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LIVE: Adidas Respect The West Showcase [LA]
Since Run-DMC’s hey day Hip-Hop has been 1 mic, 2 turntables and 3 stripes. Adidas have not forgotten this tradition, throwing the Respect The West show this past Saturday to celebrate the launch of the Zx Flux shoe line. The Well in Downtown LA was half shoe show room, half warehouse party for industry insiders and some fans who were treated to free Brazilian caipirinha drinks, a burger truck and the best of the current West Coast Hip-Hop scene
Every 10 years the West Coast sound comes back into fashion: G-Funk in the mid 90’s, Hyphy in the mid aughts and now in 2014 Chris Brown and other A-Listers are chasing the LA and Bay area sound. Call it “ratchet” if you want, it’s pop music in an age where twerking and turning up is the standard. EDM may be a phenomena but it took a back seat in 2014 to artists like YG, School Boy Q, Kendrick Lamar, Ty Dolla $ign, Kid Ink, Sage The Gemini and mega producers Hit-Boy and DJ Mustard.
The show started off with up-and-comers Raven Felix, R.J. and Thurz before jumping into the heavyweights. First up, mix king Nipsey Hussle dropped a quick set of familiar underground bangers and bounced before over staying his time. Considering he wasn’t originally scheduled nobody was mad about the set length. Hit-Boy has been producing platinum hits for every big rapper in the game and recently signed a label deal with Interscope to not only release his HS87 crew but to showcase himself as rapper too. During his set it was obvious the songs were not familiar to the audience but his tracks were too hard to deny. Many in the front stayed turnt up for the duration as different clique members came out as supporting cast from song to song. It concluded with the group track “Grinding My Whole Life”, a personal favorite of this writer.
When the end came it was YG who took the stage, not the scheduled headliner Ty Dolla $ign but the crowd didn’t seem to mind one bit. During his set he proclaimed, “I got hits! I can do this all night.” And he wasn’t wrong running through radio bangers one after another from “My Nigga”, “Toot It And Boot It”, “Who Do You Love” and his collabo with Jeremih “Don’t Tell Em”. Despite the hits it was still an industry party. “Y’all a lil too turned down right now. I ain’t come here for that. Y’all need to turn the fuck up!” YG demanded but that was a bit too much to ask of a packed house of Hollywood insiders who probably didn’t want to break a sweat. For those in the front few rows it was an opportunity to get crazy up close and personal with their hometown heroes.
Hands down the standouts of the night were HS87 crew members Audio Push. A two man team bringing back the art of duo rapping with a back and forth game that would make a golden era fan misty eyed reminiscing about Das EFX and EPMD. You can get their latest single “OTW” produced by Hit-Boy on their soundcloud.
words and photos by Dominic Painter
