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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Tuesday, February 28
Tonight was epic. Mostly because of how much fun we had interviewing Ugly God. I have to give the whole backstory. It all began when I saw he would be playing at The Echoplex on his Lights, Camera, Booty Tour. That name in itself should give you an idea of the kind of artist he is: an absolute riot. I actually saw this flier on the homie Jordan’s IG, and he only fucks with dope artists. I wasn’t missing this.
Of course, I pull up to the wrong Echo. There’s The Echo on Sunset, and The Echoplex on Glendale. It’s mad confusing and gets me every time. It’s like, why have a sign for Ugly God at the other venue? Right? Luckily, they’re walking distance apart. I called Ugly God’s manager (shout out to Jackie) when I was at the other venue, and the irony in that he had to wait for me to walk over lmao.
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He was such a good sport. I literally wanted this interview so bad, because I truly believe Ugly God is about to blow (if he hasn’t already). His “Water” music video is coming up on 26 million views, and ____ (Ugly’s real name that he doesn’t want on the Internet) himself agrees his lyrics are trash. That says a lot. But anyways, Jackie said he fucked with me and my work, which made my night. They had a stacked day (Power 106, a meet and greet, etc), so I was super fucking appreciative they were down to speak with us.
The moment I met Ugly, I was in love. This guy was just the bubbliest, friendliest, funniest, just most alive individual I have had the pleasure to interview. Shout out to my girl Thereza shooting, we all had a ball. It was the tightest room backstage, with just a (torn up) coach. At the end, I asked him to freestyle and he asked for a topic. I said, “Asian girls.” Lmao.
We had to stay for his show. His set time was 11 p.m. so we had an hour to kill. The buildup to when he actually came on stage was the definition of lit. Literally, fans in the crowd. Who ended up knowing all the words to his songs. There was this guy behind me in VIP who literally knew every, single, word. He added to the experience tonight.
By the way, Ugly God only has like eleven songs released. He is so new to the game and blew the fuck up in such a short time. They call him a meme rapper because he’s obsessed with memes and making funny videos. I would definitely say that’s how he started, but now this rapping thing fell on his lap. I would describe him as a combo of 21 Savage, Lil Uzi Vert,Lil Yachty, and a splash of Famous Dex, of course.
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He kept calling DJ Carnage fat lmao. I was like stop. Their track “Rari” goes so hard. It was so lit on stage. A little bit into his set, he proceeds to list off every single other show on his tour that sold out: Seattle, Portland, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, OC Observatory, and now L.A. Tonight was the “best night of his life.” You know we ate that up.
When he performed “FTBT,” I was just like oh god lmao. This stands for “Face, titties, booty, and toes.” Does it slap? You bet it does. Other highlights include “I Beat My Meat, his “Fuck Donald Trump” freestyle, and “Bitches!” in which he pulls 20 bitches on stage. Closing with “Water,” Ugly ends up stage diving into the crowd. This guy is living.
Almost forgot, huge thanks to Joseph for lacing me with this amazing hats. This guy is so dope. He literally made the sickest graphics for Ugly God, literally in a couple of hours. We met at the Young California 5 Year Anniversary show in the OC and it was automatic friendship.
Wednesday, March 1
March 1. Let’s talk about this meme right here lmao. I love the Warriors. Don’t play. This gave me a good laugh.
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I wasn’t going to miss this event. I feel like I live at The NOVO, so when I got invited to see the Newly Renovated Novo, I had to accept. This is the venue at L.A. Live that Migos had turned upside down. “Let’s pop the champagne and celebrate the New Year and NEW look at The Novo!” followed by “Come sip, see, and experience the renovations with us!” Say no more. I picked up my badge at the bottom of the escalators and immediately was peeved. I hate when people don’t spell HipHopDX as one word. Literally my OCD lmao.
Huge thanks to Raihni, the VIP Sales Manager. I grabbed her business card amongst the endless supply of dark chocolate upon walking in. White chocolate and milk chocolate. Take your pick. I instantly regretted not bringing a purse, because I definitely would have been stuffing it. No shame. I proceeded to walk through the double doors into the most classy, elegant set-up. Time to get it together.
The food was the best part. I couldn’t even capture the greatness in the options provided to us tonight: homemade pasta, cheese and meat, popcorn, chocolate and cheese fondue, an open bar, champagne, and photo booths on photo booths. They even had a virtual reality photo booth set up on stage. This is usually where the artists and DJs perform. Tonight, we were performing.
I made a best friend within ten seconds. Shout out to Robert, USA’s VP of Sila Sveta. He was standing outside and he showed me the ropes. He said he’d been there since the event started at 4 p.m., and was supposed to go until 7:30 p.m. It was 7:15 p.m. I was dying when they announced over the intercom that it would be going over until 7:45 p.m. A whole 15 minutes.
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There were couches set up all throughout the venue. Everybody I met was somebody. I was honored.
I was sad to leave, but I had to make it to my next destination: Rostrum Records. This was a private, intimate dinner to celebrate Mod Sun‘s upcoming album titled MOVIE. Another evening of music, people, art and great food. Huge thanks to Brianne with Cashmere Agency for thinking of me.
I’m a huge fan of Mod Sun. I remember when he came into the office for a #DXLive and he was just a complete riot. Same exact scenario tonight. A riot in the most positive way. This kid has so much energy, personality, just everything about him is lit. He exudes love and positivity everywhere he goes. Plus his music is lit too. I fucking love his song “Smokin’ What I’m Smokin’ On” with D.R.A.M. and Rich The Kid. Heard it multiple times tonight and was turnt each time.
I greeted him upon entering the Rostrum Records building in Hollywood. He remembered me, I was ecstatic. He was chilling in a circle with his squad who were just as lit as he was. They were adorable. Each one warmly greeted me and you could just tell how much they supported Mod Sun and his artistry. I had to compliment Mod on his outfit tonight too. He’s the king.
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I’d never seen anything like this. This was straight up catered and set up like a damn wedding. Unbelievable. I met the owner, Benjy, and had to thank him. They set up the tables in the middle of their building, which is so beautiful and unique. This wasn’t your traditional music label building. This was Rostrum Records.
So many familiar faces in the crowd today, including Tommy, the owner of DX. This means it’s lit. He only shows up to events that matter. We all had our names on placards in front of our assigned seat. I was excited to take my place at the table. The first course was salad, followed by an entree of braised beef, and chocolate pudding for dessert.
Okay, back to the artist. Mod Sun is a creative genius. This was a listening party for his new album MOVIE, alongside the release of his short film titled ALBUM. That had me confused for a sec, but then it clicked and I was like wow. I love it lmao. This album is also home to “We Do This Shit” f. Dej Loaf, another banger. He played us his entire project. I genuinely was loving all the new records I was hearing. He played us the short film right after, which is roughly 15 minutes. It was pretty much a depiction of his life <3.
During dinner, I sat next to the best company: Cindy and Richard, the founders of Tokewell Magazine. This is a lifestyle magazine focusing on cannabis and vaping. You know they had me at the first one. They laced me with two of their issues (thank you!). I loved this one of Lloyd and immediately asked if they knew his publicist Aishah. Of course, they did. Nothing but love, always.
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Mod Sun, you’re incredible. Can’t wait for your album to drop on March 10, which by the way, is his birthday. What a great gift to the fans.
Thursday, March 2
Holy shit. I can’t believe I’m actually here. Hello from Vegas everyone. It’s 5 a.m. and I feel like it’s 19-year-old Shirley back in this city. I honestly have a confession. I’ve been talking way too much shit. I used to come to Sin City a LOT. Like back when I had a fake I.D. in high school. It was bad. Now that I’m older and out of my party phase, I hate it. The clubs are nothing but a room full of creepers, and they make me feel gross.
But shit. The moment we landed, all that hatred and negativity went away. This city was lit, literally. I was with one of my best homegirls, and we were here for one of her best homegirl’s birthday. It gets better. We were here this weekend to see Backstreet Boys. I personally am an NSync fan, but hey. This was going to be epic.
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After a lovely delayed flight from Southwest, we touch down in Las Vegas. We were lost trying to find the Uber pick up, but eventually got to our home for the weekend: Planet Hollywood. Holy fuck. I forgot about this part. The glamor and extravagant lights of this city. The excitement in the air. The luxurious hotels. Damn.
And then I hit the club and I was like, “Fuck my life.” Lmao. Creepers man. I can’t do it. Shout out to JR for plugging us with a promoter named Donald. I asked him what was crackin’ tonight that had Hip Hop. DJ Esco at Drai’s. Done. We had to be there by 12:45 a.m. Dunno how we pulled it off. But we did.
It was coming onto 1:30 a.m. and Esco was nowhere to be found. We toughed it out until 2 a.m. and literally was heading out until baby daddy got on stage. Guys, I love him lmao. Not like he’s hot, but I just think he’s adorable. His personality and his dance moves. He’s Future’s DJ if you aren’t familiar. His song “Too Much Sauce” gives me life. And you best believe I was feeling myself when he performed it.
This was so perfect for March just hitting. Literally. He started by telling everyone in the club the story about getting stuck in Dubai for 56 nights. This mixtape is home to “March Madness,” one of Future’s best songs to-date. If you agree, I know you’re a real one. This was everything. I was home.
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Got this on the Snap. This is lit. He said him and Future locked themselves in the studio recording FUTURE and didn’t tell anyone about HNDRXX. That second album is giving me so much life right now. All my friends too. For once, everyone can agree on an album being good.
This was hilarious. “Selfish” featuring Rihanna is one of the best tracks off HNDRXX, but it’s also emo. Esco was trying to get ratchet lmao. I can’t.
Night one was a success. We were all proud of ourselves lmao.
