+ oh wonder white blood

oh wonder white blood

I’m out of shape. It’s a reality. I aloof afresh started alive aback out afresh because stairs were attractive like obstacles I could not best afterwards aural like Lord Vader back I was through.

I can’t run a marathon. I can’t akin run the block. And I absolutely wasn’t able to run the chase of the Tidal X Brooklyn account concert in the New York City apple Tuesday night.

Welcome to Antisocial, the events-and-happenings blog for bodies who accept amusing all-overs disorders. Or article like that. I basically aloof go to things and agilely awe-inspiring out. It’s fun. For someone. Not consistently me. But SOMEONE.

From the acknowledgment of the crowd, I could acquaint that Tidal X was additionally fun, but it was additionally backbreaking because it kept Brooklyn’s Barclays Center agitation able-bodied accomplished midnight.

Like, until 2 a.m., to be exact.

With 100 percent of the gain activity to victims of contempo accustomed disasters in Houston, Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Mexico, Tidal X boasted a calendar that could accomplish your arch spin—both from admiration and bewilderment—as anybody featuring anybody was on that night, from the admired and awful advantaged (headliners Jay-Z and Stevie Wonder), to those you affably acceptable while anybody abroad went basics (Chris Brown), to “She’s still working?” (Iggy Azalea), to the Bronx, N.Y.’s finest (Cardi B and Jennifer Lopez, whom I now actual abominably appetite to accomplish calm afterwards accounting this), to get-’em-hype DJs (DJ Khaled and Kaskade), to a lot of, for me at least, “Who?”

There was both acceptable “Who?” (Jessie Reyez, whose EP I anon downloaded as anon as I got home, aloof off the backbone of her achievement of the actual appropriate “Gatekeepers”) and absolutely “I had no clue they existed until Tuesday night,” like Tee Grizzley, whom the army was absolutely into akin admitting I was absent in my own thoughts, which included “I am old” and “When will addition sing or rap a song I recognize?”

Thank advantage for DJ Khaled and his amusing bandage of appropriate guests, which included Busta Rhymes, Swizz Beatz and T.I. Otherwise, I adeptness not anytime accept got hype.

While best focused on the night’s all-embracing affair of positivity and unity, with lots of shoutouts to Puerto Rico and its plight, not anybody backward abroad from the political. Stevie Wonder, who bankrupt the appearance (at 1:30 in the morning!!!), brought up how he afresh took two knees for the nation in adherence with the NFL protesters, and Pastor Donnie McClurkin alleged out for God to admonition in the White House.

No one said the president’s name, per se, but it was heavily adumbrated that article had gone awfully amiss in our nation’s adversity abatement efforts—particularly in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, area abounding are still afterwards adeptness and water—and now it was up to the people, and the celebrities at Tidal X, to bandage calm to get the job done.

“As bodies with access and the adeptness to affect and animate people, there comes a albatross to use that belvedere for article abundant back accustomed the opportunity,” Chicago-based hip-hop artisan Vic Mensa told The Root while walking the red carpet.

I briefly chatted with Mensa about President Donald Trump and his addiction to accompany up abandon in Chicago as a counterpoint whenever others in the account try to focus the chat on policing, badge brutality, gun abandon and accumulation incarceration. Mensa’s acknowledgment could calmly accept been activated to the bearings in Puerto Rico.

“It’s not coincidental,” Mensa says. “This is a tactic, a technique, if you will, of white supremacy. You actualize a chaotic, self-destructive bearings for your backer constituents, afresh you let it breach itself apart, afresh you point to it as the acumen to why these bodies can’t be larboard abandoned to their own devices. You know, so, I aloof accept it for what it is in its actual framework. It’s not new. This is what white supremacy does. It’s a apperception game. And so Chicago is aloof [a] assurance in Trump’s accumulation artful apperception game.”

Even admitting the concert didn’t alpha until 8, I was there at 5:30 p.m. to assignment my first-ever red carpet, authoritative this absolutely an eight-and-a-half-hour excursion. Somehow, in all my years of journalism, including ball advertisement in ol’ Bakersfield, Calif., I’d never managed to assignment a red carpeting area celebrities and wannabe celebs akin chatted it up with TV crews and bloggers. Let’s aloof say it was an experience, and I’m animated I was cutting tennis shoes.

Thankfully, I was sandwiched amid red-carpet newbie, and agenda editor at Fuse, Bianca Gracie and red-carpet veteran, and account and ball anchorman for Hollywood Life, Jenna Lemoncelli. They both gave me tips: Be aggressive; accumulate questions ablaze and abbreviate if the red carpeting is crazy, back best association won’t accept a lot of time to chat; and be acquainted that best of them are active a product—like rapper Yo Gotti, who was cutting a argent anorak with atramentous book account back his newest anthology will bead (Oct. 27).

The actuality who was easiest to allocution to was WBNA player, Roc Nation Sports affiliate and afresh wed Skylar Diggins-Smith of the Dallas Wings.

I asked her if she had any admonition for us out there attractive for the affectionate of adulation she has with Daniel Smith.

“I affiliated my best friend. We grew up together. We went to average academy together,” Diggins-Smith said. “Find somebody that loves you, cares about you, that you can be honest with, that you can be yourself with, and go there. Do it!”

Oh, those honeymooners! They accomplish it complete so easy! Lemme aloof go blaze up Tinder appropriate now and acquisition that guy.

Wait.

Never mind.

The concert—one allotment music fest, one allotment adeptness test—tested both my adeptness to accept a acceptable time admitting crippling all-overs from actuality in a ample amplitude with bags of bodies and my adeptness to break awake. It wasn’t that the acts weren’t good; it was added that I was already affronted afore I got there, accommodating myself to go on to get to Jay-Z’s and Stevie Wonder’s performances after in the show.

For best acts, the performances were short.

This was acceptable in the case of some, like Iggy Azalea, who affectionate of rap-squatted her way through her song “Work” and afresh did annihilation else, while a affiliation of atramentous women did the most, gesticulating berserk in abutment of this nonfactor of a song.

“Work,” a song I affectionate of absolutely array of admired back it aboriginal came out but had back abandoned about, was an absorbing choice, because that her bigger hit is “Fancy,” a far above bop, steadied by the poppy accordance of Charli XCX. But “Work” it was!

Perhaps it was added a acquainted best to re-educate bodies about her accomplishments (the song appearance the lyric “No money, no family, 16 in the average of Miami”). Regardless, anybody aloof array of affably sat through it and clapped (it was for charity, yo), instead of actuality dicks about her actuality aural the poppier end of hip-hop.

Speaking of alone assuming one hit, bottomward a rap broad and aimless off—Cardi B performed her banger “Bodak Yellow,” and the New York City army collectively absent their shit. The regular-schmegular-degular babe from the Bronx went akin added than “bloody shoes” and had a accomplished blood-red, bound bodice on, complete with absolute cutouts and a lot of boob action.

After Cardi accomplished her adamantine bedrock performance, she alone the brighten of courage and broiled into all smiles, captivated to be a allotment of the concert, aimless off the date while commenting on how “fat” her ass looked.

Other notable moments:

Obviously, this was the capital draw here.

Jay came out and performed songs old and new, from aperture with “Empire State of Mind” to accoutrement songs from 4:44, including “Family Feud” and “The Story of O.J.” He additionally did his bisected of “Niggas in Paris,” which agilely affronted me because all I could anticipate was, “Wouldn’t it be nice if Jay and Kanye had secretly fabricated up already and Kanye was here, and afresh Kanye could appear out and do his verse!?” But that did not appear because, as far as I know, that has not happened. There were no big surprises like that during the night, unless you counted all of DJ Khaled’s appropriate guests—which I do not—because they absolutely did “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” afterwards DMX.

In their defense, though, DMX was apparently active with bastille or something.

I was afraid at how aflame I was to see J.Lo. Maybe it was connected all of the earlier, lesser-known acts whose songs I didn’t apperceive that fabricated me all the added beholden that she came out to “I’m Real” in a red, deconstructed hoodie-type onesie with thigh-high, sparkly red boots on and mermaid-long albino hair. I was blessed to see her! She was like an old friend, appropriately still accommodating to go through busy ball routines for you, one added ’gain.

I was additionally abashed to acquisition that not alone did I bethink absolutely a few of the words from “Jenny From the Block,” but I additionally remembered some of the words to “On the Floor,” her aftermost big hit. (Well, actually, I bethink the words to this apology by the Key of Awesome better, to the point area I adopt the apology to the original, but that’s beside the point.)

The alone songs by them I apperceive are “Work From Home” (a song I like) and that daydream song area they name-drop Michelle Obama. They did not sing the Michelle Obama song, thankfully. Watching them additionally fabricated me apprehend that clashing with Destiny’s Child, TLC, En Vogue or any added babe accumulation of my youth, I could not aces any affiliate of Fifth Harmony out of a lineup.

(This isn’t so abundant a bang on them as a bang on me for acutely actuality old.)

I additionally hated their apparel (it’s absolutely adamantine to cull off blush latex).

Smith did an acoustic set that the bodies abaft me talked throughout, badinage that she looked like her brother Jaden. They additionally seemed annoyingly blind that she’d done any music back “Whip My Hair,” which is aloof ... I mean, c’mon. I’m old, and akin I knew that Willow Smith has angled out back her antecedent ache at actuality a adolescent pop star.

But it wasn’t aloof during Willow. These annoying bodies were annoying the accomplished night with their “jokes,” connected bumping into my hair, active annotation and shouting “Where’s Beyoncé?” back Jay-Z was performing.

In a appearance area Jessie Reyez, absolutely foolishly and explicitly, sang about animal aggravation in the ball industry on her clue “Gatekeepers” ...

Where Yo Gotti talked about it “going bottomward in the DMs” ...

Where about every woman assuming did it sans pants (with some notable exceptions, including Princess Nokia—thrower of soups, aboriginal of her name—and Reyez, who both rocked denim) ...

And area Chris Brown—CHRIS BROWN—sang an absolute song about the abridgement of adherence amid “hos,” Pastor McClurkin was there to admonish you about Jesus.

I absolutely account McClurkin for this. If you’re attractive to catechumen sinners, what bigger abode than a Tidal X concert area Chris Brown is performing?

I’m not abundant of a addict of any religion, but McClurkin and his ample abetment choir were memorable and good. Also, McClurkin was there to admonish anybody that this was a affair with a actual audible purpose—helping those in need—which was nice.

As if analysis me audacious at him from area 24, row 18, Chris Brown came out talking about how this night was about positivity. No abrogating vibes. Yada yada. My glaring, of course, meant nothing. Brown has a huge fan base, and they were actual absorbed for his bordering singing, schmedium bangers and absolutely absurd dancing. Akin I, a appreciative hater, can accept that the jerk can put on a show. Hence why it’s so black that his personality is so absolutely trash.

But again, the appearance was for charity, so I sat there and watched, affably adage nothing. I wasn’t the alone one sitting down. But I was the alone one sitting bottomward not singing forth the words to “Loyal.”

You let me down, guy additionally sitting, two rows in advanced of me!

The abracadabra of Stevie Wonder is that in concert, live, he still sounds the aforementioned as he did years ago back he aboriginal recorded abounding of his hits. Unfortunately, this abracadabra was still not acceptable abundant to accomplish me break for all of Wonder’s final set because my man the agreeable ability in all his old age did not booty the date until 1:30 a.m. I was bleary-eyed and starting to accept a—for real—meltdown. I larboard aloof as he was activity into “Superstition”—along with about bisected the audience, who were additionally pooped.

I was so mentally beat and out of it, it took me a acceptable 20 account to acquisition a cab to booty me home because I couldn’t apply on the assignment at hand. My academician kept adage bits like, “We charge to get home afore we aberrate into cartage and get hit by a car,” but my anatomy was like, “Let’s beam at this streetlight for bristles minutes.”

Needless to say, I did, eventually, accomplish it home in one piece, but I agnosticism that I’ll try addition late-night, all-night music fest like Tidal X again. I admired the experience, but akin Stevie Wonder couldn’t accumulate my academician from fracturing into little pieces of woe from exhaustion.

No one can stop that. That’s aloof who I am.

All photos in slideshow by Getty Images for Tidal.

 

 

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