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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Saturday, January 21
Today started with me guest starring on this podcast called TheseGuysAndGirl. I honestly had no idea what to expect. It ended up being a ball. The homie Malcolm hit my DM (not like that) and said they wanted to speak to me about being a woman in Hip Hop and what I do specifically. I was here for it. I love talking and good conversation.
I was the third guest out of five, and surprised to find the address to be his actual crib. He said he didn’t have the bread for a studio yet. That was fucking dope. Prime example of someone following their dreams and doing what they gotta do with what they have. He co-hosts alongside Von, both comedians. The bleezy had me feeling right. Podcasts are fun lmao. Whether you’re listening or participating.
Tonight was the ultimate throwback. I thought last week’s 93.5 KDAY’s The Rap Show was a throwback, but this was like. . . before my time. Welcome to the 2nd Annual R&B Rewind Fest featuring Jodeci, Blackstreet, Ginuwine and more. It took place at the glorious Microsoft Theater, and they did a fine job of reminding everyone it was sold out.
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The event was promoted/produced by Bobby Dee Presents and TCB Concerts. Huge thanks to Marina for allowing me to cover. I was shocked to find the minimum ticket prices to be $70, until I realized how dope the lineup was — especially for those who grew up to these artists. I can’t say I am as knowledgeable as I should be in old school R&B, but everyone can recognize the classics.
We walked in right when Ginuwine performed “Pony.” It was low key perfect timing. The ladies were definitely in attendance tonight, especially for Elgin. I feel Chris Brown to me is what Ginuwine is to them. Zaddy.
Next up was the special guest, who was allotted five whole minutes on the list of set times lmao. I thought that was funny. It turned out to be J.J. Fad, a female rap group from the Inland Empire. Before they performed their hit single “Supersonic,” they revealed their claim to fame: having their album produced by N.W.A. That’s actually mad dope, but I guess it made them feel some type of way getting excluded from Straight Outta Compton.
En Vogue was next. My girl recognized more songs than me lmao. I was really into their performance, though. It was super entertaining. These three female singers could dance (in heels) and sing, at the same damn time. Terry Ellis (from what I could tell) was the leader. She looked like an African American Mariah Carey. And I couldn’t help but notice how buff (and gorgeous) the other two members are. The crowd went nuts when Terry started belting the lyrics to their hit single “Hold On.” That music video came out in 1990, and I wasn’t born yet lmao. Do I get a pass?
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Next up was BLACKstreet. What a trip lmao. They were all matching in black leather jackets, black T-shirts, pants and shoes. This was boy band status, but they were still doing the damn thing. They kept saying they wanted to throw it back to ‘93. They owned that year. I thought it was so amazing that they could get still on stage and perform at such a great venue however many years later. “Before I Let You Go” and “No Diggity” hit the spot. “No Diggity” reminded me of the Nick Murphy/Chet Faker show we also hit together. I wonder how many times that song has been remixed or sampled.
Generation Beauty by ipsy at L.A. Live Event Deck.
Sunday, January 22
Happy Sunday, it was fucking pouring outside. Today was day two of Generation Beauty by Ipsy. Per their website, this event brings together the leading online beauty and fashion creators along with their passionate fans and top beauty brands for a weekend of inspiration, networking and fun. Translation: makeup heaven.
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Clinique heaven.
The only reason I got to attend was because my girl had to take a last minute trip for work and offered her pass. It was a lanyard and a map of the whole tent, with tabs that tear off (attached to the border) at each station you hit. The pros: each station provides a sample of their product. The cons: each station had a (long) line. Some were more poppin’ than others. For example, my girl really wanted me to hit ColourPop, but that line wrapped around itself in the middle of the entire deck. It was definitely one of the most popular companies, and one I didn’t have time for.
I’m really not a makeup guru, so I literally was on a self-assigned mission: hustle as many samples as I could (for my girl). She just enrolled in makeup school and I’m so proud of her for following her passion. On the real, though, I had a fucking blast, by myself. It’s definitely fun with a friend, but I was just mobbing through each station, trying to hit all the ones my girl wasn’t able to get to. The brands that I recognized (Clinique, Benefit, Makeup Forever) attracted me the most. I had a nice time doing photobooths, especially when they enter me into a raffle to win free shit. Clinique had this VR setup going, where I could choose to be in New York, Paris, and I forgot the last city lmao. It was dope, though. I feel like VR is about to take over.
H20+ Beauty station.
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H2O+ Beauty definitely had their strategy game on point. You had to follow them on IG in order to get the free skincare product. They were checking too. After you get through the line, you got to take a photo on this super cute swing and they hooked you up with a mini-waterbottle. Water is life. During the line for this station, I couldn’t stop staring at the cotton candy cart next door. It smelled so dank.
Powered by beauty.
So I completely lucked out because I pulled up around 1:30 p.m., right after it had reopened. They had shut it down because the event deck got flooded. Some girls told me they waited underneath the parking lot for two whole hours. Smh. I would have rioted. Btw, one ticket cost $139. I am super grateful to have experienced this. Thank you #GenBeauty.
Hidden Figures mural at Arclight Theatres in Hollywood.
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After a difficult (yet successful) class at Core Power Yoga, I head to Arclight Hollywood to see 20th Century Women. I thought Arclight Pasadena was bad, this was way worse. $17.75 for a movie ticket. Come again? The box office cashier said it was the most expensive theater in Los Angeles. Thanks for that clarification. It didn’t help that I lost my parking ticket afterward and had to pay the $12 lost ticket fee. This was a robbery.
The movie was great. It’s an indie film, so it’s only in select theaters. I would say it’s a split down the middle between a chick flick and a comedy. You know that’s my steez. It tells the story about a mom who struggles to get through to her teenage son, recruiting help from the young tenants in her home. Wild is the perfect adjective to describe them. The movie has no filter, which is what makes it so good. Some interesting life lessons too. Go see it.
Last minute decision to attend the 7 p.m. service at Mosaic in Hollywood. Aside from the “New Year, New Me” bullshit, church is something I really wanted to make a priority. I’m ashamed it took me so long. The sermon (by Jon Rouleau) was about embracing God’s love, something I struggle with daily.
Even if you’re not religious, I encourage you to check it out. There’s always a positive message that you are sure to benefit from.
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Monday, January 23
Tonight was honestly too lit for a Monday, in the best way possible. Denzel Curry’s sold out show at The Roxy. I was just here 24 hours ago but this time, it was all ages lmao. I literally saw children running around inside. Also, the male to female ratio was probably 10:1. That definitely speaks for the type of music Denzel makes. Turn up was the mission.
Denzel made the XXL Freshmen list last year, which definitely gave him shine. He’s this 21-year-old from Florida who just goes in when he spits. “Zone 3” was one of the first tracks I heard, and I became an instant fan. He brought so much energy into The Roxy tonight. “Threatz” is another banger I was stoked to see him perform live.
“ULT” is his mantra. It stands for “ultimate.” Here I was thinking it was an acronym. Smh. The whole crowd was chanting “ULT” before he even came on stage tonight. That was epic. He’s even got it tatted on his 6-pack abs. He played this in the middle of his set which I thought was interesting. Most people save their best for last.
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He turned up to a lot of the classics, throwing it back all the way to Ja Rule. He also shouted out his bro Rob $tone before the DJ dropped “Chill Bill.” We all thought Rob was coming out, but nope lmao. You can’t deny that beat (Denzel is on the remix). Watch him turn up to “Bad And Boujee” right quick, though. I’m not sure you can attend a Hip Hop show nowadays without hearing that track.
Tuesday, January 24
6lack showed up and showed out. This show at The Roxy was the absolute most packed I’ve ever seen it. When I pulled up, it was over capacity, but I was prepared for it. A couple hours before the show, I got an email that they could not accommodate my plus one. They had to cut the list by half. Yikes.
Unfortunately, I completely missed Dreezy’s set (she was the opener), but I did get to say hi as she squeezed her way through the VIP section later. It was no joke up in there. It was everyone in the music industry, and then some. Shout out to Cozz, Karrueche Tran, and Jhené Aiko in attendance. And those were just the ones I saw.
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If you guys aren’t familiar, 6lack (pronounced ”black”) is this R&B singer from Atlanta. His project Free 6lack is straight fire. I was laughing because I saw a homie tweet “Free 6lack” once and I straight up thought he was in jail. I had heard the project, but didn’t realize that was the album title. Dead. You know he had to close out with his biggest hit, “PRBLMS.” Other standouts: “Ex Calling, “Worst Luck,” and “Gettin’ Old.”
Man, The Roxy is on a roll. 6lack really brought out The Weeknd, though.
Abel actually tweeted he would be poppin’ up somewhere in LA earlier that day. Yeah, I creeped.
6lack is set. With The Weeknd behind him and the talent to back him up, he’s on his way to the top. By the way, “Reminder” is one of the best tracks on Starboy. “Got a sweet Asian chick, she go low mein.” Thanks for the shout out, Abel.
