Daniel KohnBig Boy's Block Party
10/17/12
Last night, Big Boy's Block Party at the Palladium, hosted by the venerable Power 106 DJ, featured a little something for everyone. Headliner Lupe Fiasco brought his loyal fanbase and politically charged lyrics. Backed by a six-piece band, the black-clad rapper performed with intensity, thrusting his body violently into the mosh pit. The Chicago-native's intensity was reflected by the crowd, who chanted “Lupe, Lupe” between songs.
He dedicated different songs to different people, like “Beautiful Lasers,” in which he paid tribute to a fan who told him it kept her from killing herself.
“Go fucking vote or be like your favorite rapper and start a revolution,” he said, in something of a turnaround. But otherwise, outside of shouting out Trayvon Martin, Fiasco mostly kept the political banter to a minimum. By the time he closed with “Show Goes On,” the few fans who remained sang along to the lyrics and were clapping for an encore, before the lights came on.
Credit: Daniel Kohn
While Fiasco may have been the headliner, Big Sean easily drew the largest crowd. Unlike his show in March at Club Nokia, he was energetic and engaging, carrying himself with swagger while directing the audience to wave their arms and dance. People were into it. His half-hour set featured songs from both his mixtapes and full-length, before the backdrop of a huge screen, which projected images ranging from Katt Williams to clips from his video “RWT.”
Things got serious when the his friends joined him on-stage. Fans roared when Tyga came out for “Do What I Gotta Do,” but it was nothing like the ovation that Kid Cudi and Chip Tha Ripper heard when they arrived for “Clique” and parts of “Mercy.” Though he didn't rap, Cudi's presence on-stage was enough to excite fans and add to Big Sean's strong set.
Before Big Sean was South Central's own Nipsey Hustle. Odd Future's Earl Sweatshirt didn't make it, but Hustle sped through a 20-minute set that had a few loyal fans psyched up.
Random Notebook Dump: Having Lupe Fiasco throw water on you? Not as much fun as it sounds.
Lupe Fiasco's set list:
Credit: Daniel Kohn
Big Sean's set list:
Credit: Daniel Kohn
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