Happy Sunday. I knew today was going to be a little rough to get through. Mostly because I was supposed to cover the MTV Video Music Awards and was pulled last minute. On some bullshit. Sometimes, life isn’t fair and I have the hardest time accepting the truth in that statement. This is why I’m emo 90% of the time lmao. I did get to see my bros today for a bit, and that helped a lot. I love them so much.
Nothing that R&B can’t cure. Tonight was August Alsina‘s #DontMatterTour at The Wiltern. Definitely one of the most lit venues in LA. Honestly, August is nostalgic for me. He’s still out here doing his thing. But I feel like he was really at his prime when I was in my party phase in high school. He’s got hits in the bag.
Shout out to my babygirl Cherise for putting me on Tone Stith, who is opening for August alongside Rotimi. Truthfully, I probably would have just pulled up for August’s set otherwise. But I’ve been listening to Tone’s Can We Talk project and he’s definitely got the juice (the R&B juice). Huge thanks to Victoria for the assist on getting me tickets to cover. I really wanted to interview August but I knew that was a long shot.
.@ToneStith opening for @AugustAlsina in LA 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/29PdyMH35P
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) August 28, 2017
We enter The Wiltern to find a pretty decent crowd, which worked in our favor because we weren’t stuck in the back trying to see over the crowd the entire show. This is one of those venues where if you’re short, you’re fucked lmao. I immediately run into some familiar faces, all who admitted they were here for Tone. I can honestly say I was blown away by his set tonight.
GET IT RIGHT. @ToneStith i'm officially a fan. pic.twitter.com/QXM7lSeTl9
— Shirley Ju (@shirju) August 28, 2017
Tone asked LA if he could set the mood, which was welcomed with nothing but screaming fans. “Get It Right” had him showing out with the choreography. And shout out to all his back up dancers in sync without missing a beat. This was a set you’d expect from a headliner, not an opener. Mind you, homeboy is co-signed by Drake. His manager, Jas Prince, is actually the one who discovered Drizzy. Real recognize real.
Here’s the full version lmao. Also, Tone left an imprint on every single human being in that room tonight with his falsetto. He was hitting those high notes like I’ve never heard before. It reminded me of The Dream. That says a lot.
every hour ⌚️ @ToneStith pic.twitter.com/xzPDSPpS1G
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) August 28, 2017
“Every Hour,” “Date,” and a cover of Usher’s “Nice and Slow.” Fuck. Yes. He described himself as “young with an old soul.” We were all here for it. He performed a sultry “Let Me” before busting out the guitar. AND THEN, he takes his shirt off for “Mo Freaky.” That’s my girl’s fav off the project. He closed out with “Miss California,” for obvious reasons.
.@AugustAlsina taking the stage at @wiltern in LA 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QKGk4kCV4l
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) August 28, 2017
There was so much fucking downtime before August actually came on stage lmao. His set time said 9:45pm and by 10:30pm, I almost aborted mission. Shout out to DJ Era spinning the most turnt, ratchet set leading up to August’s arrival. “Swag Surf” was pure gold. I thought the entire show was put together really well. It began with throwback clips of August as a child, singing into the camera. He’s been in the game for a minute, but seeing him start at such a young age made me respect him even more.
go and get ya money 💰 @AugustAlsina pic.twitter.com/eNxqqtIwYw
— Shirley Ju (@shirju) August 28, 2017
Fast forward to an incident that happened to him a couple years back, where he collapsed on stage. This lead to him being in a coma for 3 whole days. He decided to finally open up in an interview with Jada Pinkett Smith, which lead into an explosive first song. A full band and back up dancers in sync the entire time. Fans definitely got their money’s worth. After “Work,” he performed “Get Ya Money.” I kid you not, I was in the photo pit, and watched a guy in front of me recite every single word verbatim. Mind you, he must have been in his 50’s. It was cute as hell.
.@AugustAlsina performing "shoot or die" in LA 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/daXOHmrsij
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) August 28, 2017
“Shoot Or Die” was next. I loved that he paired his expensive looking outfit with Vans.
HIP-HOP. @AugustAlsina pic.twitter.com/St6x4QCsNh
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) August 28, 2017
“Hip-Hop” is off his 2015 project called This Thing Called Life. I fucking love this song. Next was “Make It Home” from Jeezy off his Testimony. He’s honestly worked with all of the hottest in Hip Hop.
.@AugustAlsina performing "song cry" is a beautiful thing. pic.twitter.com/Ho3hPcjnVY
— Shirley Ju (@shirju) August 28, 2017
“Song Cry” straight up had me in my feels lmao. So emo. August has such a distinct voice. Like a mix of Jeremih and Chris Brown.
“Numb” took me wayyyyyyy back. This was a hit. It’s so crazy how the times have changed. Like what defines a hit these days? Is it radio play? Streams? Who knows.
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