The staff pro was mad agro when I pulled up to VIP. It’s all good tho, they must have just been upset everyone else was having a Day Off, courtesy of Fool’s Gold, except them.
Once I got my clearance through the KGB like security, I skated straight in to the Shrine Auditorium. Inside it looked like a roller rink. The festival was popping off in the parking lot outside tho. A long wall of bartenders wrapped around the auditorium connecting the inside to the outside. In the back of the parking lot there was a BLT truck and a grilled cheese mobile serving up gourmet sandwiches.
The crowd was just starting to get thick. I had missed Kittens, but Hoodboi was on stage doing his thing on the 1’s & 2’s. He had couples making out in the crowd and girls twerking. The highlight was the turn up between Hoodboy mixing A$AP Ferg’s “Work Remix” into “Love and Affection” by Rihanna and Future. He ended his set with a dub step remix to Three 6 Mafia’s classic, “Stay Fly.”
Kurupt took to the stage next and hit us with that backyard boogie g-funk type sound you can only find first hand here in killa Cali. Word to the entire DPGC. Young Gotti asked the crowd “Who Ride With Us?” and then showed everyone why “Cali Iz Active” while pouring out Don Julio to the crowd.
There was an RIP moment for Nate Dogg while we sung “Ain’t No Fun.” Then Kurupt coasted thru “Bounce Rock Skate” and “Hoes A Housewife” before ending everything with “Xxplosive”.
Some legendary shit went down next. The Invisibl Skratch Picklz reunited after a 10 year hiatus. Q-Bert, Mix Master Mike, D-Styles and Shortkut were all on stage together working some of the most impressive turntable techniques known to man. The quartet played together seamlessly as a band while dropping mad breaks, skratches, drumlines, and hit records into the mix. Their set was interwoven with the kind of freshness only true pioneers of style could possess. A-Trak even snuck into the mix and got his rocks off.
Gladiator was up next. The mosh pit popped off during their set. The duo of Los Angeles native DJ’s reminded everyone it was all love tho, and told everyone, “Let’s not push each other around.” Word man. Kumbiyah. Their set was turnt up tho. And despite things getting a little wild, I really didn’t want to see any casualties of a mosh pit during such a great Day Off.
Travis Scott ate the crowd up next with a show stealing performance.
He went crowd surfing and rode around like a monster when he rocked uptown. The crowd was lifting each other up into the air and letting girls twerk while they surfed. I think some little mama citas even flashed their titties out during one song.
Big Sean made a surprise guest appearance and rocked “I Don’t Fuck With You” and “All Me” as the crowd continued to rage during Travis Scott’s “Upper Echelon” closing.
A-Trak was on the decks next displaying his world class DJing skills while dropping some off the wall joints for the giant audience that he and his peoples at Fool’s Gold have grown. The stage crew’s shirt gun game got raised to a new level as A-Trak put ScHoolboy Q’s “Man Of The Year” into the mix. Mos def the Day Off’s host kept it lit on the wheels of steel.
Vic Mensa performed next and kept everything turnt up, especially when he rocked his Chance the Rapper collab, “Cocoa Butter Kisses.” Nah, Chance wasn’t in the house to do his part, but Chicago native Fredo Santana was there to gun out some joints for his Savage Squad.
After that… The one and only Danny Brown took to the stage and burned the muh’fxckah down. Nah, he didn’t get domed up by some up roaring skunk whore while he was on the mic this time around, but if you know anything about the XXX emcee, the vibe will definitely make you wanna pop a pill. It’s definitely something you gotta experience first hand.
– You know ya man’s Drop Jewelz.
All photos shot by Caitlin Harroun
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