Big Sean Brings Out Kanye West, J. Cole, Meek Mill And More In L.A.
When it comes to Grammy weekend, big name shows and surprise appearances are almost commonplace, but on this Saturday night at the world famous Sunset Strip House Of Blues, Big Sean may have just put all of the weekend’s other events to shame.
Having already created a serious buzz the night before when he debuted his forthcoming album Dark Sky Paradise for select members of the media, the G.O.O.D. Music MC made a powerful statement with a performance that went from electrifying and only got better.
DJ Mustard, who came on before Sean, got the crowd ready for the onslaught of talent that was to come, barreling through a bevy of his hits with some help from Ty Dolla $ign and YG who came out to perform “Who Do You Love?” “My Nigga” and “Don’t Tell ‘Em.” After that it was time for the man of the hour to take over.
Performing in front of a capacity crowd that included Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato and Kendall Jenner, as well as the rapper’s mother and brother, Sean was ready to take center stage. After a grand entrance standing atop an electronic screen with his maestros laying the tracks behind him, Big Sean came out to the Mike WiLL-produced banger “Paradise” before coming down to the stage level. He then proceeded to take the crowd through some of his greatest hits including “My Last,” “Beware,” “Mercy” and “Can’t Get Enough.” From there the night got out of control in the best possible way.
Leading off the all-star cast of spitters was Travi$ Scott, who came out touting immediate rock star status, stage diving in between rapping his part to “Don’t Play.” Next up was the recently-freed up Meek Mill who came out to “Dreams & Nightmares” and got even more turnt on “Flexin On 'Em.” And that was just the beginning.
J. Cole came out, performing “No Role Modelz,” and sharing a moment of glory with Big Sean before making way for the evening’s biggest surprise, none other than Sean’s producer-in-chief Kanye West, who appeared from the shadows like a Margiela covered Navy Seal.
'Ye, who also made headlines today by unveiling his latest shoe, took to the microphone immediately to warn the executives at Nike that he is someone they should fear.
“To the people at the Nike office right quick. Hold up. Hold up. We ain’t gonna talk too long but I gotta say SOMETHING! I know the execs saying that Nike ain’t scared of Kanye West. Should Nike be scared of Kanye West?” Challenged West before going into “Black Skinhead.” West later dedicated his performance of “New Slaves” to those very same executives.
West also praised Big Sean, saying that he knew the fellow midwesterner would be a big star from the second he first heard him rap. The two then performed “Blessed” before closing with one of the most memorable moments on a hip-hop stage.
As the beat came on for the final song of the night, “IDFWU,” an ensemble cast of hip-hop heavyweights that included YG, Tyga, Chris Brown, Travi$ Scott, Ty Dolla $ign and the track’s co-producer DJ Mustard rushed out onto the stage to help their Roc Nation cohort put an exclamation point on the song and the night.
This might be the House Of Blues’ final year in it’s current location before developers tear the iconic venue down to build condos and retail, but on this Saturday night the venue added one more historic moment to it’s illustrious legacy and in the process Big Sean may have single-handedly won Grammy weekend and set a new standard for hip hop live shows in the future. —Jake Rohn
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