Rap and hip-hop, unlike most genres of music, are something that people either absolutely love or completely hate. I've been to about five rap and hip-hop concerts in my life and I feel confident in saying that each one has surpassed the other. I feel that as cliché as it may sound, life isn't complete until you attend a rap or hip-hop concert. If you don't like rap or hip-hop and are stuck in your conservative musical bubble, I highly suggest you expand your iTunes or Spotify library and give people like Jay Z and Chance The Rapper a try.
The most recent concert I attended was Vic Mensa and A$AP Rocky at The Best Buy Theatre in New York. Aside from all the unimaginable lights and billboards in Times Square that make the scene a dream, the music bumping from inside the venue left me with just the amount of adrenaline needed to have a night to remember. Entering the venue reminded me of what it felt like before I walked into Toys R' Us when I was a kid. Once you go inside, it's almost like some force is attracting you to run to the floor of the venue and find the best possible spot at the front before it gets too packed and you lose your chance.
What's amazing about most rap and hip-hop concerts is that there is always a surprise guest who will make an appearance since many rap and hip-hop songs have features. The A$AP Mob travels as a group no matter what so once I knew I was going to see A$AP Rocky I knew Ferg and the rest would make an appearance as well.
The lights will be dim which is the case for any concert, but once the lights turn down completely and the DJ starts to play the pump up music, you know you're only minutes away from a complete out of body experience caused by nothing but sounds and lights.
You'll hear the crowd chanting for the artist to come out while the hype man is asking if the audience is ready for the night of their lives, all of a sudden, the Rapper or hip hop artist comes out and the lights are flickering all sorts of colors while confetti bursts out of the stage and now there's no turning back. You've entered the the world of bass, trap, and complete ecstasy and the only way out is after hours of trapping out and flexin' until your legs are too tired to even keep you standing.
Throughout the concert, you'll be able to feel your body respond naturally to the beat of every song and you can't do anything but dance along and let everything go as you experience a live performance that seems utterly unrealistic. The speakers and the sound with each drop make your body tremble and the vibrations takes control of you in a way where you feel comfortable, in control, yet also scared in an good way.
You'll find yourself turning to the person next to or behind you and singing the lyrics with them as if you've known them for a while and as if they're your best friend.
The lights, the sound, and the people, create an ambiance of fantasy that you just never want to leave. You'll feel like you're watching and listening to something you can't explain on a physical platform but can feel in an emotional and mental level.
The best, and to some extent, the worst, part about a rap or hip-hop concert is the sweat and the mess that is left when the party dies down. Being a part of a mosh pit, a sea of people pushing and dancing their lives away, and being doused in water, confetti, and sweat, just makes the experience feel real, natural, and as if you've reached peak happiness. Feeling your heart race at 100 mph takes you back to when you were a kid playing in the mud, someone who just didn't care if they was dirty or hurt; someone who was just guided by emotions and hard core carpe diem'ing.
Go to a rap or hip-hop concert and just let the concert bring you to somewhere you never have been in your life.
