Drake – lifeofacitygal

Back to the Future

Future has embarked on quite a journey in his music career. With the success of DS2, Evol and What a time to be alive, the sky seems to be the limit for him. After the collab with Drake, it only seemed fitting to have Future apart of the Summer Sixteen Tour. The two have undeniable chemistry on stage and it’s safe to say they both have significant followings that would pack out each and every venue.

I was excited to gain knowledge of the Futurehive pop-up store that occurred during the tour. Some of the merch was the same that was at the venue but, of course there were also other pieces that weren’t. Upon entering the store, you stepped right into all things Future. Pictures of Future lined the walls and all types of merch were available for purchase including dad hats, crafty ‘Wicked’ candles, pins, Freebandz stamped cups and even a limited edition 14k gold eagle pendant designed by GLD shop. Hopefully you were able to stop by or it came to a city near you. Take a look into the hive below.

Summer Sixteen Tour

The day had finally arrived. After paying almost 4x the face value for a ticket to one of the most anticipated shows this summer, the wait was finally over. It was time to see Aubrey Graham, the 6’s own, along with my absolute favorite, Future, take the stage and give me a concert I should never forget. Especially considering the amount I paid for it. Gotta love resale right? I hadn’t seen Drake since his ‘Nothing was the Same’ concert at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn back in 2013. That show was pretty epic so my expectation for Summer 16′ was pretty high. OVO artists Roy Woods and Dvsn opened the concert which was fine by me since I’m a fan of both. I will admit the tone of the concert changed almost immediately since both artists are more on the R&B scale to me. However, as I stated before, I’m a fan of them so I appreciated their performances equally as much.

The moment had arrived. The lights dimmed and surprisingly Drake appeared on the stage first. I don’t think anyone expected him to come out first. Nonetheless, it was hit after hit, anthem after anthem that played throughout the garden. Just to confirm, he should be signed to Hit-Boy because he literally has all the hits boy. Okay sorry for that line but I had to say it. Drake’s set list was far from disappointing. The crowd, including myself, sung line after line the entire night. Even for those who will not willingly admit Drake is their favorite artist, you were bound to hear that one Drake song that you consider a classic.

Future came out about half way through and, seeing that he’s my favorite, he can do no wrong in my eyes. March Madness and Stick Talk will never get old to me. Bringing Young Thug, better known now as Jeffery, as a surprise guest was an added bonus too. Of course, Drizzy came back and they performed songs from ‘What a Time to be Alive’; ending the the joint performance with Jumpman. Drake then took back over and followed through with more hits. I will admit I was shocked Rihanna didn’t come out to join him to perform ‘Work’ but the crowd held her down. So after all of the criticism and never ending debates of Drake and his writing ability, “beef” with numerous rappers and arguments deciding if his music is actually rap or pop, one thing we cannot deny is the man’s talent. He definitely has a huge influence on our generation and is not going anywhere anytime soon. Views is continuing to chart and like it or not, Aubrey Graham has made his mark and is here to stay. I definitely enjoyed this show and even contemplated going to see it again the following night. Check out the merch below and be sure to watch the video too.

Gucci’s Homecoming

On July 22nd, the world was finally able to hear the long awaited album ‘Everybody Looking’ from Atlanta’s own, Gucci Mane aka Guwop. Before there was knowledge of this album and its release date, upon Gucci’s return home, he announced the ‘Gucci and Friends Tour’ that would be hosted at The Fox in downtown Atlanta. My bestie, whom I love soooo much, purchased a ticket for me and just stated do my best to try to make it back down home. I immediately thought if Gucci’s home, I’m home and of course, I made it happen so I could be in attendance to this. The anticipation of what he would start the show with, which friends would also be performing, how many of my favorites would he perform, were all thoughts that I had until the lights dimmed and there he was.

In true Gucci fashion, it was only right to open the concert with one of my personal favorites ‘First Day Out’. Zaytoven, a highly renowned producer for many of Gucci’s classics, played the piano and we all started rapping the words. The show continued with many other hits, some mainstream and others for true fans of Gucci, such as Freaky Girl, Trap House,I’m a Dog, Go Head, Photoshoot and So Icy just to name a few. Now to the guests. I was overwhelmed with pure joy when I saw Future come out to one of his DS2 tracks, Stick Talk. Shortly thereafter he was joined by the one and only Drake. They performed Jumpman together from their #1 album, What a Time to be Alive and Drake also blessed us with Enemies and joined Gucci for their new summer tune, Back on Road. As if Future and Drake weren’t enough, Gucci’s friends also included OJ da Juiceman, 2 Chainz, Young Dolph and Peewee Longway. To say the concert was great, would be an understatement. Seeing that I was born and raised in Atlanta and love all things about my city, Gucci Mane was definitely a huge part of my lif, especially back in my college days for sure. To be home for this and to rap along to all of my favorite Gucci classics right alongside my best friend was definitely a night to remember.

Views

One of the most highly anticipated albums of 2016, Views, has finally arrived and in my opinion, met its expectations. Views is coming from the one and only Drake and to add to the hype of this album, he decided to do several pop-ups before its actual release on 4.29.16. New York was the location for the first pop-up store sponsored by Beats by Dre. Fans like myself were able to pick up the tee pictured above complimentary to show his appreciation and also keep focus and high energy on the long awaited album. Nothing too fancy on the inside of the store; just a ton of Views tees on clothing racks with either the black or white background. Fortunately, I was able to get a black one. Although some may say Views has just too much singing and gives more of an R&B feel, the melodic tunes, music samples and production are just a few things that I happen to love about this album. It definitely takes me back to how I felt once Take Care came out and gives a similar vibe and tone to me. To say the least, Drake continues to stay on top of the game. OVO definitely keeps him busy and I am looking forward to the Summer Sixteen Tour which was also made available for ticket purchase on the day of the release.