“Are we sure he should be playing Toyota? It looks like he’d do better in a Cynthia Woods environment.” These were the words of my concerned friend, remarking on what appeared to be a sparse pre-show crowd not particularly energized for the show to come. Don’t be dumb, Marco: The mere presence of A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, would bring the crowd into an ear-bursting uproar, with thrilling theatrics leaving the crowd in awe. His musical content provided a precise blend of substantive bars, nostalgia, and teeth-gritting, head-nodding, hand-waving beats that reminded each concertgoer that no matter the wait for the album, A$AP Rocky and his fellow clique-members are no relics of the past, instead, trendsetters of what’s to come.
Instead of taking the main stage to begin, Rocky began the show with a crowd-engaging video feed, with the helicopter hanging from the main stage shining a light on each section asking a simple question: Where is A$AP Rocky? Many fans have been asking the question of Rocky and his wife Rihanna, at least as it pertains to music. The mere turning off of the stage lights bursted the bubble of nervousness in the room, with costumed fans rushing to a certain spot on the floor. Turns out, a theatrical “SWAT Team” of 50+ masked men were running across the arena to form a moshpit, and one of them was holding up A$AP Rocky. Rocky would perform the unreleased “Grim Freestyle,” the movie cut “Trunks,” and the single “HIGHJACK” before sneaking back to the main stage. A “music video” of him with his SWAT team played to divert fans’ attention from something else: A$AP Rocky was getting on the helicopter.
Helicopters are thematic to the album, with an entire song called “HELICOPTER” and masterful music video to support it. With a mic-embedded megaphone, he would perform this track alongside two other album cuts, “ORDER OF PROTECTION,” and “STOLE YA FLOW,” about 150 feet above the floor. He also waved a towel around similar to a chopper, a pattern he continued throughout the show. The latter of those aforementioned songs is a Drake diss, complete with a compelling 360 visualizer, responding to Drake’s more pressing lyrical confrontations regarding his relationship with Rihanna, including on “Family Matters.” Meanwhile, I was most impressed by his coordination on the helicopter – the only safety protocol I saw was the handrest he occasionally held onto when leaning over. Regardless, it’s safe to say I am closer to Rocky in hip-hop or fashion skills than I ever would be to standing up that high on my own strength and clumsiness.
Returning to the mainstage, “A$AP Forever” was the first real-crowd popper of the night, and one of many to come. Rocky is known to have sacrificed a little bit of mainstream success in order to emphasize the hip-hop collective A$AP Mob, with other prominent members including A$AP Ferg and Playboi Carti. The Mob has faced its own challenges and controversies, with five members having died (including A$AP Yams, among others) and a recent court case from a now ex-member who alleges being shot by A$AP Rocky (Rocky was later found not guilty). Alas, momentum for the mob seems to have stabilized, and Rocky performed the collective classics “Yamborghini High” and “Hella Hoes” with fellow posse member A$AP Twelvyy.
The Houston stop of this tour was unique in at least one aspect: Rocky performed, of course, “Houston Old Head,” an homage to the melodic, purple-drank culture that defines Space City. What was not unique, apparently, was the amount of bras and G-strings being thrown at the male model himself. In fact, while performing “Hella Hoes,” Rocky was well supported by the 15(!) bras on stage, a dynamic bringing about questions that demand answers. Go off, I guess.
After performing a few unreleased tracks, Rocky’s end-of-concert run was one of the best I’ve ever seen, reminding the crowd of his hitmaking capabilities. His debut mixtape Live. Love. A$AP, a defining sound of the SoundCloud era, will hit every time. He made sure to recognize the ladies with “Fuckin’ Problems,” and “Fashion Killa.” Notably, only two album cuts made it to the end of show sequence: the title track “DON’T BE DUMB” and “STAY HERE 4 LIFE” with Brent Faiyaz, a catchy pop-synth groove about love.
Compared to other artists in the hip-hop scene, A$AP Rocky is not notably political or an avid social commentator. When delivering the pretext for “L$D,” he did make a brief remark about division and pleading to not let politics separate you from your neighbor, your dreams, or your joy. While this is much easier to do for someone in Rocky’s current position, and could be easily interpreted as canned stage banter, the message resonated the same. Worry and stress doesn’t get your desire for change across the finish line, it’s your ability to handle adversity through strength – and that includes necessary relaxation. At that point, I sat down and closed my eyes for the rest of the show – confronting the very harsh reality beset on a generation of fans who just want to do what makes them happy, and mapping out my part.
With ”Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2” blasting as the show’s encore, I couldn’t help but look back at my friend’s comment and laugh. Rocky’s crowd engagement efforts and stage production were top-tier, and although certain songs could’ve used more vocal effort, the performance coalesced beautifully. It’s an experience every hip-hop fan should undertake, so Don’t be Dumb – buy your tickets for the show coming near you.
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