Audio By Carbonatix
Nipsey Hussle
Avenue D, Miami
Friday, January 31, 2014
Better Than: Walking into a Crip neighborhood wearing all red.
Draped down in a white t-shirt, his Cuban-link chain and Malcolm X pendant, a blue bandana wrapped around his neck, California rapper Nipsey Hussle took the Miami stage for the first time, opening with “All Get Right” off Crenshaw.
See also: Nipsey Hussle on Rap, the Music Business, His Label: “It’s About Boss of Self”
With the crowd warmed up from reciting the lyrics, Hussle took a timeout to ask who owned his mixtape Crenshaw.
If the hollers and rap-along to the Futuristics-produced “Checc Me Out” wasn’t a yes, then it was evident as Hussle’s “Bitch, I’m the man” line from “U See Us” was repeated by audience, not once, but twice.
After commanding center stage with “Rose Clique” from The Marathon Continues, Nipsey asked the crowd, “What y’all came to hear tonight?”
Favoring the clique to his right, Hussle obliged a request for “Keys 2 the City.”
Following performances of “Drop Coupes,” “Don’t Take Days Off,” and “7 Days a Week,” Hussle sought more requests, asking, “What we doing next,” leading to “Fly Crippin” and “I Need That.”
But he could not close the night without a mini-performance of his breakout hit, “Hussle in the House,” choosing to go a cappella for the hook after the first verse.
“That’s the way he do it.” And seconds later, that “crazy motherfucker name Nipsey” was out.
Critic’s Notebook
I Spy: A chick wearing a cheetah-print bathing suit, garters, leggings, and a clear skirt.
Wish List: Nipsey should’ve performed “Hussle in the House” in its entirety.
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