All the RVA hip hop heads are gonna want to represent for this one. For the second time this year, ASAP Rocky and the rest of his ASAP Mob crew will be rolling into town to take the stage at The National, and if you weren’t able to get there last time, you better make sure you’re in the building this time.
All the RVA hip hop heads are gonna want to represent for this one. For the second time this year, ASAP Rocky and the rest of his ASAP Mob crew will be rolling into town to take the stage at The National, and if you weren’t able to get there last time, you better make sure you’re in the building this time. Things with Rocky and the ASAP Mob have only gotten crazier since the last time he was here, with his major label debut, LongLiveASAP, getting pushed back from a Halloween release date to sometime after the new year, as well as troubles with the law cropping up, and the ever-present spectre of hip hop beef lurking in the background. But regardless, he’s kept on his grind, with his latest single, “Goldie,” and the ASAP Mob mixtape Lords Never Worry both taking the scene by storm when they dropped this summer. Now he brings his LongLiveASAP tour to RVA, retaining the name of his mysteriously-delayed new album for a tour that promises to be the hip hop live event of the season.
ASAP Rocky and the ASAP Mob aren’t the only reasons to come out on this night, though, as Danny Brown and Schoolboy Q will also be performing. Brown, the Detroit rapper who released nearly a dozen albums and mixtapes with no effect before finally breaking through with his 2011 album XXX, has a unique voice, an unforgettable flow, and a really strange personal style, exemplified by his bizarre hipster/dubstep hybrid hairdo. Regardless of any quirks, though, the man’s talent is undeniable and his work is excellent. Recent singles like “Grown Up” and “The Black Brad Pitt” have proven that XXX wasn’t a fluke, and raised anticipation for his forthcoming album, ODB, to sky-high levels.
Meanwhile, Schoolboy Q has grabbed a lot of attention on his own, both as a member of the Black Hippy crew–along with such West Coast hip hop up-and-comers as Kendrick Lamar and Ab Soul–and through his solo work. His second album, Habits And Contradictions, which was released back at the beginning of the year, has steadily attracted attention, with dark, downbeat crime stories like “Raymond 1969” and “Hands On The Wheel” (which features ASAP Rocky) demanding repeat plays from hip hop heads with good memories of NWA and Mobb Deep. Now all of them are going to be taking the same stage on the same evening, making the National the absolute place to be for anyone with any interest in the best hip hop has to offer in 2012.
WHAT: ASAP Rocky’s LongLiveASAP Tour Hits The National!
WHO: ASAP Rocky and the ASAP Mob, Danny Brown, Schoolboy Q
WHERE: The National, 708 E. Broad St.
WHEN: Friday, November 16, Doors open at 7 PM
ADMISSION: $25 in advance, $28 at the door–order advance tickets HERE
And if you’re really lucky, you could be there for free! Yes, it’s true–all you have to do is plug your info into the widget below this paragraph. You’ve got until Friday the 9th at 5 PM to get your entry in, so do it now!
In case you need further enticement, or just want to spend your afternoon listening to some really good hip hop videos, here are some choice tracks from the artists performing on this bill. First we’ve got my personal favorite of the ASAP Mob videos, ASAP Rocky’s “Purple Swag,” featuring a guest appearance from SpaceGhostPurrp and the disconcerting sight of a blonde white girl with a grill mouthing slowed-down lyrics about getting high on the regular. The whole thing might really freak you out if you, like the ASAP Mob, mix purple weed with purple drink, but either way, it’s a really good song. Then we’ve got the Scion AV-produced video for Danny Brown’s single “Grown Up,” in which a little kid does an excellent job of impersonating Danny’s style and gives a plausible backstory for his missing tooth. Finally, there’s the Schoolboy Q video for “Hands On The Wheel,” featuring an encore appearance from your headliner, ASAP Rocky. Enjoy, and we’ll see you at the National!
