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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Sunday, February 19
Happy Sunday everyone. The storm that was supposed to hit L.A. decided to be nice, especially for the Air + Style festival-goers. Hello Exposition Park by USC, we meet again. This two-day festival combines the best of both worlds: snowboarding and live music, described as “ringing the mountains to Los Angeles.” It’s put on by Shaun White, who I sadly did not get to see.
Unfortunately, I missed Flume, Vince Staples, Vic Mensa, and Chromeo yesterday, but hey. Soulquarius took priority. Shout out to my homegirl who put me on Marian Hill. I love hearing new music that I can vibe to. If you guys want to check her out, peep her track “One Time.” Think, Alina Baraz vibes. This was the first stage as we strolled into the campgrounds. It was the perfect starter.
This makeshift slope is so dope. The festival had snowboarding competitions going all day, both days. Being able to post up and watch this in L.A., the city that never gets snow was pretty epic. By the way, this is my third year at Air + Style. Last year, Kendrick Lamar headlined. So you know it’s real. Shout out to my girl letting me roll with her squad. They were honestly the most positive fun-filled energetic group of gals, and I genuinely adored with each one.
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They almost convinced me to stay for YG’s set at 8 p.m., but it started raining and I couldn’t feel my hands. I had to abort mission. I did get to witness TV on the Radio’s entire set. They are an American indie band, whose music mesmerized me tonight. It felt good to just enjoy a set without taking notes lmao. I usually like to take notes when I’m at rap shows. Peep their track “Wolf Like Me.” They also did a very sentimental David Bowie cover.
This festival felt more grown this year, for some reason lmao. Or maybe it was just in the beer gardens. On my way in, I had my vape pen in my hand and heard security yelling at me. So I went in another line lmao. They definitely gave me a nice pat down, though. We were lit and frolicking the festival grounds. I avoided Russ’ set on purpose. If you want to know, feel free to ask. Another sad, unfortunate encounter with an artist I genuinely believed in. But anyways.
Was exhausted when I finally got back, but I did not want to miss this one. Showered, ate, and head to The Roxy to see the homie Dumbfoundead. First off, today was his birthday. Second off, he completely sold out this venue. He joked about this being an all ages show and bringing Capri Suns for the youngins. Love his humor.
Shout out to his publicist Greg, who was in attendance tonight. Tickets were tight, which is always a good thing for an artist. I just absolutely love and appreciate how much Jonathan Park puts on for his people: Koreans (but more importantly, Asians). Tonight, we were the majority lmao. I wasn’t ready for the show to be this lit. He comes out to “Harambe” and the crowd was by his side every step of the way.
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The moment I enter the VIP section, I run into Kevin from Far East Movement. He’s the most down-to-earth and just lovable human being. He’s super cool with Ural, our former Senior Features Writer turned Associate Video Producer and asked where he was. I responded he’s a father now lmao (congrats again, Ural!). I had no idea he worked with Dumb, so that was an amazing connection. This was the We Might Die Tour, in light of Dumb’s last mixtape. What a great name for a tour.
He performed “24Ktown” and “Murals” before bringing my Bay Area favorite P-Lo. “Bitch I Look Good” and “Light This Bitch Up” are both gems. They tore it down. The Roxy was not ready. I also loved that he puts on for Koreatown. That was the first time I heard that record. My homie actually extended the (courtesy) invite to Line to celebrate Dumb’s birthday last night. Dumb admitted being very hungover today.
I loved the buildup to “Cochino,” his newest record with Too Short. He shouted out all the Latinos in the room, which was received with so much love. He proceeded to tell us his first girlfriends were Latina: Mexican, Guatemalan, and Salvadoran. Get it Dumb. This beat goes so hard. All his beats do tbh.
Shout out to his DJ, DJ Zo. I didn’t notice it was him until mid-show. He’s super lit, possibly one of the best in L.A. Dumb also brought out YEAR OF THE OX, his openers tonight. You could tell this was everything to them. They’re not just artists on the bill, they were a family. I loved seeing these guys who were the same ethnicity as me, spitting as hard as anyone else. This show was a statement.
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Other standout tracks: “Ancestors,” “Are We There Yet,” and “Safe.” So crazy, my brother actually showed me this music video first. I remember I was running the music section at the time and had to put it up the next morning. Such an amazing message about Asian stereotypes. He also brought out Korean rapper Jay Park before his “Harambe” encore. The crowd was screaming. What a memorable night, let alone birthday.
Monday, February 20
What a Monday. Props to everyone who had to work today, even though it was a holiday (President’s Day). I was so grateful to be able to check out The Science Behind Pixar Exhibition at California Science Center by USC. If you live in L.A., you’ve probably seen these advertisements on random poles around the city. This was something I did not want to miss. I love Disney, and I love Pixar. Finding Dory? Come on.
We pull up around 2 p.m. and literally could not get over how crowded it was: little kids everywhere. We didn’t mind. We thought it was the cutest thing. There were just as many people checking out the Endeavor shuttle as the Pixar exhibit. You can kill two birds with one stone in this visit. Ten minutes in, we realized we weren’t even in the right area lmao. We were so distracted by the science surrounding us.
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These doors were only the beginning. We walk in to find the 12,000 square foot room filled with endless interactive activities. I loved that. Seeing all the children play with all the machines and use their creativity was the best part. The purpose of the exhibit is to showcase the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts used by the artists and computer scientists. They’re the ones responsible for bringing Pixar’s award-winning films to the big screen. It is honestly so inspiring.
So many movies from Pixar/Disney that I absolutely die for. Monsters, Inc is definitely up there. There are eight sections, each focusing on a step in the filmmaking process. This was so exclusive. You got to see the actual production pipeline and concepts used at Pixar every day.
To infinity. . and beyond! Who doesn’t love Buzz Lightyear? Around this area is where I saw a video of an older Asian woman who spoke on landing her dream job at Pixar. It detailed her journey and showed actual footage of her working on a computer behind the scenes. The actual process behind what you see on the big screen is so, so tedious. I have so much respect for anyone who is able to use their brains and creativity to create such a great final product.
Rigged for emotion: “While human faces have only 43 muscles, riggers may create over 700 controls to adjust their characters’ faces”. Hey, Jessie from Toy Story! You’re cute. It’s crazy your facial expressions can be altered those many ways. There is an Arm Rigging Workstation as well.
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Honestly, Merida’s hair from Brave is beyond glorious. And this is how it’s done.
I could honestly share so many more pieces from the exhibit, but I’ll leave the rest for you to explore. I highly encourage you to check this out! You won’t regret it. It’s available until April 16, and you have to buy tickets online in advance. Special thanks to Paula for allowing me to cover! This is wonderful.
I literally had to get my tooth extracted before my plans for the evening. Honest to God, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it. I was in so much pain after the procedure, but Snoop Dogg was hosting a screening of Jordan Peele’s Get Out, and. . . #FOMO. Plus, my boss was moderating. I had to support.
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I pull up to the Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax to find the venue at capacity. Smh. Typical L.A. event. Nobody gives a damn about fire marshals okay. Let us in lmao. I was stuck outside with my plus one, King Los, Jen DeLeon, and Snoop’s photographer. We were in it together. They eventually let us in. It’s just the waiting game can be so hard sometimes.
The movie started around 10 p.m., and they kindly warned us no social media/phones during the film. Understood. This movie wasn’t out in theaters for another week. I literally pulled up in my Get Out beanie and shirt I got from Thurz’ Party In My Living party. Shout out to him in attendance tonight.
When I first saw the trailer, I wasn’t sure if it was a pure horror movie or a spoof. Jordan Peele is best known for his comedy. But that was not the main point. The main point was the message, which is pretty bold (if you ask me). The plot? IMDB puts it perfectly: A young African-American man visits his Caucasian girlfriend’s mysterious family estate.
Watching this film in a room full of stoners (Snoop included) was definitely not the same as watching it in theaters. We were busting up, belching out comments left and right. I honestly don’t think I would have enjoyed this as much in a regular movie theater. In fact, my boss told me to bring weed cause we were allowed to lmao. But dentist’s orders: no smoking or sucking out of a straw. I was devastated.
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The Q&A with Snoop and Lakeith Stanfield (also in Atlanta) was super dope. I thought Trent did an amazing job. Proud moment. Everyone got turnt after. Snoop Dogg loved the film lmao. That honestly made me love the film that much more. It’s so unique and creative. Definitely worth checking out.
Happy birthday to Snoop’s youngest son, Cordell Broadus. I met him tonight, super chill guy. We bonded over UCLA. Also met his mother, because I had to clarify if he was Snoop’s oldest, middle, or youngest. I had my facts all wrong lmao.
Tuesday, February 21
Nothing like blowing off some steam with a kickass workout. Seriously, though, things have been crazy. I was actually just trolling the schedule for Sanctuary Fitness last night, and accidentally signed up for HIIT- Anchor at 5:30 p.m. with Alyssa S. Hey, why not. I committed. Or God’s way of telling me to commit lmao.
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I love how their classes are set up. Anchor meant legs: glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves. “Everything needs some sort of anchor, and for us, that is our lower body.” What a great description (and name). I immediately recognized the instructor from the class I took during their grand opening weekend. She’s bomb. I enjoyed this one the most (I’ve tried Fuse and Cycling). She had me sweating.
Tonight was JoJo’s Mad Love Tour, with a completely sold out show at Fonda in Hollywood. This was a show you did not want to miss. I had my plus one stripped this morning, which I’m starting to appreciate. That just means the artist is that lit. Huge thanks to Ilana with Atlantic Records. You guys may recognize JoJo from her 2004 hit single “Leave (Get Out).” Without shame, this is what I was most excited for.
I was surprised when a die-hard fan in the front row had informed me she would be playing “Leave (Get Out)” third. She proceeded to pull out the entire set list of the show on her iPhone. Clutch. I was in the photo pit and she had inquired how I got to be in there. I told her to check out HipHopDX.com (of course). I picked up the poster lying on the bench next to me when she told me it was hers. It was pre-signed by JoJo and came with the VIP package. Adorable.
After ten seconds of JoJo hitting the stage, I realized she was no one-hit wonder. I recognized a ton of songs I had forgotten about: “Too Little Too Late,” “Fuck Apologies” with Wiz Khalifa, her rendition of Drake’s “Marvin’s Room” (basically, fuck your ex), and more. This tour is in light of her last album Mad Love. We all died when she brought Keke Palmer out. She then blindfolded her gave her a nice lap dance. Here for it.
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The crazy part about tonight was that JoJo was literally in the hospital just yesterday. She posted this on IG, canceling her show in San Luis Obispo. It was beyond heartwarming to see how much she wanted to be there for her fans tonight. She literally gave us her all. There were several moments where she was on the verge of tears, especially during her performances of “Music” and “I Am.” She couldn’t stop thanking the audience.
During her song “Edibles,” JoJo laid down on the stage with her guitarist hovering over her. This was definitely not the teenage JoJo I knew in high school. She is grown and sexy. She was in this black lace ensemble, with cleavage that could not go unnoticed. One more thing: homegirl is hood. She’s from Boston, so not sure what that means, but she got an attitude. And I fuck with it.
Before she played “FAB” featuring Remy Ma, she took the time to state her policy for 2017: “No fake ass bitches!” I hear ya, sister. Loud and clear. She closed out with “Mad Love” and before she left, she made sure to introduce each band member and backup singer on stage, calling them family. So much love.
Afterward, I had to pull up to Te’kila Hollywood down the street to say happy birthday to my girl. I want to shed light on this spot because I loved the vibes. Music videos, drinks, food, and overall a great spot to kick it. Plus, look at the size of this margarita. They had been there for an hour and barely made a dent lmao. Also ran into Go Dreamer, who was rocking a pretty swagged out hoodie. Good vibrations.
