I was just a little excited to make my way over to the Highline Ballroom. This would be my first time seeing T.I. perform live in the flesh. When I arrived I was greeted by huge security guards dressed in black. One guard told people to form one line that stood almost a block long. Street promotion teams stood across the street with Maino and T.I. banners. It reminded me of the Biggie and Bad Boy Banners that the Bad Boy street team use to rally with back in the days.
BubbleShare: Share photos - Craft Supplies
I got into the venue pretty quickly because I had press credentials. I made my way upstairs and asked about the press list. This guy directs me to the press line, I thought he worked at Highline until he asked me, can you get me in too. For a hot minute or more like 20 minutes, I didn't even know if I was going to get in. My name was not on the list. Thank goodness I remembered my contact from Atlantic Records. There was another rep from the record company who took care of everything -- once I said the right names....woosh!
I make my way into the venue with camera in hand and the front of the stage is packed with what appears to be mostly teens and early twenty-somethings. My press pass only gets me to the front of the stage - with no "pit." The pit is a small space in front of the stage usually blocked off for photographers. I walked over to the side of the stage and saw a spot. The teen girls who stood in front of the stage looked like they were ready to fight me if I dared to try and take their spots... I ended up standing next to two young ladies from Queens who said they had arrived at the venue at around 4pm. By this time, it was a quarter to 9 and the show did not start yet.
By 9:15 Hot 97's DJ Cipha Sounds gets on the wheels of steel and starts pumping all of the radio songs... A milli milli - and the crowd goes crazy...we hear Champagne...poppin Champaigne and Lil Wayne's we u we u we - we u we u we - Like a Cop Car.... And Cipher screams, "Where's all my white people at? Where's all my Asian people at? Where's all my Latino people? My Black people make some noise?" "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHh!!!" The crowd scream. Then it's the calling of the boroughs and something new, "Anybody from the Upper East Side?" Of course as always, Brooklyn is IN THE HOUSE.
Angie Martinez is dressed in a pair of fitted jeans and high heeled boots. She walks onto the stage and hypes the crowd up. The first act is Maino, "Hi Hater, Hi Hater, Hi Hater, Hi Hater..."
T.I rocked the stage dirty south style with guest appearances from Jay-Z, Lupe Fiasco and Swiss Beats.
BubbleShare: Share photos - Craft Supplies
