Gucci: A Concert Review

 

 (images via watchyoursetup.com and dctobc.com)

Gucci: A Concert Review

The Clark Atlanta University football stadium was swollen with a bevy of AUC students eager to see their favorite Atlanta rappers perform for their viewing pleasure. Clark Atlanta University’s hip-hop concert took place Friday October 8th, just two weeks before the highly anticipated and much debated performance of Rick Ross at SpelHouse, a compressed name for the Atlanta University Center’s perhaps two most notable institutions, Spelman College and Morehouse College, Homecoming 2010. But perhaps much to the audience’s surprise, the big bucks and inherent expectations of an arena-type performance complete with all of its onstage bells and whistles for the upcoming Wednesday night’s performance may be overshadowed by the raw demand of the student body for this particular group of artists.
Expected to perform at the modest-sized stadium venue were three of hip-hops youngest and rising stars. Not particularly known for their skilled lyrical abilities or attractive flow (the rhythm and pace at which a rapper delivers his or her lines), this particular group of performers reflects the quickly generated musically successes that come out of Atlanta. The majority of the city’s popular music around the time of the concert has less to do with rappers demonstrating their worthy bid to be “number one” and more to do with their desire for a fast-paced lifestyle full of “yellow bones” (a new popular term for light skinned women) fast cars and, what else, money. Seemingly gone are the days of rapping about their struggle to become big. These artists are big. And waste no time celebrating their ascent to rap superstardom.
“I’m waiting to see Gucci all night! I am not leaving here until he does some of my favorite songs. Everyone’s gonna go crazy. It’s Gucci. He is Atlanta rap right now” describes one Clark Atlanta senior, anxiously hanging over the stadium’s glossy black railings, her silver hoop earrings flashing a reflection of the stage light’s changing colors.
Elevating the crowd’s excitement for this “trap-star” artist is his label mate and often collaborator, Wacka Flocka Flame. Together, Gucci and Wacka Flocka represent a sort of new age hip-hop that would cause genre greats such a Notorious B.I.G, Tupac Shakur and Pimp C to turn over in their graves. Gucci Mane’s, Gucci for short, shallow rap content consisting of making love to money in fast cars while a beautiful, sexually promiscuous women waits by his side, entranced by his wealth and brazen affiliation with drug culture and lauding of the lifestyle it has afforded him, are enough to annoy any true, old-school hip-hop fan to no end.
Perhaps more aware of his hood-star status is Wacka Flocka Flame, a more modest version of his label mate. Never as drenched in jewels or physically consumed by an extravagant display of his wealth, Wacka Flocka may not have the glitz and the glamour of Gucci, but he remains ever proud in his status as “dope-boy”. If any rapper out of Friday night’s crowd shows a certain appreciation yet dissatisfaction with the trials of hood life, it’s Flocka. Together, the rap duo has been able to captivate the Atlanta music scene and create a niche of rappers in the city who make music just because it sounds good.
Rounding out the highly anticipated group set to perform on a perfectly warm Atlanta pre-fall night is Wale. A DC rapper known mainly for his mixtapes and less aggressive rapping style, Wale has taken the underground hip-hop world by storm, along with other rappers similar to his style; valid comparisons liken him to Wiz Khalifa, B.o.B, J Cole and Kid Cudi. Wale, and his contemporaries, are becoming known amongst hip-hops younger generation as the new wave of hip-hop, where pretty girls and the good life are still desirable but less hardcore drugs, such as marijuana, and a more relaxed lifestyle are made the norm, opposed to throwing single dollar bills in the strip club. Although, there is that element too.
Together these three artists appeased a blatant demand amongst the student body for party music and having a good time, perhaps to the extent of painting Clark Atlanta University’s school ethics in a questionable light. Good thing no one pays attention to that sort of detail during Homecoming. Known as a time for student to let loose the pressures of the classroom and excuse their belligerent and wild behavior under the convenient disguise of “having school spirit”, Homecoming has come to have a spirit of second-life or carnival. CAU’s homecoming concert was no exception.
Gucci, Wacka Flocka and Wale all took the stage to perform their most popular jams for the audience. Gucci’s club anthem “Wasted” erupted a particularly high note with the young intellectuals in the crowd who were undoubtedly celebrating feeling alcohol’s warm buzz.  After a cascade of other favorites including “Lemonade” and “Candy Lady”, Flocka’s most well known “Oh Let’s Do It”, and Wale’s smashes “Pretty Girls” and “90210”, the beginning tunes of a current hit entitled “No Hands” sent a wave of excitement through the crowd. Even in the stadium’s most nestled corners, student stood up from their seats and commenced in arguably one of the funnest dance parties of their college career. Nearly every mouth in the venue shouted back to the threesome’s call-and-response performance of their recent smash hit. Everyone was truly dancing with “No Hands”, as their palms reached for the clear starry sky.
Though the set from the hip-hop heavyweights was considerably short (no more than 3 songs per artist) it was seemingly just enough to get audience members out at a decent hour to begin their Friday night debauchery. “That just got me ready to really go out. I love that we’re not out at one and half the night is over” expresses one Spelman student exiting the stadium under dimmed hot pink lights. A concert with three of hip hops brightest stars and ample time left over to prepare for the night’s festivities? Who would have thought...rappers as sensitive to the party-time demands that is college student life? How thoughtful.