Summer Jam 17

I’m back after a three-year hiatus, (blame it on college) but yesterday was too lit for us to not take a trip back into Amari’s world.

Yesterday I was blessed with the opportunity to join the InFlexWeTrust digital team for the day. In other words, I had all access and a media pass for Summer Jam 17

Man lets get right to it... Here are the 3 highlights of Summer Jam 17 ya digg.

A Boogie wit da Hoodie is a PROBLEM 

First things first, I’m late on the A Boogie train and I can admit that. I wasn’t in the city to witness his rise to fame first hand like I was for New York’s last solidified star A$AP Rocky. I remember coming home on breaks early 2016 and everyone in the city would play his music non stop. A Boogie really had the hood behind him for a minute, but I wasn’t messing with him at all tbh. I was hating on the whole singing/ rapping act, I really thought that nanananana shit was corny. Eventually I had to put my pride to the side and admit he was the truth... Easiest way to shut your haters up is with success and I was a fan by his TBA EP.

I knew A Boogie was really lit when all the white girls at my school were on snapchat singing “I’m not a regular person” and I wasn’t the one that put them on. It all happened so quick, soon my cousins in Atlanta were riding around the city blasting his tape and next thing you know, Drake brought him out at the Garden for the Summer 16 tour. I really knew he was gonna be around for a while when both my 11 and 16 year-old sisters were constantly playing him in the crib.

Having said all that, I understood A Boogie was official and the fanbase was organic and faithful but man did the crowd at Summer Jam confirm his star potential. When A Boogie hit that festival stage for the last performance, the crowd went crazy! I’m talking every dude rapping his songs word for word and every girl wyling out for him. It was obvious he’s who the majority of the crowd was there for. He easily had the best stage presence and swag out of everyone on the Festival Stage, “drowning” in diamonds down to the studded Christian Louboutin's

A Boogie wit da Hoodie 

SB(SideBar): Main difference between A Boogie and other recent successful acts out of NY like Bobby Shmurda, Young M.A and Desiigner is that he has complete projects, a valid foundation along with an organic come up. He released both his projects to streaming services in 2016 and can already perform a 6-7 song set that’s straight fire, keeping any crowd engaged. He’s here to stay, he isn’t a one-hit wonder, he has a formula and lane that is working lovely for him. Yesterday assured me that he will continue to finesse and keep his foot on the gas. Right now, his only single from 2017 “Drowning ft Kodak” has produced his best chart success thus far. Flex brought A Boogie out on the main stage during his Flex and Friends set and he tore the whole MetLife down this time. I’m calling it right now, he gonna be on that Summer Jam stage next year on his own. I respect the come up and really wanna see how far he can take his career.  Y’all think he can reach ASAP Rocky level of success in the rap game? I say why not.  Okay, that’s all I got to say about A Boogie. Only right I show mad love after all the hating I did in the past lol.

HOT 97 put on for NYC and we love our New York artist

Harlem native Dave East

Young M.A in a custom Pacers jersey

There’s been a narrative for years that HOT 97 and New York radio doesn’t support NY rappers enough. Even with previous summer jam lineups, people often say NY artist don’t get enough love. It's human nature to often complain about shit but you gotta give credit when credit is due, New York dominated Summer Jam yesterday and HOT 97 made an obvious effort to support their local artist. Phresher, Casanova, Dave East, Don Q, A Boogie and Young M.A all dominated the festival stage to start the day. I know it’s not the stadium stage but the parking lot was packed for the festival and everyone was there for our local stars. To keep it a stack the crowd could really care less for Yachty and D.R.A.M, that’s not really their audience anyways. However the ladies loved YOUNG M.A…she was in her bag, on her home court rocking the festival stage. Luckily for her, this is one of the few crowds that can actually rap along to tracks other than Ooouuu. The crowd also rocked with Harlem native Dave East, another rapper with a very solid fan base and respectable grind.

 

Joey Bada$$ and Mobb Deep

In the stadium, proven city emcee Joey Bada$$ started the night right. He kept it real New York, bringing out the OG’s Mobb Deep to perform classics like Shook Ones and Quiet Storm.  Very good look and underrated move by the young boy Joey.

French Montana is a regular at Summer Jam. He had a decent set and brought out Rocky to perform one of my favorites LPFJ2.

UNITY

Fat Joe and Remy MA also bodied their set, easily bringing the crowd’s energy “All The Way Up”. Remy was definitely one of the highlights of the night. She brought out New York’s own Cardi B, Young M.A, Lil Kim, MC Lyte and Queen Latifah (although she’s from Jersey). It was lit, the crowd went crazy for New York’s new princess Cardi B and Young M.A of course, both managing to get some of the biggest reaction from the crowd all day. Remy ended her set performing sheEther.. Nothing says “U.N.I.T.Y” and uplifting NY female rappers than putting the most popular one of them all on that Summer Jam... Nah I’m just playing, Remy’s set was such a dope hip hop moment and great for the city.

Funk Flex represented the city to no surprise, he brought out Casanova, Juelz Santana and A Boogie to the stage. SB.. Casanova’s Don’t Run is a straight hit in the city, the crowd went crazy for that on both the festival and stadium stage. Overall NYC bodied the Summer Jam stage this year, we need to give HOT 97 and the artists credit for doing their thing this year.

Chris Brown is insanely talented

Last but not least, Chris Brown bodied his set. Ironically, the first artist I ever saw in concert was Chris Brown in 06’ for the We Ain’t Done Yet Tour. So the whole day when thinking about the bill, I completely dismissed Chris Brown’s set from my agenda. I’m a big Trey and Chris Breezy fan but I figured those would be the R&B sets for the ladies. I planned on using that time to charge my phone and go inside to upload posts for IFWT. Shoutout to Trigga but remind me to never disrespect Chris Brown like that again. His stage presence, star appeal, vocals, and effortless wooing of the ladies made me forget all about Trey Songz and Tory Lanez’s sets. Breezy was the most energetic performer on the bill, dancing up and down the stage and performing hit after hit after hit. I could easily name another ten songs he should’ve performed. Breezy also had the perfect amount and mix of special guests too. He brought out Playboi Carti to perform the biggest song of the summer thus far in Magnolia. Even when he stepped out the spotlight to let Carti perform all eyes were on Brown, milly rocking and moonwalking across the stage effortlessly. To end his set Brown brought out his “big brother”, Yonkers very own DMX and he shut down the crowd to no surprise with the Ruff Ryders Anthem. Breezy definitely had the best set of the night, in my opinion, he seemed so happy and free on the stage. My take is the stage is his element. All the negativity and personal life drama aside, that’s what he does best and he knows it. He left it all out on the stage and put on a legit performance. That boy has special talents man, to think what his career could’ve been if he wasn’t such a shitty…  Nvm good performance C Breezy.

Chris Brown in the middle of some crazy move

 Couple SB’s:

Meek still got it

Meek shut the stadium down during the Flex and Friends set. No matter how much hate he gets on the internet and social media, Meek is that nigga in the streets and NYC loves him. Can’t wait to see him complete the bounce back and what he has in store for the fans this summer.

Crowd wasn’t dead

I saw a few people tweeting that the crowd was dead and even my boy that wasn’t there insinuated that the crowd was wack… Well if you not from NY or never been to Summer Jam you might not understand but the Summer Jam crowd is filled with old heads (like my pops who likes only Wu-Tang and ONYX). If you ever been to Summer Jam you know these niggas is not about to be jumping up and down raging and mosh pitting. Closest thing you’ll get to a mosh pit is an actual brawl. People probably think it was dead cause we been watching too many Travis Scott and Lil Uzi concert clips lately. You know the crowd is rocking with you by the amount of head nods the artist gets back from the crowd and the original reaction when the beat drops tbh… but yeah the crowd was into it, I was there all day and don’t think it was dead at all.

Migos was Lit

If you know me, you know Migos was easily my favorite artists on the bill for Summer Jam and their set was lit. I wasn’t tryna give ya’ll a 4-6 page essay on the concert though, I know how short our attention spans are nowadays. Migos was lit though, they’re all using the same autotune that Travis uses in concert now, so that was funny and interesting to say the least...

I left before the Faith Evans set

No disrespect to Faith or the Biggie tribute but I knew there wouldn’t be any crazy special guests for her set. Also, I’m really an OG with this Summer Jam shit by now and we hear that Mr. Cee set every year for the late great B.I.G. I decided to beat that traffic and get my ass home before the sold out obliterated crowd exited the stadium, plus I been there all day. So that was def a good call for me.

Real MVP

Met Colin Kaepernick

I was entering the stadium in the cut and happened to walk in the same time as Kaepernick. I told myself I wouldn’t take pics with anyone cause I was working and I was surrounded by celebs all day but I had to take a pic with this man. Powerful…Didn’t even take much of his time, just told him I appreciate him, great man.

Special shoutout to Tat Wza

I appreciate you for bringing me along for Summer Jam. I know it was probably nothing for you and like your 20th summer jam, but you exposed me to a lot yesterday. Summer Jam 17 was special for me, thank you.

So.. that’s all I got, thanks for reading everyone. It’s been a while but it was only right I blogged about the show. This was fun tbh, it’s nice to write about something I’m passionate about once again, maybe I’ll be back soon.

50 CENT ALBUM RELEASE CONCERT AKA G-UNIT REUNION CONCERT

Last night was truly a night to remember in NYC (Big shoutout to www.complex.com mag for getting me on the guest list so I could go to the show last night.) These last few weeks have been very busy and action packed for the legendary 50 Cent promoting his first independent album Animal Ambition. Well there were no signs of fatigue in front of the sold out crowd at Webster Hall for his album release concert. Luckily for 50 he was joined by fellow G-Unit members to shut down NYC last night. YUP you heard it right, last night was the first G-Unit concert in years. This was the OFFICIAL G-Unit reunion, which was long overdue after the 7 year hiatus. Although they technically reunited at Summer Jam last weekend it was just a different type of vibe and feel last night.

Photo by yours truly!

Joined by Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, Young Buck, and new official member of G-Unit Kidd Kidd 50 performed for over an hour and officially announced his return to the throne as the King of New York. 50 didn't miss a beat and looked right at home feeding off the energy of his fellow G-Unit members. If anyone was questioning if the Unit was actually cool with each other, those thoughts are all out the window now. Last night felt like 04' all over again (Yeah, I've been bumping G-Unit since I was 8 years old lol) for both the crowd and G-Unit members.  Don't get it twisted it wasn't no joyfest G-Unit definitely kept it poppin and staticky like the old days. "N*gga f*uck all these other rappers it's G-UNIT" - Young Buck.. There was plenty of other quotes that stuck out during the night.They really didn't miss a beat at all. The setlist was perfect with the concert predominately being all vintage and cherished 50 and G-Unit mixtape songs. The best part about the night has to be that G-Unit enjoyed performing as much as the crowd enjoyed watching, you can tell all the members were really enjoying and soaking in the moment.  They made sure to emphasize that they're back and playing no games. Between every song Yayo made it a habit of yelling out "THE UNIT IS BACK, G-UNIT IS BACK" It was really a special night for everyone in Webster Hall, it was just classic G-Unit. 50 proceeded to talk his sh*t throughout the night only difference is there was no Ebro to shut his mic off. In the middle of a mirage of G-Unit songs How We Do came on and the crowd started rapping to it. 50 stopped the music and said "oh thats what ya f*cking with, what side ya on man, ya n*ggas confused me for a second" It was all fun and games for 50 and the Unit poking fun at every and everybody last night even ya boy Ja Rule.
"Damn homie in high school you was the man homie, what the f*ck happen to you", they did that line about 4 times in a row. At the end of the night the fans left very pleased and tired. 50 Cent and G-Unit had 3 encores, every time we thought the show was over the fans would start a G-UNIT chant and they'd come back out and perform more classic hits, it was just that kind of night. In classic 50 Cent style he ended the show like a boss " I want ya to get home safely there's a lot of police in the building courtesy of Slowbucks" *drops the mic*. What a classic night and a huge moment for 50, G-Unit and New York City.

Just a reminder everyone go cop that Animal Ambition @
www.50cent.com I've been able to listen to my advance copy a few times and the album is actually dope! And be on the lookout for a lot more G-Unit this summer, iight peace I'm out ya'll.

that Animal Ambition 

G-UNIT IS BACK MANNNN

PHARRELL AT THE APOLLO AKA RANDOM TRIBUTE TO THE LEGENDARY PHARRELL WILLIAMS

Last night Pharrell Williams performed at the legendary Apollo Theater in front of a sold-out crowd and millions of viewers over a live stream. A very appreciative and "Happy" Pharrell took the stage and put on a very intimate show for his fans. Much like his fans and "suns"(singers, dancers, and band) Pharrell's set was very diverse. Pharrell was even joined by both Busta Rhymes and T.I during the show. Throughout the night Pharrell made sure to keep ALL his fans satisfied performing tracks from his new album GIRL, along with club favorites he produced, and classic Nerd, and BAPE, BBC era hits. I can only imagine how difficult it is to choose an actual set for an artist with a catalog as amazing as Pharrell's. Between songs Pharrell made sure to continuously thank everyone who's helped him get to where he is today. There was a repeated theme of equality, "Happiness", and humbleness during his show directed by the legendary Spike Lee. It's funny because the show was in Harlem and the only Black people in attendance were me, Busta Rhymes & T.I (lol...it was a predominately white audience). I'd say it was about 65% White people and then the other 35% was OG Pharrell fans inspired by the BAPE/BBC era (which I'll get into later). But yea, I challenged myself last night to find another Black guy that white people loved more than Pharrell.... yea I failed at that. I don't blame them either, at one point in the show he stopped to talk about woman empowerment and how he's gonna be the biggest supporter and "be on the right side of history". So overall the show was dope man Pharrell did a great job, the crowd left very "Happy" and he's definitely the Peoples Champ. 

"Inserts corny caption"
Pharrell is happy!

Now if yall dont mind I wanna write about the Pharrell I know and grew to love! The BBC/Ice Cream wearing Bape Sta rocking, the man who introduced the world to Lauren London, beautiful exotic women of all types in his videos, and arguably greatest Producer of MY generation. The mans a genius... a lot of times people fail to realize all he's done and accomplished. AND this is all before the last couple of years when he became an GLOBAL icon. So imma split this up into two sections, one being his musical influence and impact on the industry and the other his style but more importantly his cultural impact on the teens of my generation.

In My Mind album cover
(Personal favorite)

Lets start off with his musical impact. Like I said before the man is arguably the greatest producer/ song writer of my generation. Please note that when I say my generation I mean MY generation (16-24 year olds) so old heads please take the caps locks off I'm not trying to disrespect anyone from your era like Marley Marl & Pete Rock and them (LOL) . When I think of the top producers of my generation I'm thinking Timbaland, Kanye, Scott Storch, Just Blaze and Pharrell. Now if I'm forgetting someone tell me and we can debate it's all recreational and for the love of the culture. Pharrell has blessed radios and DJ's across the country with many timeless hits. Seriously, there was songs I didn't know Pharrell produced until today when I started some extra research for the blog. Imma hit yall with this plot twist real quick cause we all learn new things everyday, here's ten songs you most likely didn't know Pharrell (Co)Produced or (Co)Wrote... Alright here they go - I'm a Slave 4 U - (Britney Spears), U Don't Have to Call - (Usher), Girls Dem Sugar - (Beenie Man), Hollaback Girl - (Gwen Stefani), Hot In Herre - (Nelly), Rock Your Body - (Justin Timberlake), Girlfriend - (N'Sync), Say Somethin - (Mariah Carey), Touch -(Omarion), and Milkshake - (Kelis). You gotta look at the diversity in those tracks son. I can only imagine Pharrell being in the studio with Britney Spears and then flying to the Caribbean islands to make a track with Beenie Man. Like my man Kanye once said, Pharrell is "the gap like Banana Republic and Old Navy". AND you gotta note that this was only songs that most people don't know are his, I haven't even mentioned his solo work or the songs he has that EVERYONE knows. But nah that's all imma write about music wise cause I don't want this to be too long people been complaining about the length of my post (you know who you are Lol). Word though Pharrell has had an amazing music career that keeps getting better, the dude has 7 Grammy awards man, thats beyond dope!

Peep the Bapestas <3

More than a brand but a lifestyle

Ok now for my favorite part by far, Pharrell's style impact and cultural impact in the game. Pharrell paved the way and gave the whole Rap game a blueprint for creating their own clothing brands. Along with a good friend of his Nigo (Creator of BAPE) Pharrell created the brand Billionaire Boys Club/ Ice Cream in 2005. Now I say Pharrell paved the way because he was the first rapper to really take over the streetwear game. I know the old heads, like my dad and uncles will be like; "but yo, what about Karl Kani and Roca Wear and FUBU and Walker Wear" etc. etc. But yeah, I don't really know about all that so imma stick to my field you feel me. Now, what's most impressive to me and what I think makes him such a great business man was how his Product Placement and Advertising game was too strong. It was no billboards or magazine ad's, nah it was just dope music videos and the people you admire wearing the clothes and after that nothing was really the same. The thing about BBC and Ice Cream is that it was a lifestyle more than a brand. Wearing BBC or a pair of Bapestas represented a certain social class or group you belonged to, you were a cool kid or a n.e.r.d. I remember being in 6th Grade (I'm a high school senior now) and my cousin had spent the night at my crib and he let me wear his light blue camo Bape's to school. I remember taking the bus to school that day thinking I was the coolest kid ever rocking these Bapestas. Too bad I was ahead of my time though cause I had never been teased more in my life than that day. Everyone was telling me I had on fake Air forces, I'm like "Nah man these Bapestas ya'll don't know what ya'll talking about these cost more than any pair of Air forces you got". And just like that you couldn't tell me nothing I loved that feeling of breaking necks, being the center of attention and getting compliments from the people that was about that life. And that's what that whole movement was all about man and no one deserves credit for that other than Pharrell. I remember going to my Uncle Myles house watching the Frontin video, the I Just Wanna Love Ya video, Lets Get Blown and all you saw was BBC and Bape all over. My cousins had all the OG Bape and Ice Cream and they were the coolest people I knew ya dig. It was all about the vision, Pharrell knew and set the vision for a whole culture.

Look how cool those guys look

More Product Placement
Weezy F Baby

To close I wanna say this was a random blogpost but I was just really inspired last night at Pharrell's show. I mean look how far this guy's come you see the pics of him a decade ago and to see him now it's really amazing. I believe Pharrell should be a role model to a lot of the kids in my community because he made it, and he did it the right way you feel me. Pharrell's whole career has always been about positivity and diversity. And it's just really inspiring you know for a young man like me to see someone who likes all the same things as me just break into the game and do his thing. Like Pharrell said in one of my favorite songs of his "my n*gga you can do it too".

Special shoutouts and thank you's to my older cousins for inspiring me to be the fly young man that I am today, just by giving me a taste of that type of lifestyle and being different. Shout-out to Lisa for the close up pics of Pharrell performing and sending them my way I appreciate that! Shout-out to my Dad for inspiring me to start the blog and then encouraging me to continue to blog after I took a long break and for his old-school TBT photos with all the OG Jordans and Polo & Gucci lol. And a HUGE shoutout to everyone who takes the time to read and support the blog I really appreciate that you feel me, I won't forget ya when I make it big time. (Next posts won't be too long I apologize for the length of this post but I just got so much to say and such little time ya dig). Now here's just some random pics of me wearing BBC and Bape as a tribute to Pharrell and that lifestyle we all love.

I can post these random pics because
it's MY blog lol

Shoutouts to the bro G-Sizzle haha

Me and the big homie Alex so proper

Haters getting mad cause
I got me some Bathing Apes

Keep one eye open like CBS
PEACE!

SUMMER JAM 2014 AKA 50'S RETURN AS KING OF NY

Ab- Soul of TDE showing love to ya boy

Yesterday on the first day of June, infamous New York radio station Hot 97 held their annual "Summer Jam" concert and didn't disappoint at all. This year marked the 20th anniversary of Hot 97's highly anticipated Summer Jam concert and Nas' classic Hip Hop album Illmatic. Although times have definitely changed from the first years of Summer Jam concerts (headlined by legends such as Wu-Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest, Mary J, Jay-Z and the Notorious B.I.G) there was a huge buzz and excitement in the crowd about this years show. This was great for Hot 97 because the past few years have been sub par. This years headliners were Nas, 50 Cent, and Nicki Minaj with Young Money so the hype and anticipation was well deserved. The questions asked most throughout the crowd last night was, "will G-Unit reunite during 50 Cent's set" and "does 50 still have it"? Also how will Nicki Minaj perform and be received by the crowd especially after her incident here 2 years ago.
I made my way to the lower level of the stadium from the "Sparta Section" aka section 300 seats
right as Nas was about to begin his set. Everyone knows Summer Jam doesn't officially start till the sun goes down and Mister Cee plays that tribute to BIG, after that is when the headliners come out and Summer Jam is either Kobe in the 4th or Shaq at the line ya feel me.

Mister Cee set the tone for the rest of the night as he came out and began to talk his sh*t before the Nas set." This is what Hip Hop sounded like before it went ratchet!". As he played his usual and highly entertaining set pertaining of mostly 90's and early 2000's aka "The Golden Era" tracks getting the crowd into it as the sun began to set. When Mister Cee proceeded to play that mix of BIG songs we heard the biggest pop from the crowd so far for the night. Nas came out to the legendary New York State of Mind making the crowd go wild. He kept the energy high and crowd entertained revisiting the summer of 94' with some classic Illmatic tracks. Nasir didn't come to Summer Jam empty handed either bringing out New York City's French Montana and the streets very own Meek Mill both receiving huge ovations. As a side note, before we dive into 50's set I gotta really send respect Meek Mill's way. This was my third time seeing Meek Mill perform and unlike other rappers in the game Meek can actually rhyme really well. And on some real sh*t though, I been to a lot of concerts in my young life and I NEVER heard a crowd rap or connect with a performer the way they get when that "Dreams and Nightmares" intro come on, you really gotta be there son. Although I aint particularly a Meek Mill fan gotta give respect when its due thats the hottest young rapper in the game right now.

50 and Nas join forces for a memorable Summer Jam night
*Creds to legendary Miss Info*

Now lets discuss what's been on everyone's mind since after the show. Everyone was anticipating the return of 50. With the release this week of his new album "Animal Ambition" and after his ultra fail of the "First Pitch" last week at the Met's game 50's been buzzing lately. 50 Cent had been banned from Summer Jam the last ten years after the infamous throwing the chair into the crowd incident at the 2004 Summer Jam. What can you say about him, well we know what he thinks about himself "I run New York", is what he stated as he stormed the stage to "I Get Money".  50 Cent is the villain of the industry..."New York City's Own, Bad Guy!"
He thrives in playing the role of that "N*gga you love to hate". As he proceeded into his set you can sense he felt right at home as he began to talk a bunch of sh*t about any and everybody especially Hot 97's Program Director Ebro. *Side note, everyone tends to bad mouth Ebro and try to play him but when have we ever experienced a Program Director at any radio station as recognizable and impactful in his field as Ebro, the mans a genius on the low ***pause.
As 50 proceeded to do his thing the moment came that we were all waiting for, the G-Unit reunion "OMG OMG OMG". All those questions were soon buried as Young Buck, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks entered the stage receiving the biggest ovation from the crowd the whole show. Throughout the set 50 had a decent mix of his new project and some classic Fif, and G-Unit tracks. The G-Unit reunion fulfilled everyones needs and left everyone pleased (is it weird that rhymed?). Shoutouts to Ebro for setting that up. By now I'm sure everyone has heard about the beatdown of Slow from Slowbucks received during 50's set. I aint even gonna try and explain the story cause I don'y know the facts. BUT, what I can say is that Slowbucks came on the stage with Meek Mill and his standard hip-hop jewelry and well uhhh he left the stage with nothing Lol, 50's back at it. And one more thing, to add insult to injury 50 finished his set with Slowbucks trademark chain on, talk about a BULLY, G-Unit still get the drama popping.

GGGGGGG-UNIT *Creds to Miss Info again*

To close the show Nicki Minaj killed her set with the help of up and coming Chicago rapper Lil Herb and Young Money family members Drake and Lil Wayne. This was a HUGE moment in Nicki's very established career. Before last night Nicki had not yet killed that Summer Jam stage which is a huge accomplishment for all Hip Hop artist, especially rappers from New York. I'm sure many remember that she was suppose to headline the 2012 Summer Jam concert but pulled out of the line-up literally hours before she was set to perform. The infamous Rosenberg vs Minaj beef was a pretty humorous one.... well maybe not to the thousands of fans who went to the show just to see her perform ( lol). The popular outspoken Hot 97 radio personality Rosenberg was speaking facts only if I may add. Well, lets not dwell on the past cause last night Nicki Minaj tore it down! Son I was very impressed. You know, I think it's actually a blessing in disguise that Nicki didn't perform in 2012. Think about it she was at the peak of her Pop career and that whole blonde wig British sounding persona. But na, this year's Nicki was on her Black and beautiful style breaking necks throughout Met life stadium and I'm sure on everyone's computers too. Straight gangsta coming at the necks of all them "Lookin ass n*ggas". Nicki's set was very refreshing I,  almost forgot that she can actually rhyme but I was quickly reminded as she spit her standout verses to tracks like Monster, Up All Night, Moment 4 Life, and new tracks such as Chiraq. I remember standing in the crowd and thinking   "Damn Nicki is the dope and she's fine and crazy thick. I gotta look for a list on Complex when I get home of her top verses foreal yo". But na foreal that Pills N Potions track is really dope. I also believe Pills N Potions is a perfect blend of the Pop Nicki and I don't take no sh*t I'm a stunt on these b*tches gracefully Nicki. Even my main man Rosenberg gotta admit Nicki did her thing. Oh yeah I almost forgot to mention Drake and Lil Wayne performed Believe Me and Drake even performed Worst Behavior and Trophies too. To close Nicki Minaj had one of the more memorable and important Summer Jam sets in years, kudos to you Nicki.

Determined Nicki Minaj
*Creds to Billboard*

I'm sure by now you guys realized Summer Jam 2014 was a memorable one. As a fan of todays Hip Hop and R&B and as a student of Hip Hop and the culture as a whole, I was very pleased. I believe the fact that 50 Cent and Nas headlined Summer Jam alongside Nicki Minaj and Young Money represented a graceful mix of the past and present at Summer Jam. 50 also brought that old feel of beef and having something to prove on the stage like Summer Jam's of the past.Also shoutout to Hot 97 for putting a bunch of New York rappers on the stage this year. To close imma say this was the best Summer Jam  since 04 so much love to HOT 97 and thanks for having me, I'll be back next year.

BEST NIGHT OF OUR LIVES AKA THE YEEZUS TOUR BARCLAYS REVIEW

Showing off the dope Yeezus gear my dad bought me
 while waiting for Kanye

       “I AM NOT HERE RIGHT NOW I AM NOT HERE RIGHT NOW. I AM NOT HOME. LEAVE A MESSAGE AFTER THIS LIFE. AFTER IM GONE.” The best and most memorable night of most of our lives started with this message from Kanye as the lights dimmed and a God like voice echoed throughout the packed Barclays Center. Then like a thief in the night Kanye erupts out of nowhere onto the triangular shaped stage. “YEEZY SEASON APPROACHING F*CK WHATEVER YALL BEEN HEARING” The highly controversial opening track on Yeezus co produced by Daft Punk opens the Yeezus tour show. Right off the bat the very raw and erratic On Sight track gets Brooklyn pumped up as everyone happily dances off beat you feel a sense of assurance and joy wipe through the crowd. After Yeezy proceeded to “Get this b*tch shaking like Parkinson’s” reality hits you like WOW; the moment is finally here.  Our Hero/Idol Kanye West is right in front of you wearing a full face Martin Margiela mask and a as my dad called it, "a Planet of The Apes" type outfit...I knew I was in for the night of my life. “MY MOMMA WAS RAISED IN THE ERA WHEN CLEAN WATER WAS ONLY SERVED TO THE FAIRER SKIN.” New slaves snaps you out of your sense of amazement and brings you back to reality, the crowd raps word for word with Yeezus about the struggles and reality of being a “New slave” in society. On a side note; I'll take those Maybach keys lol. Just kidding. 

Kanye elevating above the crowd
seeming Immortal at the moment

It would be nearly impossible to keep everyone’s attention and wake up for school tomorrow reviewing every single track (29) that Kanye did last night. But the first half of the show were fairly new songs from Ye performing hit tracks on MBDTF, Cruel Summer, and Yeezus. It’s amazing walking through the arena and fellowshipping with other "Stans" of Kanye while waiting for the show to start and discussing your favorite tracks and Kanye moments with people you’ve never met before but feeling 100% comfortable. Next to me were two dope ass older kids who I had a lot in common with although I just met them halfway through the concert it was like we were all there together. Jumping up and down to "Power" and "Don’t Like", then complimenting each other on our Kanye inspired outfits (we were definitely the flyest in our section rocking Pyrex, Don C, and even a pair of Yeezy 2s). On the other hand just one row ahead of us were a bunch of lawyers who put their briefcases down and loosened their ties and got just as pumped as me and my new friends.  Then there were the 2 drunk white girls 1 row in front of us, and the really drunk one only got up during "Blood on The Leaves" lol (what she know about blood on the leaves?) Two things I must point out about Kanye is that he has the most diverse group of fans out of any rapper and maybe even any musician of all time. Well I wouldn’t even consider Kanye West a rapper now but yeah the diversity is ridiculous at his events. And the 2nd is his stamina. No "hype man" to help him out when he might lose his breath and he amazingly got stronger as the show went on. Even when he did songs like "Don't Like", "Mercy" and "Clique" I just new Pusha T, Big Sean and 2 Chainz would come out. Nah' son, this ain't the "Kanye West and Friends" tour. This is Yeezus Season! 

Back to the concert after performing "Cant Tell Me Nothing", Yeezus took somewhat of an emotional turn as he finally stopped to talk to the crowd and have a heart to heart moment with Brooklyn. As Kanye lay on top of the triangular stage he stated, "Then I went to London, and someone told me something. Someone told me that my mom had died. So a lot of people don't know this but I wrote this song for her." A somber mood automatically swept the crowd as Kanye sang "Coldest Winter" as snow fell over the lower level of the crowd. It was amazing. Everyone sang along thinking about a memory that was made in a cold winter for all of us. As for myself, being a Kanye fan from the very beginning, I've always felt a connection to him unlike any other artist. It's like I can feel the pain and agony that he pours into songs like "Say You Will", "Welcome To Heartbreak" and the aforementioned "Coldest Winter". And now that I know it was written for his mother it has a whole new special meaning for me.  Now lets fast forward to later on in the show as Kanye performed "Blood on the Leaves". Midway through the intro Kanye asked the DJ to stop playing stating “New York don’t wanna hear no Blood on the Leaves, New York don’t wanna hear no Blood on the Leaves!?!?” The very much alive crowd really wanted to hear "Blood on the Leaves" cause thousands of Yeezy Stans throughout Brooklyn began chanting BLOOD ON THE LEAVES BLOOD ON THE LEAVES!!!  Kanye said “Now I know” and everyone laughed along with him as the red lights again went throughout the arena and Kanye proceeded to perform "Blood on the Leaves".

         
            After "Runaway" Kanye went into one of his famous rants (which I couldn't wait for) on every day issues and anything else on his mind that night which was nothing short of amazing. Kanye actually said he had some “classic sh*t” but a guy backstage cut him off while he was getting to the heart of his rant, nonetheless it was still great and controversial. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m the only one that’s not crazy, am I the only one that hasn’t been beaten to submission, am I the only one who mind hasn’t been conditioned to always ask permission… Cause what they scared of us is more people acting crazy and sh*t, they scared of yall chasing yall dreams too cause they wanna control you, they want you to do everything they told you, and do everything your told to, but that’s old school, and that’s old news.” Ye also thanked all the parents for taking their kids to his concert because a decade or two from now we'll  be doing the same things Ye is doing and even exceeding his work. After Yeezy said that I turned around to thank my Dad once again for bringing me to Kanye's concert and for the lifetime experience (thanks again Dad). Kanye gets the crowd pumped with his motivational and self-empowerment speeches and when listening he really makes you feel like you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. Throughout Kanye’s rant there are many funny moments as he mocked a worker backstage, talked about Oprah telling him that, "they scared of you Kanye" and Rick Rubin telling him to just go to the MTV awards, perform and leave. He went into a rant about how Bruno Mars won all the awards at the MTV awards and his voice gets louder and louder and he speaks with more passion as the rant goes on. It’s obvious that Kanye and the crowd feeds off each others energy as we get louder along with him and he does the same with us. Kanye spoke on the usual like trying to break into the fashion world and inspire everyone else telling stories of him and Virgil not being accepted and taken serious by the heads of the fashion world because Kanye is “just a rapper”. Kanye also broke the news last night during his rant at the Barclays that he is now signed to Adidas, which got a huge reaction from the crowd (I can't wait to see the new product). Overall the rant was amazing and kept the fans excited and into it for the whole ten minutes.

         
            The last part of the show was probably my favorite where I think he got the best reaction from the crowd. Kanye performed "Stronger", "Through the Wire", "Jesus Walks", "Diamonds from Sierra Leone", "Flashing Lights", "All of the Lights", "Good Life", and then closed with "Bound 2". Bound 2 was a bittersweet ending as the crowd came to a realization that the concert and best night of our lives were over. I even spotted a few people crying throughout the crowd (men and women).

Kanye dancing along with
his dancers for the show
in harmony

         

FALLING

             In conclusion Yeezus was not only the best show I’ve ever been to but also one of the best nights of my life. Yeezus wasn’t just a concert it was like a show everything had a purpose it was very theatrical. It’s like Kanye had this vision he knows his responsibility and the standards he’s held to and he didn’t disappoint at all. From the pyramid of Mount Yeezus in the background to the naked ballerinas, along with the wild life demon like creature dancing on and off the stage throughout the show there were many times throughout the concert you felt like you were at the best Broadway show of your life. Words appeared on the screen throughout the show as we were read the definitions by an omniscient voice through the arena. I mean Kanye even had “White Jesus” come out during the show blessing him and that was the first time he took off his full faced bejeweled Martin Margiela mask (I wonder if my dad will get me one for Christmas). The diversity throughout the audience just showed you the importance of Kanye as a pop mogul and cultural icon in this world. Just like Kanye said “You gon see lawyers and n*ggas in Jordans”. Overall Yeezus tour may go down as the best tour of all time. All of his fans loved it and you were entertained from the first song to the very last. The atmosphere in Brooklyn last night was very much like the coolest church service you could ever go to and I think that’s just what Yeezus was aiming for. Overall the Yeezus show was incredible. 10/10. Perfecto. Amazing. It was beautiful.