**A note from the author, this event happened in July of 2015. A tragic Google drive mishap (that was all my fault) resulted in the photos vanishing for a while**

Back in June, I had the pleasure of catching Denzel Curry, Mick Jenkins, and Joey Bada$$ at The Fonda on the Los Angeles stretch of their “World Domination Tour.”

Denzel’s set list prompted periodic mosh pits in front of the stage as fans jumped up and down to programmed 808s. After dropping new material, the Florida rapper briefly brought The Underachievers out before the moment many in the audience had been waiting for.

The lights turned red as the familiar sound of “Threatz” came over the speakers. I braced myself. As “Threatz” began, Denzel Curry experienced a minor microphone problem, temporarily lowering the anticipation, but with a switch of the mic, Denzel came back in full effect, delivering a performance that had the entire venue jumping with the highest energy of the evening.

After a few more tracks, Denzel’s set ended, and the audience dispersed. The downtime didn’t last long however, and before I could grab my photographer a beverage, the curtains opened and the crowd reset. Mick Jenkins hit the stage performing “The Rain,” a Kaytranada produced track that set the mood perfectly for this hydration-themed set.

TeamSupreme’s Great Dane and Mr. Carmack were enjoying the performance right next to me, and after chatting for a couple minutes, I returned my attention to the show, which was becoming increasingly wet as the MC threw water into the crowd.

Joey Bada$$ did not disappoint. Rapping every bar, Joey spit rhymes acapella as well as over beatbox percussion and instrumentals. Following “World Domination” from 1999, Joey brought BJ the Chicago Kid for “Like Me” before entering a call-and-response freestyle with the Chicago singer.

If that wasn’t enough, Ab-Soul took the stage to perform “Terrorist Threats” with the audience rapping along for both Ab and Danny Brown’s verses of the song.

Despite the energy of the room, Joey Bada$$ turned to a somber note as the show came to an end. Joey eulogized his late friend and rap associate, Capital Steez, in a touching address about how much Steez meant to him. In honor of the MC, Joey and the Pro Era crew had the entire crowd keep quiet for a moment of silence while the audience held their lighters in the air with solidarity.

After the moment had passed, Joey performed “Like Water,” a track that had posthumously been dedicated to Capital Steez.  The emotion behind this performance was far different than Joey’s other songs. There was a seriousness in each verse that really let the crowd know how much Steez meant to this team.

However, wishing to end the show on a lighter note, Joey Bada$$ brought out The Underachievers, who performed several songs alongside Joey to help close the show. The event had been a spectacular demonstration of genuine rap talent. No backing vocals. No autotune. No gimmicks. Just old school rapping one bar at a time. All three MCs know how to work a crowd, and I have nothing but praise for the World Domination tour.

All photographs by Philey Sanneh.

Before you hear my take on the event, you can see the entire performance over on All Def Digital’s Youtube page.

Saturday I had the pleasure of attending a Nipsey Hu$$le performance promoting his Proud 2 Pay Crenshaw mixtape. The stream was set to begin at 3 PM, but I showed up at 3:04 and still had some time to get settled before the show started.

The audience was rolling in late like a typical Los Angeles crowd, slowly filling the space as the clock got closer to 3:30. The energy was as low as the headcount, but luckily Philly’s Tayyib Ali arrived from stage left to rally the crowd. I had chilled with Tayyib on several occasions, but I still had not seen him perform, and rapping several of his recent tracks, Tayyib impressed me with his stage presence and delivery. The crowd had no choice but to start getting live once the DJ  let Drop loose –a track which does exactly what its name implies.

As I bobbed my head to the massive bass line, my friend directed me to my right, where the producers of Drop –The Beat Brigade– were basking in the greatness of their creation. Obviously I dapped the brigade up for making such a heavy beat while Tayyib continued to bring heat for the crowd.  After finishing his last track, he exited just as he entered, leaving the audience some time to grab drinks before Nipsey.

Tayyib, The Beat Brigade, and I made our way downstairs to holler at some of the food he had ordered earlier. I got so lost in this ricotta cheese and ham pizza that I almost forgot Nipsey was supposed to be on any minute. I checked the stream from phone –which i thought was cool as fuck– and saw that Dj V.I.P. had returned to the stage, prompting to me to discard my food any hurry my ass back to the venue.

I made my way back up the stairs just in time for the start of the Nipsey’s set, and I must have gotten really caught up in that pizza and fruit assortment –because by the time I reentered the venue, the crowd had nearly doubled. With an entourage rocking “Crenshaw” on every t-shirt, Nipsey played songs from all over his catalog. From Crenshaw to Bullets Have No Name Vol.2, Nipsey played exactly what the audience wanted to hear. For nearly a quarter of the set, the Los Angeles rapper just let the crowd sing all of his lines. A hometown hero, Nipsey had some seriously dedicated fans and groupies singing along to every song he dropped.

After he performed his last track, Nipsey left the stage and I was ready to hit happy hour somehwere. I was surprised, however, when Nipsey invited every one on stage for one last banger. I think he mentioned something about the song being new, but I can’t say for sure. Following the encore, the crowd began to disperse while some fans stayed around for pictures with their favorite LA rapper.

Nipsey killed the house, and then Tayyib, the homies, and I killed a bottle of Clicquot Rosé. Sooner than you could say “Where’s that fruit platter?”, we headed off to Katusya to celebrate a dope day. The stream is still available for everyone to watch and rewatch, so you should definitely check out the set and see if you spot me. Tayyib Ali’s Keystone State of Mind 3  drops later this summer, and ya’ll ready know where to cop Crenshaw.