FO·MO
ˈfōmō/
noun
informal
- 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.
Friday, December 9
Back in action. Tonight was Zeds Dead at The Shrine in Los Angeles. If you listen to EDM, you fuck with Zeds Dead. They go hard. I’ve seen them plenty of times at many festivals (last time was HARD summer), shout out to my reckless rave days. If you’re not familiar, they are a Toronto electronic duo who just dropped their Northern Lights album. Pusha T is actually on a track. Holla.
Zeds Dead on their Northern Lights Tour at The Shrine.
This tour was to promote the album. We pull up for Keys N Krates at 11pm. My friend described them as trap but, I’m not sure I’d go that far. They are a trio made of a drummer, keyboardist, and turntablist. They had the crowd entertained, but I feel like everyone was ultimately there for Zeds Dead.
This show was so hilarious to me. It reminded me of a full-on rave. There was a solid 30-minute intermission, at which point I see everyone around me poppin’ pills (passing each other water bottles). It was time. A lady then comes on stage to give everyone a heads up about where the exits were in this building. Was she warning us that shit was about to get crazy? At 12:30am, everyone was screaming for Zeds.
I must say, I’ve never seen so many people get kicked out of a show in my life. This includes my homie who got escorted out for smoking a joint. Really, though? After they confiscated the j, they proceeded to harass him: interrogating him and searching his pockets, pants, and shoes. I totally get they’re just doing their jobs, but it was a little extra to me. He was innocently there to enjoy the show along with everyone else.
Zeds Dead takes the stage in front of screaming fans.
This lead to an awkward “should we stay or leave” dilemma for a good 20 minutes. Do you go with your homie who is waiting outside or does your homie suck it up until the show is over? Whatever. We were able to enjoy it for the most part. I fuck with Zeds Dead because they remix a ton of Hip Hop. They turned the fuck up, as always. I thought it was interesting too, during intermission, they were playing all Kendrick Lamar. Turn up.
Saturday, December 10
Museum time. Shout out to my girl for being the plug. She works for a branch of CAA, a huge entertainment and sports agency. She knows I love art and all that jazz, and I really do. I’m about that life. I love getting immersed in pieces, especially when they are meant to be open for interpretation. This was The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art), Los Angeles. I love that acronym. This was just one of their three locations.
The entrance to The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA downtown.
I remember I went to the MOCA back home in San Francisco. That place is amazing. If I remember correctly, it’s about three stories high with many layers. This was significantly smaller. It was held at what looked like a warehouse downtown, right by Little Tokyo. Today was a very lively Saturday, with everyone out and about on the streets. I love that.
While we waited for the others, we stop by this Stumptown Coffee pop-up station right out front. Genius. Catch all the hipsters before they enter the museum. Reel them in with the smell of fresh brew on this chilly day. Real talk though, it was cold out. I keep forgetting that happens in LA.
A description of Doug Aitken’s Electric Earth.
Doug Aitken is a client of CAA’s. I think I got that right. I read this novel on the wall right as you walk in and was very intrigued. “Aitken’s work delineates the isolation that ensues from our nomadic 24-7 ways of life, the standardization and industrialization of our urban environments, and the decay of our natural environments.” Deep. Yes, I copied all that into Notes on my iPhone 7.
A picture speaks a thousand words.
Contemporary art, we’re here for you. This room full of photos was only the beginning.
The year 1968 made up of broken, shattered mirrors.
This piece stood out to me. 1968 designates one of the worst years in US history. This is the year Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. The broken glass said it all.
Dollar and a dream.
This reminded of J. Cole. “Dollar and a dream.” The sign was crazy hard to capture on camera, and then we realized it kept changing colors. Dope.
The rest of the museum was entertaining. There are many displays and short films where you can just post up and watch for however long you’d like. It’s so great because you can literally find your way to whatever catches your eye. There’s no time constraint, and no ADD repercussions. It’s just you and the art (and good company, of course). Tickets are $15 to the general public and they are open until 5pm. Go.
Night two of PND’s Summer’s Over Tour at The Wiltern in L.A.
Agenda for the evening: PND. Talk about FOMO, I received a text saying I had to come to night one of PARTYNEXTDOOR’s Summer’s Over Tour at The Wiltern. There was going to be a special guest. Smh. I knew it was going to be Drake. And, I knew he wasn’t coming out for round two tonight. “Come and See Me” would definitely have been dope to see live.
My girl and I literally have been waiting for this show since it was announced. Things took a left turn when Jeremih was taken off the line-up, though. Don’t get me wrong. I fucking love PND and rock with his music tough, but Jeremih is number one when it comes to R&B. Okay, that’s a bit generous. I think I’m still stuck on Late Nights.
#TYBG for set times. We pull up at 10pm and didn’t leave until midnight. Both of us noticed the overall vibe of the crowd tonight. I found my girl who works at Warner, and we were joking about how much this felt like an industry event. It was everyone in music literally in one corner of the venue. Shout out to Cozz and Bas in the building. I had to say hi.
The Wiltern is one of those venues where you can’t see shit unless you post up in the way back where it’s elevated. Smh, this means no good footage. The stage visuals were really good, though. This show brought PND to another level I feel. Every time he performed a track, the laser lights synced perfectly with the music. His live band was awesome, too.
The special guests tonight made up for Drake, G-Eazy, and Ty Dolla $ign the night prior, in my opinion. I see those fools everywhere. Tonight was the homies. First was Kid Ink, random, but he always gets the crowd hyped with his hits. “Show Me” always gets the ladies hyped.
The next surprise guest had me smiling ear to ear: Roy Wood$. I fuck with the OVO roster heavy. Hearing “Drama” had me feeling some type of way. The track reminds me of one of my really good friends, who I’m actually no longer friends with anymore. Tear. Also, “Every lost girl I know is over 26.” I hate this line. I’m about to be 26. Thanks, Drake, for the lovely reminder.
Majid Jordan was the third surprise of the evening. I probably would have been ten times more excited if I hadn’t just seen them perform. They actually brought out PND on their headlining tour. Those guys are amazingly talented, though. “Something About You” had the crowd (and myself) straight vibing.
The best surprise yet. This was epic. PND first hypes the crowd up by saying he grew up listening to this guy. We were all eager to see who it would be. . . Mario. The OG. Here for it. He played us the classics tonight. Every single person in the room was singing along to “Let Me Love You.” How could you not?
We loved how PND gave each artist time to play their own tracks. It wasn’t just a “pop up on stage for a chorus and dip” thing. We loved that. The second to last song he performed was “Recognize,” at which point the OVO owl pops on stage. I know I’m random, but, I love that little guy.
“Come and See Me” will forever be the slow jam. On our way out, I run into Mario headed to the restaurant next door with his lady. I couldn’t help but stop him and tell him he’s amazing. He responds with a smooth “Thank you, baby.” The night couldn’t end better.
Christmas tree in the lobby of The Magic Castle.
Sunday, December 11
Round two of The Magic Castle. This time, shout out to my girl being the plug. This shit is very exclusive. You have to get invited by a magician, and they are extremely strict. There are many rules to abide by. But it’s definitely a treat tucked away in the heart of Hollywood. I couldn’t get over how amazingly decorated the castle was for the holidays. The Christmas tree in the lobby was only the beginning.
The 8pm magic show, which runs for 45 minutes.
The evening consists of dinner, one big magic show, and little magic shows on the side at your discretion. We had our dinner reservation at 9:45pm and caught the 8pm show. When I pulled up, I could not believe how busy it was compared to the time I went. Even when I pulled up, the line of cars for valet overfilled the driveway. The lobby was a hot mess, which worked in my favor. I got away with entering without paying the $20 entry fee. Shhhhh.
I saw so many dope things that I somehow missed last time. There was only four of us, so it was easier to maneuver our way around. I was excited to show them Irma, the self-playing piano. You literally say the name of a song out loud, and it will start playing it. Trippy. I also stumbled upon this telephone booth by the main show. Something happens when the phone rings and you pick it up. You’ll have to see for yourself!
Souvenir for the road.
I was overly excited to get this water bottle when I picked up my whip from valet. (You have to ask for it). I think I’m still on the souvenir tip from when I was traveling in Costa Rica.
Monday, December 12
Guys, let me put you on an artist that is about to kill the rap game. But really, this guy is so smooth. Tonight was Nick Grant’s silent listening party for his new album #ROTC. This stands for Return of the Cool. First of all, silent listening party? Tell me more. I was intrigued.
I’ve always heard of these, and wondered what it meant. It was pretty much what I thought it would be: music blaring through wireless headphones. It honestly turned out to be really dope. It wasn’t your average album listening party. You already get a gist of the type of artist Nick is. I pull up to La Chic, a pop-up shop on Fairfax in West Hollywood. I was prepared to do ten circles to find parking (smh, events on Fairfax) when a spot opened up on my third round. Trophies.
It was packed. I walk in and find all the homies already posted, with their headphones around their necks. I had no idea everyone was going to be there. I met Nick at the last Adidas event. He was so nice and so humble. A true genuineness you don’t always get from artists. He’s from South Carolina, in case you were wondering. The support was real. Shout out to Zaytoven rolling through as well.
Essentials of a silent listening party: wireless headphones.
I didn’t have my ID so I gave my car key in exchange for the headphones. They had a pretty good system going. These headphones were nice, too. They had everyone finally put them on around 9pm and they started playing the project. It was honestly so cool. The headphones forced you t0 vibe to the music. You have no choice but to listen when it’s right in your ears.
To add to the glory, the music was fire. The production combined with Nick’s flow had everyone nodding in approval. If you didn’t have headphones, you weren’t hopeless. I took them off periodically and heard the music playing in the background. It was faint, but it still worked.
Silent listening party in full effect.
Shout out to Nick’s manager Amir who informed us #ROTC will be dropping January 13. Here’s a taste to hold you over.
