing their jobs. But so was I. My whole purpose of coming out was to get an exclusive quote from Snoop about what 4/20 meant to him. I was just sad how unorganized the whole thing was. I looked and felt extremely dumb trying to finesse my way in. After realizing the L that just took place, I exited the premises with my head down low.
“Last night took an L but tonight I bounce back.” It was time to redeem ourselves. We were headed to Dopeland, a skate jam presented by Doperoots and Traplord. Did someone say Traplord? You bet. A$AP Ferg was the star of the evening. The main attraction. The Traplord himself was going to be performing later on for the afterparty. We climb our way up top to the roof to find a lituation: skating ramps, skaters, bystanders, good music, barbeque, and good vibes only.
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I mean, it is 4/20 after all. Everyone up there looked like they were celebrating. This was the first portion of the event, which took place from 5 to 8 p.m. My goal: interview Ferg. I was supposed to catch him at SXSW, but it didn’t work out. I fuck with the A$AP Mob so hard. Who doesn’t? Huge thanks to Dana with Grand Stand HQ for the alley-oop. I literally was waiting all day for that confirmation text. When did I receive it? When we were on our way there. Welcome to the industry.
Ferg’s team was actually real responsive and helpful. That doesn’t always happen with rappers. I always can appreciate friendliness when it comes to business. I ran up on Ferg up on the roof and caught this precious moment. Ferg was interacting with the fans and taking pictures. Always heartwarming to see.
We went downstairs for the interview. I can’t thank the team enough for assisting. They got their camera guy Chase to shoot. I still recorded the conversation on my phone. I wasn’t and still am not sure how that would work without a mic to the camera, but I’m hoping it will pan out. We talked about his new single with Remy Ma (“East Coast”) and asked for an update on Cozy Tapes Vol. 2. It’s coming y’all.
My favorite part of doing interviews is when I ask the artist to do a drop. I love when they shout out DX. Ferg said he’d been rocking with us too and thanked us for all the support. They shut down the roof shortly after.
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And with every W, another L. Jk. But we head downtown to the WEED WEEK celebration with MERRY JANE and VICELAND at The Well Salon & Store. I should have known when we pulled up and there was a huge line wrapped around the corner of the street. With hope in my heart that we could cut the line, we finally find street parking nearby. If you live in L.A., you know this isn’t the easiest thing to do downtown. In fact, it’s one of the hardest. Especially when you’re ballin’ on a budget and can’t justify paying for parking. That ten dollars can go a long ways.
We walk up to the overly crowded dispensary only to be hit with the most standard response: “Sorry, over capacity, fire marshalls are coming.” Except wait, the fire marshals were actually here. I saw them inside talking to somebody, trying to regulate the situation. I pull up my email to see if Tracey from Cashmere had a number I could call, but I soon realized there was no point. They told me even the president of Viceland barely got in. Also saw the email say “Arrive early to guarantee entry.” Man, talk about read the fine print.
There were also a long line of individuals that had been waiting and deserved to go inside a lot more than we did. Huge thanks to V for driving us around town up until this point. I hate driving so much. I quickly regrouped, bugged my brother for a sec, and then head back out. This was my last stop of the evening. Thank goodness. Shout out to Aytwan for the special invite. That low key may have been the main reason I showed up. That personal invite means a lot to me.
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It was a shit show outside the entrance, literally. I walk inside and immediately grab two of these bad boys: Fudge Mint and Coconut. I don’t even fuck with edibles, but I love free goodies and gifting my stoner friends. As the night went on, I watched the venue go from 0 to 100. For some reason, there was the biggest swarm of people outside trying to get in. There was nobody inside. How Sway? This was at around 11:30 p.m. This whole experience getting inside was very similar to a club in Hollywood. Eventually, it filled itself up. It was a full house.
Huge shout out to E. Mills for letting me cut with him in line. A huge part of all this is learning how to finesse the situation at any given time. I finally saw his artist Kiara Simone perform on stage. She was dope. He introduced us on the way in and she just carried herself like an artist. I love that. I somehow, some way, ended up with an entire blunt in my hand. Lit. I was lit.
Shout out to my favorite couple for rolling through, too, for the festivities. I really wanted to stay for Casey Veggies’ performance, but it suddenly hit me that it’s a school night. I caught him on the way out and said hi, though. It looked like even he was having a difficult time getting his people in at the door. Smh. Cover was $20 btw. La Brea Night Club, I see you.
Friday, April 21
Tonight was the long-awaited Weezy F. Baby (please say the baby) show that I’ve had in my planner for months. I totally just saw him at SXSW, but it doesn’t matter. He’s one of my favorite rappers ever. And I stay calling him the best rapper alive. I remember I posted a video to DX one time and wrote that in the caption, and my boss made me change it. Woops.
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But first, CyHi The Prynce. I actually had no idea he was opening until his team hit me. He was to take the stage at The Hollywood Palladium at 8:30 p.m. Honestly, what a great surprise. I just interviewed him at SXSW, and he was a total riot. He kept calling himself the best rapper ever. But honestly, he’s not far. This dude can spit.
If you’re into Hip Hop, like real Hip Hop, you need to listen to CyHi. He’s a lyricist. He’s so damn underrated. I think being signed to G.O.O.D. Music is huge, but for some reason, he’s not mainstream. I ran into DJ Nitrane, and he said he thought CyHi is exactly where he needs to be in his career. I thought that was dope.
CyHi started out with his own tracks, and eventually dropped the fire Cruel Summer records. “Sin City” was lit. And can’t forget about “So Appalled.” My homie said CyHi has the best verse on that one. Statement. I was surprised to find the venue pretty filled up pretty quick. He played a solid 30-minute set and let the crowd know that Hip Hop saved his life. It’s therapeutic for him. Me too, CyHi. Me too.
I brought my girl Lupe, who is as much of a Wayne fan as I am. Seriously. Day ones. I also finally got my first pair of NMD’s (shout out Corey), but they’re too big lmao. Hoping to exchange for a half-size smaller, which meant I had to be careful of my surroundings tonight. I’m not going to lie, the Palladium did get a little crazy. Especially when Wayne hit the stage. But luckily, no one stepped on my kicks. Not the kicks.
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Nitrane also spilled that Wayne was opening with “Mr. Carter.” That song is so epic. I had the photo pass which allowed me to be in the pit for the first three songs only. This time, he did “I’m Goin’ In” third. That was our drinking song for sure in college.
I know I keep saying all these songs are my favorite, but real talk, Lil Wayne’s verse on “Steady Mobbin’” with Gucci Mane. “I got ten bathrooms, I can shit all day.” Weezy’s one-liners define his greatness. There’s no one better.
He performed all his hits. This is the one concert where I knew every single song. “Mrs. Officer” is one of my favorite Weezy songs ever. So, so nostalgic. We listened to this shit on repeat in high school. It brings up a lot for me.
I really thought Nicki was going to come out when he performed “No Frauds,” but nah. He did bringt out his Young Money family though, including Mack Maine, Gudda Gudda, and Lil Twist who just got released from jail. That was cute. His performance was litty too. The whole crowd was into it.
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He shouted out Rich The Kid was in the building (along with Bebe Rexha), so I was turnt when Rich actually came out on stage. They literally took over lmao. “No Worries” was the encore.
I also have to include the disclaimer that I am extremely embarrassed because I told everyone that Drake was coming out. And he didn’t. Fail. He was backstage though. I promise. The show lasted an hour. I was kind of sad. He has enough hits for a two-hour set, easily.
Saturday, April 22
Today was the day of the Fault Lines: Confessions from the Broken and the Mended event. This was an interactive art exhibit by Morley, a very popular street artist from Los Angeles. As much as I want to refrain from using the word “lit,” I can’t seem to pinpoint another adjective that captures him better. Morley is the definition of lit. You’ve probably seen his work around the city, with his trademark signature and portrait attached to each piece of art.
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The event was taking place from 6 to 8 p.m., but I could only stop by beforehand. Huge thanks to Morley for allowing me to attend. I pull up to the Museum of Broken Relationships around 5:30 p.m., to find a very busy Hollywood Blvd. This was mid-day Saturday, which meant prime time for tourists to stroll through and take pictures of their favorite Hollywood stars on the concrete sidewalks. This is one of Morley’s pieces in the window. Almost all of them have an inspirational message that we need to hear on the daily.
Again, shout out to Corey who put me on. I would have never known about this dope event if it wasn’t for him. I run upstairs and find Morley, IRL. It’s funny because he literally is an exact replica of the dude you see attached to his work. He was so friendly and open to answer any questions I had. I asked if he knew Plastic Jesus, and of course they’re good friends.
Morley’s favorite Hip Hop artists include Atmosphere, J. Cole, Dem Atlas, Lupe Fiasco and A Tribe Called Quest. He states, “Music is a huge part of what I do. Often I think of my pieces as lyrics and the art of a great lyric is encapsulating a feeling in as few words as possible. Some people say that a picture is worth a thousand words but I often feel like the right words can paint a thousand pictures.”
Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay for the event, but I heard great things. Morley was able to speak to everyone about what he does and why he does it. It’s for the people, and wants nothing in return. What an incredible human being, with a great heart.
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I had to go to Core Power Yoga down the street to get my mind right. Yoga is honestly the cure to any negativity in my life. Plus, endorphins. Please take Sculpt if you’re ever feeling some type of way. Also, Iamsu’s Boss Up 2has been in rotation ever since it dropped last night. Thank goodness. I needed a break from DAMN .
Tonight was 93.5 KDAY’s first concert of the year: #KrushGroove. Anyone who listens to this radio station was probably in attendance tonight. This lineup was fire. If you guys aren’t familiar with L.A. radio stations, there’s Power 106, Real 92.3, and then 93.5 KDAY. KDAY is your go-to for old school and underground Hip Hop, while the first two will have you singing along to Drake. Which is not a bad thing, at all.
Shout out to my girl Lyric Michelle who was down for the cause. We were both occupied for the evening, and could only meet up at The Forum a little before 10 p.m. I had seen all the artists on the bill, so I mainly wanted to make sure my girl caught who she wanted to catch. Huge thanks to Sasha for coming out and handing me the press tickets. This landed us in the lowers, with a perfect view of the stage. Unfortunately, Bone Thugs was just ending their set when we arrived, but Ja Rule and Ashanti made it all better.
Congrats to KDAY, it was a full house tonight. I think tickets were sold out, or almost sold out. Very close. This must have been the fourth time in a year I’ve seen Ja and Ashanti this year, but it’s gold every time. I wouldn’t have pushed the mish tonight if it wasn’t. My girl was reacting to each song like my first time. “What’s Luv” with Fat Joe was the jam. Pure nostalgia.
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This was one of my favorite parts of the evening. Ashanti, looking as flawless as ever, paying tribute to the late Nate Dogg. It was straight West Coast in that building tonight. By the way, Ashanti was singing her heart out in that mic tonight. It made us really wonder if she’s going to make a comeback. The fact that she can still get out on stage however many years later and perform all her singles proves why she’s one of the greatest singers of her time. And if we’re talking R&B, this was the music you put on when you were with a boo, without a boo, mad at a boo, etc.
Hit after hit after hit. Ja Rule performing “Thug Love” had Lyric rapping word for word next to me lmao. She actually came from the studio. What a great reward after putting in work. I had trouble deciding which video to post: “Mesmerize” or “Always On Time,” they were both so fire.
This was my other favorite part. They showed the full trailer for the Tupac biopic All Eyez On Meon the big screens. We were so hyped. June needs to come, like now.
Next up was the West Coast legend, DJ Quik. He actually just dropped a surprise album with Problem called Rosecrans on 4/20. We were both surprised at how hyped the crowd got when both Quik and Hi-C hit the stage. It was like, our generation to Drake. Real talk, it was a sight to see. This ended up being the vibe. “Let Me Know” was a stand out for me.
