Better late than never, but we were in the building when Sage The Gemini, IAMSU! and the HBK gang from the Bay came down to LA & took over the Echoplex in Echo Park this past October the 18th. Safe to say, it was hella turnt up; a ratchet-fest in fact. But what else might one expect when the Bay’s in the building?
To our knowledge, it was their first big show in LA.
For those unfamiliar, Sage The Gemini is who’s been shaking the airwaves with that notorious club slapper everyone’s doing their best Miley impression to as of recent, “Red Nose.” & IAMSU! you might remember from, if not anything else, his appearance alongside the Bay god E-40 & Bompton’s finest, YG, on last summer’s twerk anthem “Function.”
Speaking of YG, for those of you who haven’t heard of HBK, you can almost think of them as a more fashion forward, Bay version of the Pushaz Ink Crew. They’re a group of friends making turn up with a more eclectic edge than what’s spinning on the major radio waves.
When we stepped in, the standing room was far from full, but the heads in the house (which was a nice mob of 200 to 350 people) were all packing the front of the stage. Power 106’s DJ Carisma was spinning the finest of ratchet hits and IAMSU was about to grab the mic.
Through the grapvine, we learned we had just missed a breezy set from HBK member Kool John who rocked the spot with below-the-radar bangers (most notably his lowkey hit, “Full of Dat Weed”) off his overlooked mixtape, Peace, Love & Shmoplife, as well as the L.A. bred Finatticz who apparently had the whole spot bouncing with their now notorious hit, “Drop That Thun Thun.” But luckily our photographer arrived in time to hold us down!
IAMSU (wearing a t-shirt reading “Been Hyphy” in that signature drippy drug font acts such as Been Trill & Flatbush Zombies have made popular) then stepped to center stage and opened with his verse from his recent club-hit with Loverance, “Up.” Bouncing around the stage and at one point jumping down to rap in the crowd, he tore the speakers open with cuts from his mixtapes Kilt, Kilt II, and $uzy 6 $peed. Highlights included bringing out Sage The Gemini, to boom the crowd with their jawn, “Return of the Mac” and a special guest appearance from Tennessee’s underground star Yo Gotti to perform his hit banger, “Act Right,” which had much of the crowd screamin’. That was an ill surprise.
This was after a brief interlude in which the whole HBK flooded the stage and led the crowd in the “J-12 dance” (associated with Clyde Carson’s “Slow Down.”) Like we said, the night was hella turnt.
After Gotti finished, Sage stepped up to the mic to drop a few bass-heavy jams from his Gas Pedal EP, before he let IAMSU step back in and rock a few more tracks, including previously mentioned ratchet anthem, “Function,” which everyone seemed to know and every woman in the house’s booty seemed to love.
Sage then stepped back up to perform his notorious hit, “Red Nose,” during which members from the HBK had a few women on stage “yiking” (the latest Bay dance craze) to. Sage & Su then both closed the set out with “Gas Pedal.”
After the sets were finished, HBK proceeded to dance to whatever their DJ played for almost an hour, climaxing at Mac Dre’s “Feelin’ Myself” which seemed to summon the spirit of the late Bay legend throughout the entire venue.
End note, it was a beautiful little night of bouncing bubble butts, ratchet raps, and bass that rattled every inch of the speakers it was pouring out of.
In our opinion, the Bay’s welcome to come party in LA anytime. We wish more Angelinos came out to show love. Hopefully next time, we’ll see you there.
Shout out the homies at Check Yo Ponytail 2for bring down the Bay to LA and putting together a ill show!
Til then, be peace, be turnt, be free.
One love & all’at.
All photos shot by Favian Fernandez
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