ComplexCon Day 2 popped off even harder. I was determined to take in even more music, food and fashion. Success!
There were some great Complex Con(versations). Lil B was part of a panel on activism, Fu*k Jerry joined a panel on Instagram and mobile-based humor, and young heads met old in a “music generation gap” debate.
There was tons of fawn-inducing fashion moments, too. French Montana went Sneaker shopping live with Joe La Puma, Kid Cudi walked the floor and hung out with fans before chatting with Trinidad James at the RSVP gallery. Exclusive drops from VLONE and Nike cranked things up, too.
The first big music highlight was seeing Lil Yachty on the Pigeons and Planes stage. First off, there were 838 people on stage, which made me very happy. But the man can rap, and performs much better than most. He’s playful but very stoic, focused. I diiig. Also—and I know this is old—but the ‘lil boat’ ad libs really do it for me.
The next massive moment was Chief Keef’s barnstorming performance. Damn. Keef is my Chicago-bred hometown hero. The drill sound he pioneered is still everywhere. Almost every other act over the weekend owes him a debt.
He really nailed the show. I felt 10 times bigger the whole time he was on stage. His voice was pitched up and punchy, while he body and demeanor suggested Master P and other southern rap stars. I was proud to be from the Chi.
I dipped to the arena to catch Brittany Sky’s set. Equipped with nachos and a Gatorade, I was ready to get into it.
Sky turned the knobs up to 11, and the crowd went wild. Flanked by a hype man and hype woman, she moved from hit to hit and had us all singing along. Borderline out of body experience.
Next up was Migos. They are legends. They came out and played hit after hit after hit. It reminded me of seeing Stevie Wonder years back. Just when you think they don’t have another one, they cue up another smash.
I’d seen 2 Chainz before, back in Minneapolis. He was great then, but tonight he added some real kick. He was alive and delivered every line like it was his last. But like, in a cool way.
Next up was a surprise guest. The arena buzzed in anticipation until the one and only skateboard P aka Pharrell Williams strutted out. He’s another person I’d seen years ago in Chicago. Like 14 years ago. The man doesn’t age.
He was laid back and breezy; in total control. I never wanted it to end. Snoop closed out the night like only Snoop can. The arena was smoky, the hits kept coming, and we all left on cloud 9.
