See the full 40-photo slideshow of Sneaker Pimps at Grand Central -- plus "Iggy Azalea Ain't All "Pu$$y": Five Secret Facts About the Aussie Rapper."
Sneaker Pimps' Tenth Anniversary Tour
With Iggy Azalea, Ace Hood, Honey Cocaine, and others
Grand Central, Miami
Friday, August 24, 2012
Better Than: Getting jacked for your kicks.
What do hip-hop and shoes have in common? All that soul.
But shitty jokes aside, streetwear and hip-hop culture have always been intrinsically linked. Since the dawn of rhyme, MCs have rocked only the freshest gear, and Sneaker Pimps has been celebrating that fly union with an annual nationwide tour for an entire glorious decade.
Last night, the Pimps party, plus Iggy Azalea, Ace Hood, and Honey Cocaine transformed Grand Central into a shoe-lover's paradise while the underground jams gave the crowd something hard to step to.
The dance floor was completely taken over. A Mini Cooper, decked out in shoelace and Sneaker Pimp decals was parked in the center of the club. The ride was flanked on either side by metal fences displaying some on the finest kicks on the market, and some shoes done up just for art's sake.
Beyond the shoe displays were rows and rows of local apparel vendors, selling all kinds of t-shirts and hoodies branded with dope slogans about smoking weed and being awesome. Tour sponsors Xbox and Heineken had areas set up with games and drink tents, and all night the host MC was shouting out their brands.
But swag and gear aside, the music is a big part of the Sneaker Pimps tour, and it got started right away. The first headliner, Honey Cocaine, came on to the stage at about 11:15 p.m., and she went right into her fiery routine with no hesitation.
"Miami, make some muddafuckin' noise," she yelled. The small Asian rapper from Toronto worked the stage left and right, spitting songs about touring with Tyga and Last Kings and surviving drive-by shootings. She may be small in stature, but she's clearly a tough cookie.
Ms. Cocaine debuted a song from her upcoming release, a gold chain banging against her chest as she rapped into the mike. She almost told the crowd some story from her last tour, but decided against it, adding only, "Fuck TMZ." She ended her quick set with a positive message about staying true to yourself.
"Don't let no muddafucka tell you you can't reach your muddafuckin' dreams," she said. "'Till next time."
Between sets, DJ Mad Linx worked the ones and twos, dropping quick snippets of the hardest shit that radio hip-hop has to offer. The crowd was building, and the host worked everyone up for the next headliner, South Florida's own Ace Hood.
The local hustler took command at 11:40 p.m. and drew the largest crowd of the night. He dropped a slew of hard-ass beats and rhymes in his 20-minute set, including big hits like "Hustle Hard" and a remix of "Welcome To My Hood."
Of course, he reminded the crowd that he is indeed from the area, reppin' the 954 and the 305 till he dies. A couple times, the DJ let the beat fade and Ace finished his rhymes a capella. But soon, it was over for real.
"Miami-Dade Couty, I wanna say how much I appreciate you," he said walking off, and the DJ went back into a non-stop stream of YMCMB and MMG hits.
Some people left after the main headliner's performance, but a large number stayed to catch the last set from Aussie rapper Iggy Azalea. Her fans crowded around the front of the stage and screamed excitedly when the host asked who they wanted to see.
"If I were to bring out an Australian while girl rapper, what song would you wanna hear?" he asked. "Pussy," the crowd screamed.
The bad blonde bitch came out in a tight black get-up with that signature braid hanging down from the top of her head, and everyone went nuts.
Iggy enjoyed the most energetic crowd of the night as she went into her repertoire, performing tracks from both her Glory and Ignorant Art mixtapes. But before doing her biggest hit, she asked all the ladies and gents to join her on stage.
Then as soon as she managed to cut through the crowd to the front of the stage, Iggy went into her famous lady-part anthem. She got down, poppin' that "Pu$$y" and singing with fans, posing to take pictures and shaking hands. "Azaleans," as her fans are called, are quite loyal, and she clearly appreciates them all and she wants to them to feel the love.
It seemed that Iggy might have planned to end the set after playing her biggest hit. But she let the crowd have one more -- "Murder Bidness," her new collabo with T.I. -- before kicking the fans back to the floor.
By 12:40, the show was coming to a close and it was time to pose for last pictures and pay our tabs. It was an early night at Grand Central, but we guess it takes some time to break down all those shoe displays and get the damn car out of the club. Hopefully, lots of Pimps left with some fly shit.
Critic's Notebook
Personal Bias: The shindig was fun. But I wish the rappers could have done more thatn 20-minute performances. Also, what's with rap DJs and their 30-second mixes?
The Crowd: Hood muddafuckas, bad bitches, and awkward hipster kids who can't dance.
Protip: Furry shoes.
Honey Cocaine's Setlist:
-"Bitch Please"
-"Yellow Bitch"
-"Riot"
-"Who Shot Me"
Ace Hood's Setlist:
-"Wanna Beez"
-"Don't Get Me Started"
-"Hustle Hard"
-"Ballin Like A Bitch (B.L.A.B.)"
-"Welcome To My Hood"
Iggy Azalea's Setlist:
-"Hello"
-"Me, Myself, My Money"
"My World"
-"Millionaire Misfits"
-"Pu$$y"
-"Murder Bidness"
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