Talented and gifted hip-hop artist Lupe Fiasco performed at the Novo at LA live which definitely was one for the books. Before a sold-out crowd he performed his 2006 album FOOD AND LIQUOR, an album a lot of people say is a classic album of all time despite the fact it didn’t even go gold. But regardless of the fact, Fiasco performances are remarkable and at the Novo he proved just that. Fiasco didn’t have any opening acts, surprisingly because many hip-hop shows have an opening act before the headliner goes up on stage.
About 45 minutes after the doors where opened, fans waited eagerly and patiently for Fiasco to arrive. Back-up singers rehearsing on the mics and musicians tuning up their instruments, setting the tone for the night. And just within a seconds, Fiasco walked out on stage, wearing bright red shoes with a big smile and didn’t waste any time performing his first song "Real."
Performing the entire album at the concert, Fiasco brought out guest appearances, Gemstones (fka Gemini) and Matthew Santos, best known for singing the hook to “Superstar” (from Lupe’s second album The Cool). Majority of the crowd too young to even remember when Food and Liquor first came out, knew the entire words to every song.
Lupe definitely shut the house down that night. Songs like "American Terrorist," "Sunshine," and "Pressure" ft. Jay-Z got everyone in a frenzy shouting “We want more, we want more!”
"Kick, Push" the most popular song off the Food and Liquor got everyone kicking their feet as if they were riding a skateboard. Pausing to address the crowd before rushing into “I Gotcha,” he detailed how badly he’d wanted a song with the Neptunes revealing, “Pharrell charged me so much money but this one joint alone is worth its weight in gold.”
Overall his performance was outstanding, hip-hop will never have another Lupe Fiasco. And we will never hear another Food and Liquor.
It all started back in 2009, my brothers and I decided to move back to South Central, Los Angeles from the Inland Empire. Both my brothers attended music and film school in Hollywood. At the time I was working construction in Las Vegas for nearly one year, but I always knew I had a passion for photography, but didn’t know what or where to start shooting.
As soon as I finished working in Las Vegas, I saved up enough money to buy a Canon camera. A friend of mine who was a night club promoter at the time asked me to be a roaming photographer at his venue. I had little to no experience shooting anything or anyone, but I felt confident and plus I was a people person, so I knew both of those qualities would help me succeed in being a photographer. I was a club photographer for almost a year until I started meeting people and networking. Then eventually I met a club photographer who owned his own business shooting venues all over Southern California.
For the next five years, I was shooting many nightclubs in LA, OC, IE and the Valley, eventually booking my own gigs. I even shot at the RIO in Las Vegas on the weekends when I worked out there for three months. Additionally, I booked a local night club working Tuesday nights as a roaming photographer for almost three years. At the same time, I was shooting Tuesday nights at a radio station working for rapper Dub-C. So after working at the radio station, I would leave to shoot at the club at night…
But I always felt like I needed to do more and take it to the next level. I felt like I couldn’t possibly shoot night clubs forever. I eventually linked up with my brother who had been writing for Music Connection. And thus, I began shooting local concerts all over Los Angeles and nearby counties. I felt like this was my calling. Not only do I like shooting musicians I listen to, but occasionally, I get to meet them and network with people in the business as well. I love doing what I do, but I do not put all my eggs in one basket.
Aside from shooting clubs and concerts, I have organized photo shoots with models. I have shot many events including birthday parties, weddings, Quinceaneras and more. I feel as a photographer, I cannot stick to just one preference. I feel like I have to do it all and “NO” can’t be the answer. I believe my path may be difficult, but eventually, it will pay off.
