Wednesday, November 29
fuck man. life is hard.
— Shirley Ju (@shirju) November 30, 2017
Mood af. Life is ridiculous lmao. Just when you think things are going well, BAM. Another one. Sorry I’m being vague, but I fucked up at work and it put a damper on my entire evening. Luckily I was able to pray and get the support I needed to still make it out. I thought about isolating, but I know that gets me nowhere.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcEYT2dAo_Z/?taken-by=hi_tone
Tonight, I was honored to be invited to an exclusive dinner with Hi-Tone before his sold-out show at The Roxy. Honestly, the first time I met and really discovered Hi-Tone, I was so fucking moved and touched by his story. His music has such a powerful message, one that really resonated with me. It was at his No Xanax Needed documentary screening at iPic in Pasadena back in 2016. I damn near cried in that movie theater. I was actually just coming out of my own struggle with addiction at the time, and really felt like God had brought me there for a reason. Tonight, Hi-Tone returns for his first headlining show in LA, which SOLD OUT! Huge congrats to him on that. That’s amazing.
Dinner took place at The Rainbow Bar, which is literally RIGHT next to The Roxy on Sunset. Like steps away. I was definitely just here last night at On The Rox for JAG’s Dalton Ave listening. Was actually bumping that project all day before switching over to Hi-Tone’s. His new album Price of Admission drops December 15, so I gave the project’s single “Big Cousin” a spin and fell in love. This was just a reminder why I fuck with Hi-Tone. He raps about real life and real struggles. The world needs to hear this. Huge thanks to Melissa and Jentry for the invite. I had the golden opportunity to speak with Hi-Tone before the rest of the squad arrived.
I was so honestly just happy he remembered me from the NXN listening. I literally pulled him aside that evening to genuinely thank him for sharing his story. It was honestly so brave of him. So admirable. Tonight, it was all eyes on Hi-Tone. It was all close friends and family who showed up, which made the evening even more intimate. We had the entire corner reserved, which included 4 huge booths. The vibe in this room proved to be exactly the same as The Rainbow Bar: so much history and character. Was so excited to see so many familiar faces pop up, and to catch up with Melissa. She’s absolutely killing it. Was also beyond excited to receive Hi-Tone’s Mr. Miyagi shirt (thank you Jentry!). You guys know merch is the way to my heart. Aside from this, got a delicious Chinese chicken salad to go that I am indulging in now.
I was sad to leave but I HAD to go catch my #1 rapper. Insert Nipsey Hussle. Self-explanatory. If you guys know me, you know. Nipsey is my #1 (also my baby daddy, but we’ll keep things professional). His Crenshaw mixtape is one of my favorite projects of all-time. My girl and I bond over this all the time. We are #AllMoneyIn, No Money Out all day, every day. Literally would get the logo tatted if the opportunity presented itself lmao. With that being said, Nipsey fans and Hip Hop fans alike have all been waiting so patiently for Nipsey’s Victory Lap. It was supposed to be out by now, but props to Nip for not putting it out until he was 100000% with it. He wanted to make it perfect for us. Can’t knock that.
Tonight was the exclusive listening party for Victory Lap at Record Plant Studios in Hollywood. First of all, huge fucking congrats to Nipsey for signing to Atlantic Records. For 2 million dollars. That’s honestly insane. All these years of independent grind and here we are. Nip is the definition of a hustler, an entrepreneur, a fucking genius. I didn’t think twice about canceling plans for this. I heard this was supposed to be exclusive for DJ’s, which made more sense when I finally arrived. I got the text that it was starting (s/o Julian) and sped over. I walk inside to find everyone packed inside a tiny studio, stocked with Henny and blunts.
I immediately saw all my peoples and was so excited, but had to contain myself because the music was playing lmao. This was the most perfect environment for a listening party. I swear, studios are the best spaces to hold these things. The volume in the speakers forces everyone to really pay attention to the music. The beat, the lyrics, everything is magnified. This is exactly what the artists hear when they decide a song is ready to be released. And this is what we heard tonight. Nipsey was in the center of the room, chillin’ in his iced out chains, white tee, and velour green sweatpants, with a green snapback to match.
It was almost a wrap until they decided to play us one more: a hidden track. Nipsey described it as “after the album is done, there’s a pause, and then the hidden tracks start.” That’s honestly something fans can look forward to. The song we heard is the perfect combo of soul and Hip Hop, paired with Nip’s raw flow and motivational lyrics. Nipsey decided it was the perfect ending to the listening, ending it on a high note. While Nipsey snuck out per usual, the rest of us dispersed into the other room filled with wings, french fries, and a basketball hoop. Shout out to Mo for the flick! He’s the best.
it’s the little things in life. pic.twitter.com/rNK02ewzsi
— Shirley Ju (@shirju) November 30, 2017
And Record Plant Studios wins for this bowl of pink Starbursts. #TheMarathonContinues.
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