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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Friday, March 10
Hello, Bay Area. I’m so sad this is my second to last night home, but that just means I have to make the most of it. Tonight, we were going to see THEY. in San Francisco. Shout out to these shows lining up perfectly this weekend. Isaiah Rashad last night was pure bliss. Huge thanks to Kim with Mind of a Genius for assisting and Christian, their tour manager, for allowing us to attend. Tonight was perfect.
If you guys aren’t familiar, they (no pun intended) are an R&B duo from L.A. They just dropped their debut album Nü Religion: Hyena, whichwas actual fire. Even my boss said so, and he’s picky lmao. This was The Nü Religion Tour. I remember I met one of the members at the Rae Sremmurd show at Whisky A Go Go, intro-ed by Azad. Sadly, I don’t remember which one lmao (Drew Love or Dante). But he was so great. I just remember loving his personality so much.
We enter The Social Hall and I immediately am blind lmao. It was legit pitch dark. I had to turn on the flashlight on my phone. I brought my best friend and one of my favorite human beings I went to high school with. She was such a good sport. I wanted to spend time with her this weekend and invited her to the show. She had never heard of them before, but she looked them up and said she listened to the album all week in preparation. I love putting my friends on lmao <3. Good music needs to be heard.
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So crazy, I didn’t expect to run into anyone tonight at the show. I usually see everyone out in L.A., but SF isn’t my city (I’m from Sunnyvale, an hour South). We pull up for their set at 10:30 p.m., and immediately I run into Azad by the bathroom. He introduced me to their manager, Brittany, who I fell in love with. I had the photo pass, which only got me into the tightest space on the side of the stage. The turnout was great, though. Everyone was there to see THEY. The venue was a sauna once again lmao.
The intro to their set was perfect. Both members come out in long black hooded capes, creating a dark and mysterious ambiance. The suspense was in the air. When the first song dropped, it was over. “Deep End” is one of my favorites off the project. The crowd was screaming, as was I. Drew Love then goes on to speak about growing up on Bay music, and his love for Keak Da Sneak. He just won 10 points in my book. Can we be friends?
Before they performed “Truth Be Told,” they gave us the Nü Religion principles. I love it. This was a movement. You could really hear their hearts in these tracks. “What You Want” had us screaming “That’s okayyyyy, that’s alright.” I get this EDM vibe from them, which might have something to do with them being signed to MOAG. This record label is home to Zhu, an amazing DJ. It’s that Trapsoul vibe, kind of like Bryson Tiller, who they actually opened up for on his tour.
My girl wanted me to make sure I noted the demographics in the building tonight. There definitely was a wide range in the audience, which included a child on top of his father’s shoulders, recording videos on an iPhone. Their mom was right next to them. It was a family outing lmao. Back to the show. THEY. had to do it for the ladies. One lucky girl was brought on stage to sit in a chair and be serenaded by a cover ofThe Weeknd’s “High For This.”She’s never going to forget this night.
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Other favorites: “Motley Crew” and “Dante’s Creek.” I was going in and out of the VIP area, and crazily run into Iamsu! (the exclamation point is part of his name. . . sometimes). I had to say hi. That’s one of my Bay Area favorites. Didn’t even see Nima from EMPIREright next to him. So crazy, I had just ran into him at The Grammys in L.A. But S.F. is his city.
I had to capture a close shot of homeboy with his shirt off. “Back It Up” is another highlight of the album. The ladies were definitely feeling his dance moves (on fleek). Before this half-naked body, Drew was rocking a sick jean jacket, with “THEY.” spray painted on the back. It reminded me of Paloma Ford’s jacket, that had her EP on the back. Excellent promotion.
“U-RITE” was the most lit song of the night. Beforehand, they gave a very heartwarming speech. They shared a memory of when they were in school. During lunch, they would look at everyone and want to be this person, or that person. Fuck that. It’s about being yourself. What a positive message for their fans. Thank you, THEY. I fucks with y’all.
We were chanting “Wolfpac” all night. Shout out to my bestie for chauffeuring us in S.F., a city I still have yet to master. Before the show, we hit up Twin Peaks Summit, one of the best views in the Bay. For once, I wasn’t freezing. V rare <3.
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Saturday, March 11
My life is so complete. Bebe Rexha’s All Your Fault Tour at The Regency Ballroom in S.F. I literally drove an hour to this show, and an hour back. In my mom’s old-ass minivan. I swear, that thing makes me nervous for my life. I’m surprised it’s still running. To make matters worse, it puts a huge damper on my parallel parking skills. I literally pull up to The Regency Ballroom only to make about seven circles around the block, seeking any meter spot I could effortlessly pull in to. I succeeded eventually.
Literally was here last night for THEY. The Social Hall is in the same building as The Regency lmao. Guys. I knew G-Eazy was going to show tonight lmao. He lives in L.A. now, but he’s from Oakland. It only made sense he would support for Bebe’s S.F. show. I knew it lmao. Plus, she was dropping subtle hints all night. We were all so ready.
We walk into this glorious venue around 10 p.m. The demographics tonight were more mixed than the show last night, which was pretty mixed lmao. If you guys aren’t familiar, Bebe is a pop singer from New York, which we definitely Googled at the show lmao. I knew she was lit coming into the show, but not this lit. By the end, we were in love. My girl and I both didn’t realize how many tracks we knew of hers. Homegirl is all over the radios.
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She blesses the stage, opening with “Bad Bitch,” her track with Ty Dolla $ign. She was rocking the hottest black over-the-knee heeled boots, paired with a sexy hooded black cape, covering what was to be revealed later: her booty. Damn. Homegirl is thick. And real. We were in shock lmao. How a white girl got it like that? It’s amazing, really. Next, she performed “Gateway Drug” and shouted out the diversity of the crowd: guys, girls, gay guys. Gay guys love Bebe Rexha.
Homegirl knows she’s bad lmao. “I’m a bad bitch, I know what I want.” Next, she performed “Atmosphere” and “Small Doses,” at which point she gives her ex, Alex, some time of day. She told everyone to go find him on IG lmao. I fell in love with her personality more and more as the show went on. She’s so great. “In the Name of Love” with Martix Garrix and “Take Me Home” with Cash Cash. Holy shit. So many hits!
She then sits on a stool with her guitarist by her side, which marked the halfway point of the show. Here, she asked where all her “Rexhars” were at. As you can guess, these are her die hard fans. You could hear the majority of the crowd scream in joy, loud and proud. Shit, I damn near felt like a Rexhar by this point. We both did. Shout out to my sister joining me tonight. We both went into this with no expectations and left beyond satisfied.
After she performed “I’m Going To Show You Crazy,” she gave a very heartwarming speech, revealing her own struggle with depression and anxiety. That record changed her life. Mental illness always hits home for me. That really left an imprint. She told everyone it doesn’t matter who they are, as long as they love themselves <3. “Can’t Stop Drinking About You” was followed by Bebe bringing on a stage an 11-year-old fan whom she saw singing all the words to her songs. He was so adorable.
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And then, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Young Gerald hops on stage with his tall, lanky self lmao. I was so lit, along with my girl and the rest of the venue. Huge thanks to Doug, Cassandra, and the rest of Bebe’s team for allowing me to attend. By the way, the show ended up selling out. Congrats, that’s what I love to hear.
I literally sent my girl the music video to “Fuck Fake Friends” earlier today. She ends up pulling it out mid-show so we could see if that ass was on display in the video lmao. It wasn’t. I swear. They hid it lmao. I’m a day one G-Eazy fan, and you know he had to play “Me, Myself, & I,” Yes, that’s Bebe on the vocals. If you didn’t make the connection.
Shout out to Bebe for the RT. Next, she performed “Hey Mama” with David Guetta, another record we didn’t know she was on. And then my favorite part of the show: Eminem’s “Monster.” She revealed she actually wrote the part for Rihanna, which is crazy. She revealed that this was a time when she had 200 dollars in her pocket and nobody was fucking with her. The record labels thought her lyrics were weird. This song changed her life (yes, she said that about another song earlier, but I ain’t mad).
Look where she is now. Homegirl is so talented and deserves all the praise tonight. She closed with “I Got You.”
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Sunday, March 12
Back to Lalaland. Thankfully, I wasn’t late this time around. Life is so much better when you’re not having a panic attack, wondering if you’ll make your flight. I flew out of San Jose into Burbank in the late afternoon. The minute I exit the plane, I notice how fucking glorious the weather was. It was a bright sunny day, and I was back in the city of angels. I’m back. Let’s get it.
Tonight, I had to hit up Chocolate Sundaes, my all-time favorite comedy show in L.A. If you guys don’t know, I’m about to put you on. This takes place every Sunday night and is always stacked with the best comedians in the game. The reason we chose tonight was because Yvonne Orji from Insecure was on the bill. I just did a story on her at the Women’s Day event and V suggested we go. I cleared my schedule real quick.
Huge thanks to Glenna and Lani for taking care of us. We were so excited. My homegirl loves Insecure, so I had to bring her. I pull up for the 10 p.m. show (there’s an 8 p.m. one also), cause you know. Save the best for last. This was the world famous Laugh Factory on Sunset Blvd. It was also a special evening celebrating comedian Ron G’s birthday. Ever since I’ve been coming, he’s been the host. He’s fucking hilarious.
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I came a little earlier, during the tail end of the first show, to try to catch Yvonne before she hit the stage. Success. I was super excited to meet her. She was the absolute sweetest and always has the biggest, most contagious smile. Huge thanks to Glenna for allowing me to come upstairs. This is the exclusive VIP area. Everybody was laughing and having a good time. Sighted: Lil Rey Howery, Ne-Yo, Tyrese, and the homie Von. I met him guest starring on his podcast called TheseGuysAndGirl, which ended up being a blast.
Yo. Yvonne did her thing! Right off the bat, she starts gigging and turning up to whatever ignorant rap song the DJ threw down. Pause: shout out to this DJ, who always gets Chocolate Sundaes lit like a damn club. Every time. Yes, I’ll take Migos and Future with my comedy. He even dropped Missy Elliott’s (semi) new track “I’m Better.” That shit’s fire. Back to Yvonne, she was hilarious, and can do a mean African accent. I wanted more lmao.
I knew Lil Rey was going to pop on stage. The crowd was stoked. Get Outreally took his career to a new level. My brother actually went to see it tonight and said the theater was crowded to the brim. On a Sunday night, a week after its release? You go, Jordan Peele. Anyways, Lil Rey is one of those comedians that is just funny by default. He doesn’t have to say much lmao. Just like Yvonne, I was sad when his set came to an end.
Next on the lineup was Kevin Tate and Michael Blackson. Both lit, both hilarious. In between sets, they presented Ron with a cake, who had no problem making a wish and blowing out the candles right on stage. Before this happened, they actually asked for a girl to come on stage to sing him happy birthday. A brave girl she was.
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Thank you, Chocolate Sundaes. I’ll be back <3.
