Wowowow. This song is giving me life. I was hooked right from the first five beats. The uptempo, high energy beat is everything, and I can guarantee it will make you move.
Just as you’re getting into the feels of N.E.R.D, Future’s voice begins to emerge at about the one minute mark. You can hear him saying “one thousand,” which is the title of the track. And this little Future intro got me too ready for the rest of the song.
And then at 1:07min, we get that *fire emoji* pumped up verse which has almost a suspending-like sound. Future ends at about 1:40min, and we are back into the high energy beats of N.E.R.D. To me, Future’s verse + the beat resemble Jim Jones and Ron Browz “Champagne” ft. Jules Santana. Can you say throwback? Compare below.
Cut to 2:10min, and we are blessed with a new sound – an almost electric, fantasy sounding beat. It reminds me of the Mario Kart Rainbow Road theme song tbh.
The rest of the song you’re pretty much guaranteed to live your best life, and then with only 30 seconds left, you are hit with that fire. I would love to watch some choreo (or participate in some) to this outro.
If this and Lemon are any indication of what the rest of the album will sound like, I’m all about it. No_One Ever Really Dies is expected to drop on December 15.
#NobodySafeTour should have been called the #EverybodyLitTour. On Friday, June 16, Future stopped in Los Angeles to take the stage at The Forum. Opening guests included Zoey Dollaz, Tory Lanez, A$AP Ferg, and Migos.
Before we jump into the night, we need to discuss the fact that I didn’t even know I was going until the morning of! With positive vibes and two of the best concert plugs I know, I received a call at 8:30AM that Friday morning. My friend on the other line said, “Get ready to go see Future tonight.” Best wake-up call E V E R. So clearly that’s all I was thinking about for the rest of the day.
Cut to the evening.
The three of us arrived at The Forum around 8PM and went to will call to pick up our tickets. We still didn’t know where we were sitting but were pumped regardless because we were seeing Future and Migos. Duh.
*picks up tickets at will call*
We weren’t ready for this.
7TH ROW FLOOR SEATS
Are you kidding me? Happy freaking Friday. After a few “OMG” minutes, we made our way into The Forum to get a much needed beer and to find our seats.
Walking down to the floor was surreal. Although I’ve been on the ground level at The Forum for Kanye’s Saint Pablo Tour and Drake x Future’s Summer Sixteen Tour, it’s just as exciting each time, and I will be forever grateful and appreciative of these experiences.
So we missed Zoey Dollaz, Tory Lanez, and A$AP Ferg. Do it look like we stressin’? Nah. We were really there for Migos and Future.
The lights dimmed and Migos took the stage. These three guys are really living their best life. They’re the most popular rappers / rap group right now. Before you come at me and try to hit me with a “what about Kendrick Lamar?” question, pause for one second. He is the best rapper but as far as popularity right now and being featured on other artist’s songs and performances… Migos.
As if their set wasn’t lit enough, they brought out 21 Savage. Talk about #ForTheCulture.
That was the first time I’d seen them live, and I’d definitely go see them again. Oh wait. I am. June 24 as part of the BET Experience 🙂
Time for Future.
Future’s set started with computer malfunction visuals on a giant screen, followed by him appearing and kicking off his set with “Draco.” I’ve seen Future a handful of times now, and each time he gets better. He’s definitely not at the same star level as The Weeknd or Drake yet, but his energy and passion for performing is up there.
With a great mix of old and new songs, Future did not disappoint. He brought out Ty Dolla $ign, A$AP Ferg, A$AP Rocky, and DJ Esco brought out ScHoolboy Q.
But nothing and I mean nothing could have prepared me for the last surprise guest. He goes by the name of…
D R I Z Z Y D R A K E
It’s always difficult for me to put into words of what and how I feel during a Drake performance. It’s just the best. His songs mixed with his energy and stage presence just make for the ultimate time, and I am truly the happiest. Like I start rapping along and dancing then find myself pausing and just thinking, “I am watching m favorite artist of all time live right now.” #FangirlThoughts
Drake performed “Jumpman,” “Portland” (he brought out Quavo), “Fake Love,” and “Gyalchester” for the first time in LA.
Only performing four songs made the overall concert that much better. And while I’m a huge Future fan, the crowd’s energy during Drake’s mini set may have been a little greater than during Future’s.
In the end, this was by far the best Future concert I’ve been to and probably one of the top five concerts I’ve attended overall. I can’t thank my two friends enough for hooking it up with the tickets. These are experiences that mean the absolute most to me.
Also important to note that Future wore a lot of black and yellow outfits – a #californyinz moment.
Calvin Harris is living his best life right now. Last night he gave us another track off of his upcoming album, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1.
Titled “Rollin,” it features two of my favorites – Khalid and Future. I never thought I wanted a song with Khalid and Future, but after hearing this…. YASSS.
When that electronic beat came in around 22 seconds, I knew this song was going to be complete summer vibes.
Also important to note that Khalid is on the come-up, and for those who disagree, shame on you. He’s young and about to be thriving. He’s already on a song with Calvin Harris and Future. COME ON, BRO.
But yeah, listen to the song here, and keep living your best life.
Future’s self-titled album, Future, dropped quite earlier than expected! It’s official release date is tomorrow which typically means it will drop at 9PM PST / 12AM EST the night before, but here we are at 8AM PST with it! Well for now, it’s only available for steaming on Spotify. So if you have that service, you’re in luck.
I do not… #TeamAppleMusic. So until then, check it out, and let me know how it is!
And sorry Future, I love your music, but this album artwork sort of looks like a sonogram. One of the new 3D ones. Which actually, I just looked up the true definition of “sonogram,” and it also means: a graph representing a sound, showing the distribution of energy at different frequencies. There’s sort of a tie-in?
Any who…
Oh, and there are no features on this album… get to trappin’, yinz!
As if I didn’t like this song enough, A$AP Rocky hops on the remix for ‘New Level.’ Lil Uzi too, but I just love A$AP Rocky. This song comes just a few days after the A$AP Mob announced their completion of the Cozy Tapes joint project, which we still don’t have a release date for. But if it sounds like this remix, then I’m all for it.
Stream a snippet of the track here or listen on Apple Music :).
People have been lying to me when they told me Disneyland was the happiest place on earth because last Thursday night the happiest place on earth happened to be in the 10th row on the floor at Drake’s final LA show for the Summer Sixteen Tour.
I’m going to try really hard to best describe what and how I felt Thursday night because it’s truly just a feeling that I can’t explain. People will laugh and roll their eyes, saying I’m ‘so obsessed’ with Drake and hip-hop in general, but to be honest I wish more people were ‘so obsessed’ with something or someone. It’s about finding and connecting with a passion and just doing you. You talk to me for 30 seconds, take a quick look at my IG or blog, and you’ll instantly know what my passions are, and I am proud of that. Create that energy.
Okay, major digressing. When I tell you Thursday was probably the best night of my life, I 100% mean that. I’ve done a lot of epic things and have been to NUMEROUS concerts and award shows, but the final stop in LA for the Summer Sixteen Tour was different.
Let me explain how the night went down. It all began with a call I received from my friend Justine (how we became friends is also worthy of a blog post). Now Justine and I have hung out once before this. Months ago. We text here and there, have tried to coordinate another get together, but with busy schedules, it’s hard. So you know I was a little shocked when I received a call from her around 7:20pm on Thursday, about an hour before the show was to start. Answering the call with a bit of question in my voice, she asked what I was doing and said she may have an extra ticket to Drake’s show and was looking for someone who lived close to the venue and who would appreciate the concert. Immediate excitement set in. She said she’d call me back with a yes or no once she got to the venue.
In the meantime as I waited to get the call, I decided to change just in case I was given the green light. I threw on my VIEWS t-shirt, a Drake merch dad hat, black ripped jeans and some Nikes. Duh. Twenty-five minutes later, Justine called and said, “Get to The Forum.” I never ordered an Uber so quickly.
I arrived at The Forum, met up with Justine, and she handed over two of the most epic things – a VIP pass and a ticket… for the FLOOR – 10th row, section C. THANK YOU TO JUSTINE & THE PLUG.
We entered the VIP lounge where we were greeted with photo opps, fully catered dinner and dessert, and a bar… obviously. I took as much of it in as I could. Not the food and alcohol but what was happening. This was amazing. One cocktail in and the lights flashed, so we knew it was time to get to our seats. We showed the usher our tickets, and he said we had to take the elevator down another level. Typically, I have to take the escalator all the way up *Fat Joe voice* to my seats. Woah. So we took the elevator down to the floor section, the doors opened, and who was standing there waiting to get on? DVSN. I actually didn’t even realize it was them until Justine was like, “uhhhh did you see who that was?”
As we made our way to our seats, I continued to become more and more mind blown and thankful. I was walking to the TENTH ROW. And not just any 10th row, but the center 10th row. As Justine said, it was like we were sitting on the 50-yard line at a football game. Incredible. One of my bucket list items was to sit in the front row of a Drake concert at some point in my lifetime. Now this wasn’t the front row, but the entire experience with these 10th row tickets and attending the show with someone who equally appreciates Drake as an artist seemed better than the first row.
– SHOW TIME –
Having already been to Drake’s very first night in LA for the Summer Sixteen Tour, I had an idea of how the flow of the show would go down. But this time was different. From the opening sounds and lights to him kicking off the show with “Summer Sixteen” to three hours of performing and finishing around midnight – magical. Not to mention Baron Davis was sitting next to us and living it up as well.
While I actually thought the crowd’s energy on the floor could have been a little more amped up – those people may be used to sitting in such epic seats compared to those of us typically stuck way up top – the combined energy of mine and Justine’s was lit. It’s like I went to the concert with myself. That’s how similar our appreciation of Drake is. And being so close to the stage, it was like you were feeding off of Drake’s energy. It was contagious. His passion for his music, performing, and his fans make him the ultimate artist and crowd pleaser. Watch my Snap Story below to try and get a better idea of what I’m explaining to yinz. Then we will continue with the rest of the night. 🙂
I mean. The video does not do it justice, but at least there are some visuals for yinz to try and see what I’m talking about. And do know that when he brought out Big Sean, Ice Cube, and then Dr. Dre… I actually have no words. Sorry.
Now in the short time that I’ve known Justine, I’ve learned that more times than not she happens to be in the right place at the right time. She was convinced our VIP tickets could get us elsewhere post-show. We’ve made it this far, so I was down with whatever. We made our way back into the initial VIP area that we came from and saw a group of dudes walk into another entrance which was guarded by security. That was our way in to whatever was behind that door. Standing around for a few minutes, trying to think of what to do, Justine saw a friend of hers.
Welp, that was our way in. He kindly told security we were with him. Off we went. Now I don’t want to give too much inside information, but let’s just say being in this true VIP lounge made me realize that I do know how to be ‘cool’ around celebrities even if I was decked out in Drake attire and everyone else was not. Whatever. I was pretty proud of myself. The vibe was extremely chill – snacks, open bar, people just hanging. Drake and Future did not come through, but that was truly alright. I was not expecting ANY of this to happen. Not the concert, 10th row, VIP, watching Drake drive away after we left. None of it. Keep in mind, I was sitting on my bed drinking a beer alone before Justine called me.
We exited The Forum with the whole crew around 2AM, contemplated going to another spot with everyone, but Justine and I were both quite content with what we had just experienced and witnessed. Again, I cannot thank Justine (or the plug) enough for 1) securing two tickets and 2) thinking of me to attend with her. What’s even crazier is my Tweet (used as the header image for this post)… Justine didn’t even see that prior to hitting me up. The universe was definitely on my side. Alright, this is probably my longest post thus far. Hope yinz enjoyed it and my experience.
Until the next concert, fam! Oh, and I didn’t forget about Future. He was lit as well and brought out Ty Dolla $ign and Young Thug. Can’t forget about the trap king!
Last Wednesday, September 7 I attended the Summer Sixteen Tour featuring Drake and Future. Now, I haven’t been to a Drake tour since May of 2012, so you can only imagine how excited I was.
Six of us attended, and we all met in downtown Los Angeles for the start of an epic night. Our seats weren’t even all together, but that didn’t matter because by the end of the show, we all migrated to one section and raged there.
I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I tend to go into a state of celebushock during certain events and moments. Last Wednesday was one of them. I only had one beer but due to the fact I was so amped to be there and that Drake was playing banger after banger, it really had me having my moments.
“I live for the nights that I can’t remember, with the friends that I won’t forget.” -Drake
While I love Future and his shows, I would have to say Summer Sixteen Tour was a Drake show with a side of Future. Drake and Future’s combined sets were about two and a half hours, and I really think Future took up about 45 minutes. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong. #BlameItOnCelebushock
In short: Drake opened, brought out YG, Future did his thang who also brought out Ty Dolla $ign, Drake came back on with Future, Future peaced, Drake brought out Snoop Dogg, then Drake closed the show.
From the very beginning until the end, Drake did not want the night or energy to stop. He kept saying that if the crowd was good to him, he’d be good to us and that he was. My favorite part was when he busted out a medley of all his older songs. I die. And although they were just snippets of the songs, the way he had them flowing into one another was dope and kept the crowd very engaged.
I also had the opportunity to take over the WordOnRoad Snapchat. For those of you who don’t know, WordOnRoad is Drake’s official fan page and site that he actually supports and endorses. So if you’re a Drake fan, I highly encourage you to follow them on Twitter and Instagram. And follow their Snap as well! Username: ViewsOnRd
Enough of the rambles. Watch my YouTube video below – compiled Snaps from the night – so you can better experience what the concert was like! I also made the day completely about Drake and Future (not like it’s different from any other day) so be sure to check it!
From the energy of the crowd to the overall production to my own personal excitement, Drake outdid himself. Future, too. But more so for Drake. The production value was v. high on the Summer Sixteen Tour.
It’s here, and it’s flames. Well from at least what I’ve heard so far, I’m into it. Especially that Drake x 2 Chainz track, ‘100it Racks.’ Last night Future and DJ Esco (aka the coolest DJ in the world), posted the artwork shown below on Instagram, and it got everyone hype AF. Well, it’s here, and you should listen to it.
TRACKLIST
01. DJ Esco – Project E.T. Intro [Prod. By DJ Esco & DJ Mustard]
02. DJ Esco – Check On Me (Feat. Future) [Prod. By DJ Esco & DY]
03. DJ Esco – Right Now (Feat. Future) [Prod. By DJ Esco & Cassius Jay]
04. DJ Esco – 100it Racks (Feat. Drake, 2 Chainz & Future) [Prod. By DJ Esco & Southside]
05. DJ Esco – Juice (Feat. Future)
06. DJ Esco – My Blower (Feat. Future & Juicy J) [Prod. By DJ Esco & Tarentino]
07. DJ Esco – Too Much Sauce (Feat. Future & Lil Uzi Vert) [Prod. By DJ Esco & Zaytoven]
08. DJ Esco – Who (Feat. Future & Young Thug) [Prod. By DJ Esco & Metro Boomin]
09. DJ Esco – Party Pack (Feat. Future & Rae Sremmurd) [Prod. By DJ Esco & Southside]
10. DJ Esco – Married To The Game (Feat. Future) [Prod. By Southside]
11. DJ Esco – Stupidly Crazy (Feat. Casey Veggies & Nef The Pharaoh) [Prod. By DJ Esco & DJ Mustard]
12. DJ Esco – Thot Hoe (Feat. Future) [Prod. By Southside]
13. DJ Esco – Super Dumb (Feat. Rambo So Weird) [Prod. By DJ Esco & DY]
14. DJ Esco – Champagne Shower (Feat. Future & Rich Homie Quan) [Prod. By DJ Esco & Moon]
15. DJ Esco – Deal Wit It (Feat. Stuey Rock) [Prod. By DJ Esco, Cameron Cartee & J Platt]
16. DJ Esco – Benjamins Burn (Feat. Future) [Prod. By Metro Boomin]
Currently available on LiveMixtapes.com, I quickly downloaded the app this morning to stream the fire. Don’t want to download the app? All good. I got yinz. Stream it on their site here.
Californyinz 