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 felt like I couldn’t miss, and you guys wish you were at.
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Friday, April 28
Today, I went back to my Bay Area roots. I needed this. I needed that pure Bay Area energy in my life. I ran into Iamsu! when we were grabbing G-Eazy at Coachella. Since then, he dropped his mixtape Boss Up 2, which has been heavy in rotation. That shit slaps. “Round & Round” with P-Lo is a banger. Sudan is one of my favorite rappers from the Bay. Probably one of everyone’s favorites from the Yay.
I only call him Sudan because his mom, also his manager, calls him that. Shout out to Ms. Harris for making this interview happen. Iamsu! was performing at the glorious El Rey tonight. He was only in L.A. for a couple days, and this was my only opportunity to catch him. Shout out to Jordan for rolling through to shoot. This part’s crazy. We were informed that El Rey charges $1,000 if you want to film anything. We would have to shoot off venue property, which is some bs Su probably didn’t have time to worry about. He had a show to prepare for.
I pull up and kindly ask the manager on-site if it was okay to shoot a quick interview. I honestly didn’t think he would say yes. I still don’t think he wanted to, but I hit him with the puppy dog face. I did name drop my girl Syd, whom I adore. That might of helped. Either way, I was incredibly grateful he let us. While we were waiting, I had a great convo with Su’s mother. She’s a real one. We joked about her reaction every time Su performs “Up” track with LoveRance. That song is a straight banger, but it is so explicit. “I beat the p****y up.” Poor Hilda.
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I love talking about the Bay, especially the rap scene up there. One of my favorite topics. Again, so thankful he took the time out to chop it up with me. He totally didn’t have to and that meant a lot. Talk about full circle — he was actually one of my first interviews when I was an intern at DX four years ago. It was at Rock The Bells in Socal and he said he was too faded to remember anything. I wasn’t offended.
We wrapped up there and I headed to The Grove to pick up my ID I left at Nordstrom. With rent payment coming up and my recent car tow, I had no choice but to return a few items. Next, it just so happened I was in the area for Markapalooza, my homie’s version of Lollapalooza. Hilarious. This was epic by the flier alone. I laugh also because Mark is the male version of me when it comes to shows. Except he’s twice as bad. Can you imagine
In fact, the reason he was throwing this is because he’s leaving L.A. for two months and doing nine music festivals. Nine. He’s the type to do Coachella both weekends. I pull up and immediately head outside. This bounce house was everything. Straight up, in their backyard. This is where I spend my Super Bowls, which have been catered by a taco truck the last two years.I was dying because my friend saw the geotag at Buckingham Palace, and legit thought I was in the UK. Nah, that’s just named after the street their crib resides. We jumped, we bounced, we boxed, I broke my favorite necklace, we ran out of breath. That shit is a workout.
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Back to El Rey I go. Su wasn’t on until 10 p.m., but that left us turning up to DJ Hed spinning on the 1s and 2s. Definitely saw him last night at the Poo Bear screening, and realized I’ve never actually seen him deejay, IRL. I love seeing people in their element. Speaking of, he dropped Kendrick Lamar’s “Element.” Everyone was reciting the lyrics. Shout out to my boo James for joining me. I gave him a warning that I might be getting hyphy for this one.
I wasn’t that bad. If I had my squad with me, I would have been breaking out the Thizzle Dance on that dance floor. Su came out with the most energy. That’s what I love about his shows. I must have seen this guy perform at least 15 times, and he gives fans 100% every time. Plus he’s so Bay with it, and it makes me smile every time. “Gas Pedal” was just the beginning.
Su has hits for days. You forget how many he has as his show goes on. “Only That Real,” “100 Grand” and then the homies. I loved that ymtk popped up tonight. I was trying to say hi but I was basic on the floor tonight. “Silk” featuring P-Lo is a banger. PS, this stage setup was super cute. The neon colors and the lights … it just works. From a fan’s point of view, I can always appreciate a dope backdrop.
This was only the beginning of a long list of friends, including Skip, 1-O.A.K, and Jay Ant. 1-O.A.K. came all the way from Oakland just for this. Su kept shouting him out for having the best track in the Bay right now. Man, hearing “Lost & Found” had me missing home tough. Su had to take a second to pause and snap a pic with Jay Ant because homeboy hasn’t been active on social media for almost a year. I loved that. He’s been living.
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“Function” with E-40 is legit the Bay Area anthem. I love his energy in this video — this is literally how he is the entire show. Shout out to his DJ Azure for always holding it down. Next, Su played “Addy” which features his favorite rapper, Snoop Dogg. I learned that earlier when I spoke with him and he also let the crowd know tonight.
He brought out Rossi for “Weekend,” another banger off Boss Up 2. Next, the crowd went wild when he played his latest joint, “Shang Hai.” That recently got paired with dope visuals. I literally watched it last night and that was one of the main questions I wanted to ask during our chat. It totally slipped my mind. Smh. “Never Going Broke,” “Famous,” “How We Rock,” “I Love My Squad,” to close the night off with a bang.
Saturday, April 29
Holy shit. I’m speechless. Tonight was incredible, on so many levels. This was the first night of The Weeknd’s Starboy: Legend Of The Fall Tour’s stop in Los Angeles. Two sold out shows in a row at The Forum. Tickets were re-selling for double, maybe triple the retail price. Unbelievable. This is a show I hope everyone can experience. If you’re a Weeknd fan, you have to go. No excuses.
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Huge thanks to Jennifer, Tyler, and Lola with Belly’s team who were able to accommodate me. I was so blessed to be able to cover the show. I brought my homegirl who absolutely loves The Weeknd (almost as much as I do). We were actually both blown away by these floor tickets. It was the very front row of one of the middle sections right next to the stage. Couldn’t ask for better seats.
We walk through the Forum Club Entrance and find ourselves among the upper class. Just kidding. But this VIP treatment was something I had never seen before. Nor did I know it existed inside The Forum (Staples Center, yes). At that point, it seemed like nobody care about the show. Food was on their mind. It was honestly so crowded, like The Cheesecake Factory on a Saturday night at The Grove. With that unlimited buffet, I quickly saw why. But we didn’t even stop. We asked someone where the entrance to the show because that’s what we were here for. I had to take a quick picture of this ice cream bar, though. There was a line.
Luckily, they were behind on their set times, which meant I was going to catch Belly’s entire set. I’ve said this many times before, but I am a day one Belly fan. Way back during his Up For Days mixtape. This project is home to the hit single “Might Not” with The Weeknd. I remember thinking, “This song is going to blow.” And it did. “Ballerina” had me out of my seat real quick.
This was an XO celebration if there ever was one. “Money Go,” “White Girls,” “Zanzibar” … man. His tracks with Travis Scott go so hard, especially live. Belly is now a superstar. As evidenced by the glistening XO chain around his neck and his “all designer everything” from head to toe.
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I’m super excited for his forthcoming album Glorious. He played us a banger called “P.O.P.” This stands for “power of the pu**y.” At this point, I was really happy we were able to catch the openers. I usually just pull up for the headliner after I get set times. Although The Weeknd did bring everybody out again during his set, it was so cool to see the show as a package. It added to the entire experience.
Next up, the duo I love the most in this rap game. Rae Sremmurd, aka Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi. They never cease to let us down. These guys are the most entertaining to see live. If you look up the definition for “lit” in the dictionary, it will probably say Rae Sremmurd. The opening song was “Unforgettable,” French Montana’s recent hit with Swae. Belly was actually the first one I saw do the #UnforgettableDanceChallenge. Those clips are priceless.
Their set was so short — same with Belly’s. But that just meant every song was an absolute banger. “Come Get Her,” “Blasé,” “Look Alive,” and “Throw Sum Mo.” The last one had me lightweight twerking.
Wow. This stage set-up reminded me exactly of Kanye’s show at the same venue. That was crazy because we attended the last show Ye did before he checked into the hospital. It looked like a spaceship was coming down into the middle of the arena. I literally had no idea where The Weeknd was standing when he first started performing “Starboy.” And then I realized he was right there in the middle of the runway. This is what the fans have been waiting for.
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“Party Monster” is my favorite song off Starboy. This song is straight fire. He sounds so good live. His voice is just so unique. “True Colors” is my girls’ favorite, which he performed toward the end of his set.
To be honest, we were so surprised when set times revealed he was only performing for an hour and twenty minutes. For the price of a ticket, fans deserve at least a two-hour set. But then you think about the heavy bill of openers, and you realize you do get your money’s worth. He played more records off Starboy (“Reminder” and “Six Feet Under”), “Low Life” with Future, and brought Belly back out for “Might Not.” But what really got me was “Crew Love” (with Drizzy). This had me right back in my feels.
“Often,” “Acquainted,” “Or Nah” (Remix), “Some Way” featuring Nav, who was backstage. We were so excited he was playing all his old stuff. This man is a genius. He asked for all the OG XO fans before dropping “Wicked Games.” Again, the crowd goes wild, which seemed to be a recurring thing. I loved that he brought 6LACK back out for “PRLBMS.” I didn’t love how everyone I crossed paths with pronounced it “six-lack.” It’s “black.” I guess how would you know if you never heard it, but this dude is talented. They’ll catch on soon.
Bringing out Rae Sremmurd and seeing The Weeknd get hyphy for “Black Beatles” was already a treat. Kendrick Lamar, too? Stop. “Sidewalks” had the entire Forum shook. We couldn’t believe it. This was the most memorable part of the evening. No one was expecting it. Even me. And I always predict who’s coming out (although I’m not always right).
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This part is so sad. K. Dot starts performing “HUMBLE.” and is literally about to pop off with “My left stroke just went viral!” when my phone notifies me I am out of storage. I don’t think there could have been worse timing. I wanted that full track so bad for DX’s socials. Sigh.
That wasn’t even the end of the show. The Weeknd closed with “Can’t Feel My Face,” “Feel It Coming,” and came back out for “The Hills.” What an incredible night. That’s the one adjective that truly captures what tonight made me feel.
Sunday, April 30
Next up: SuperDuperKyle’s #SUPERtour featuring Cousin Stizz and his DJ, SuperDuperBrick. Wow. I am thoroughly impressed at what I witnessed tonight. I was not expecting it. Without shame, I discovered Kyle when I heard “iSpy” with Lil Yachty. That’s dope. Then I heard “Doubt It,” and was officially a fan.
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With all the shows I attend in L.A., I notice a lot of artists bring out Kyle as a special guest. This time, Kyle was the headliner. This was two back to back sold-out shows at The Regent in downtown L.A. I actually didn’t know this. I arrive on the scene to find a long line wrapped around Main St. Huge thanks to Tyler and Duncan for providing me passes to cover. I was so sad because with my struggle of finding parking and the mayhem of people trying to get in at the door, I had literally missed his set by a second.
Holy shit. I came in during SuperDuperBrick’s set and absolutely fell in love. His energy was literally on 1,000, and he was dropping all the slaps. The crowd was so turnt, I felt like this was about to be the show of the year. Keep in mind, this was the early show. Kyle graced the stage at 6:45 p.m., which is unusually early. And to think he had to do it all over again in a couple hours. I really respect these artists man. Especially someone like Kyle, who genuinely cares and shows up for his fans.
If you didn’t know who Kyle was before the show, within 10 seconds, you were able to get a sense of his personality. I was truly warmed by his positive spirit and just everything he stands for. He does this thing where he waves at his audience, and everyone in the crowd waves back. It’s adorable. And his one request for us all: walk away from his show with a smile. This is so admirable. After seeing artists like 21 Savage and Famous Dex, this was such a breath of fresh air. This clip of “Don’t Wanna Fall In Love” is living proof of how much fun you will have at his shows. The song comes from his album Smyle, a title so fitting for his character.
So happy he brought Cousin Stizz back out for a track. Cousin Stizz (from Boston) is super dope. His track “500 Horses” is always in rotation. He played more cuts off Smyle: “Superduperhero” had him shouting out Soulja Boy before “cranking that.” I loved that Kyle and Brick low key had their choreography synchronized to the tee. It looked like they put in time to actually practice, and that hard work paid off. Kyle then slowed things down with “Remember Me” with Chance The Rapper, before turning the fuck up to “Really? Yeah!”
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“All Alright” is another track I fell in love with. It reassured us everything would be okay, even when our phones die. But the Kid Cudi cover made my night. He said Cudi saved his life, and that struck a chord with me. Cudi saved my life as well, bringing me back to my college days at UCSB. “Pursuit of Happiness” hits home every time.
I love how Kyle shouts out Jesus in his songs. All glory to the man above. Listen to “Dewwutitdoez.” Kyle has a huge teenage following. To have these minors look up to Kyle and have him exude such love and positivity, the rap game needs this. Then, he was presented with his plaque for “iSpy” going Platinum. I was so happy to be part of this moment. He totally deserves every piece of this.
My last stop of the evening: Charlie Puth’s #AttentionRoom in Weho. This was an interactive art exhibit to promote his new single “Attention.” Honestly, what a marketing strategy. This was genius. It was inspired by the Infinity Room at Broad, which I recently visited. Except this time, we got a bit longer than 45 seconds. We got half the song. My phone ran out of storage, again. Right when I needed it the most. This might be a sign I rely on technology too much.
Here are the logistics. We literally made it in the knick of time. The idea is that being in that exhibit would release dopamine, like what happens when people give us attention. I’m just in love with this entire concept.
