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Amir Ghani

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Amir Ghani (amirghani)

  • Email: amirghani1999@gmail.com
  • Nice Name: amirghani
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  • Registered On :2018-11-15 00:25:12
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  • Author ID: 328

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Aminé: Bringing Love Back to Hip-Hop

It was just after midnight when 24-year-old Portland based rapper Aminé bounced out onto the Observatory stage for his second set of the night. Two back-to-back shows just hours apart from one another can be a daunting task for any performer, but Aminé didn’t seem to find any challenge in it.

Now on his second tour, TourPointFive, and fresh off the release of his second album, OnePointFive, Aminé is focusing on bringing energy and funk back into rap shows. Well known for his social commentary and political beliefs, lines like ‘anyone who can be who they want’ and ‘life is too short, smile more’ flashed behind him as he performed. He made sure the people in pit kept the energy up even during slower tracks. 

Donning a bulletproof vest, Aminé made many comments on the state of our country and its politics but made sure to not take away from the positive vibe of the show. He wanted fans to know that his show was a safe space from the outside world and its stresses.

Short video interludes by friend Rickey Thompson, who fans recognized from album skits, were frequent but didn’t take away from the fast-paced flow of the show. They served as much needed breaks for fans to catch their breath, knowing that the moshpit would soon start again.  

“Two years ago I was in college writing raps, now I’m here, with y’all,” Aminé said before performing breakout hit Caroline. He tested the crowd’s knowledge of his first album, Good For You, and seemed pleasantly surprised when the crowd was able to scream his lyrics louder than he could.

Aminé and his DJ ran through most of ONEPOINTFIVE and Good For You. They even mixed one of Aminé’s most successful singles, Red Mercedes, with Snoop Dogg’s Drop It Like It’s Hot.  He made sure to play fan requests near the end, saying “ I just want everyone to have a good time, so tell me what you wanna hear!”

After his set was over Aminé showed fans some love and accepted gifts that they had made for him. He received a variety of items from bracelets to paintings and took time to thank each person that made something. That wasn’t the only way he showed fan appreciation, though, as his pants were signed by one chosen fan on every stop of the tour. Before heading off the stage he waved to the audience, thanking them for staying up late and partying with him.

Brockhampton: A New Generation of Boyband

Brockhampton’s opening song on their i’ll be there tour wasn’t any from their discography, but instead, We Are the Champions by Queen. As the song played, Freddie Mercury’s face shone proudly into the crowd. The color faded from the screen when DJ Romil Hemnani effortlessly transitioned the track to New Orleans, the opener on Brockhampton’s recent #1 Billboard album iridescence.

Dom McLennon, one of six rappers in the group, appeared first. He rapped his verse alone, but did so quickly and word for word. As the song progressed the other artists of the group appeared. Kevin Abstract was next, followed by Irish singer Bearface. They kept the energy rolling as Matt Champion and Joba ran on stage. The last artist to appear, Merlyn Wood, closed the song with his hard-hitting verse, “I don’t go to church, but I’m so spiritual/Pulled my life out of dirt, that’s a miracle.”

From there they introduced themselves and went back into their discography to play older hits like Gummy, Star and Queer in which fans sang along to almost every word.  

Brockhampton rappers Kevin Abstract (left) and Dom McLennon

Even though this is their fourth tour together, they’ve only been a group for about two years. Their first real studio album, Saturation, came out even later than their formation, almost a year later on June 9, 2017. This short period has given them little time to build a fanbase, but somehow they’ve managed to take over the charts, selling out almost every stop on their tour.

During Weight, most all phone lights went up, but not to record the song. Instead, the crowd was lighting up small colored couches that a fan had made and passed out before the show. These couches formed a rainbow of colors and were created to show both appreciation for the group and to highlight the connection that every fan has, just by being present. This small project just proves that Brockhampton’s fanbase isn’t just dedicated, but invested. They’re invested in what members of the group have to say, in and out of their lyrics.

Since Brockhampton already has four albums out, it was impossible for them to perform every song that the fans wanted. Even though that was the case, they still played all their biggest hits and even some sleepers that may have gone overlooked on some people’s first few listens.

After performing the heavy closer to iridescence, Fabric, the boyband left the stage. The pit was hungry for more, though, as chants of “Encore” and “Brockhampton” filled the seemingly overcrowded Observatory. Their cry for more didn’t go unanswered as the band came back out to perform horn-filled Boogie. Each member individually thanked the crowd for coming out to support them before they took one final bow and left the stage.  

Brockhampton, with members being black and white, gay and straight, speak for all. They push forth a message of love and respect while still shouting for a pit to open. This contrast might just be what makes them so popular, or it just may be the fact that they are a well-needed breath of fresh air in the oh so oversaturated rap genre.

 Brockhampton artist Kevin Abstract

Kids Really Did See Ghosts at 7th Annual Camp Flog Gnaw Festival

Rap duo Kids See Ghosts, made up of longtime collaborators Kanye West and Kid Cudi, headlined the main stage at this year’s Camp Flog Gnaw music festival. They reunited onstage for their first untelevised live show in over two years. Their performance wasn’t just a run through of their new self-titled album, but a reunion of the two’s ethereal sound.

The pitch black stage filled with smoke and phone lights when the translucent shipping container-sized box that held West and Cudi arose. No music played, yet the crowd kept screaming. Chants of “Yeezy” and “Cudi” filled the Dodger Stadium parking lot as the music started.

Kids See Ghosts lit up Dodger Stadium late Sunday night

 

Opening with fan favorite Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1 off of West’s album The Life of Pablo pushed the crowd into a frenzy. Thousands upon thousands of festival goers pressed against the person in front of them, if only to get a few feet closer to the stage. Once the song ended, West and Cudi took some time to talk to the crowd and hype them up for the first ever live performance of their album Kids See Ghosts. It didn’t take them long to get back into the music, though, as bass filled album opener Feel the Love started.

For the next twenty-four minutes, West and Cudi worked their musical magic and entranced the crowd through their lyrics and dancing. West may have missed a line here and there, but pulled off ridiculous dance moves all night, proving that he doesn’t care about the opinions of others and was just there to have fun and give his all. Cudi, on the other hand, was spot on with every syllable. From his hums to his introspective lyrics, “I’m guessin’ I’m just sick of runnin’/All this time searchin’ hard for somethin’/I can hear the angels comin,’” Cudi pushed himself to give a perfect performance.

Kanye West (pictured) and Kid Cudi make up duo Kids See Ghosts

After going front to back on their album, West and Cudi continued to play older songs in which they had collaborated. Hits like Heartless, Paranoid, and Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare) were sung word by word by almost every fan in attendance.

They closed their set by performing Ghost Town, a song from West’s eighth studio album, Ye. It features both Cudi and and West’s own new G.O.O.D. Music signee 070 Shake. It’s calming sample and psychedelic rock vibe didn’t stop the crowd from singing their hearts out, but it did stop the pushing. With this song being the closer, West and Cudi were slowly brought down to the stage as they waved to the crowd one last time before hurrying off into the smoky backstage.

As if they hadn’t done so already time and time again, West and Cudi solidified themselves as two of hip-hop’s biggest rockstars through this performance. They raised the bar in terms of how festival headliners should perform and made sure fans new and old left with an experience, rather than just a show.