Photo by Marco Torres
Fool's Gold Day Off
With Trick Daddy, A-Trak, Danny Brown, and others
Mana Wynwood, Miami
Sunday, December 8, 2013
They called it a Day Off, but that shit was lasted from early in the afternoon till way after dark.
The insta-midnight feel inside Mana Wynwood's warehouse setting helped dancers forget the sun was beating down on sad souls outside. And thus, we raged harder than any regular day party ever could.
As is the current trend, there was more hip-hop vibes than longtime Fool's Gold fans may have expected, but we here at Crossfade were definitely pleased. A surprise guest appearance from Danny Brown made our night, and of course, the 305's legendary Trick Daddy reminded us that "we do our own shit," and Miami still runs the scene.
We arrived unfashionably early as doors opened at 2 pm. We were right there in line with all the anxious under-agers and about 20 bros who came out with aspiring local rapper Eskeerdo, all of whom were decked out in the same white tanks and shirts with his face all featureless and Aoki-fied.
Photo by: Marco Torres
Once inside the hulking venue, we were treated to local bass fiend Damaged Goods opening the floor. He wasn't holding back, giving us a heavy dose of festival-ready hardstyle from the onset. All the babies were loving it, though we could do without that kind of skull-bashing monotony.
As it would turn out, Damaged Goods was one of the most EDM-friendly sets of the whole shebang. He was followed by the mysterious Eskeerdo, who delivered a set with lyrics like "all y'all rappers sound the same," while managing to sound pretty much like anything else himself. We will give it to him that his marketing game is great, but if he spent more time curating a voice than waving his face around on things, we'd appreciate it.
Fool's Gold co-founder Nick Catchdubs broke it down for a quick set, bringing lots of trill trap shit including Young Scooter and some sexy Jeremih moves. A-Trak made his appearance on stage to hype up the crowd and give a special introduction to this boy from Atlana. He said he was the future, someone he'd been holed up with in the studio, and then he brought out Young Thug.
Photo by: Marco Torres
We know the trappin' youth as a "Stoner" and we lol'd right along to "Danny Glover." Like, who doesn't fux with Lethal Weapon? With A-Trak's blessing, this kid must be destined for more hit-making greatness. Get ready.
Anyone hoping for less hip-hop and more four-on-the-floor was sadface when Young Thug made room on the stage for Brenmar. The New York-based producer/DJ loves dem street gangster beats, and he was slangin' 'em like dope bags. After a quick 3-minute DJ break, Brenmar gave way to Travi$ Scott.
Yet another rapper, Scott had plenty of energy left over from Basel Castle the day before, although this may have been a crowd less suited to his style. He came wildin' out on "Quintana" and tried to keep the crowd hyphy despite their apparent confusion. He finished with "Upper Echelon" before giving the kids what they wanted.
Photo by: Marco Torres
"Flosstradamus" the voice said, and the guys came out reppin' that hoodie gang, demanding the lights get cut and having it their way. We've seen Floss about a million times, or at least more than ten, and we were interested to see Josh Young make his way to the front of the stage over and over again, like some kind of hypeman MC that doesn't actually freestyle.
Of all Sunday's sets, Floss were the most turnt up. Beach balls were flying, dancers were throwin' bows, honestly - we thought we might get a head injury. It's understandable their hometown of Chi won't allow them to do any more free shows. Riot gear is a must.
They played for about an hour, the first full set of the night. A-Trak was up next, and he wasn't turnin' down for nothin'. Immediately, he started cutting the tracks and jockeying those beats like only a guy crowned world's greatest DJ at 14 can. This being his trick and pony show, we were treated to some very rare routines. He'd jump up on the decks, crowd surf, and throw t-shirts between moments of musical illness. When he strayed too far from the decks, his big brother Dave 1 of Chromeo fame was right there to check the sets.
Photo by: Marco Torres
A-Trak was killin em so hard, Josh Young of Floss came back out to share a blunt with the audience. Wish we could have hit that joint, but we you know we had our own. The stage was a bloody mess when he left the decks smokin'. He took the mic and announced the next very special surprise guest, droppin' hints like "Mr. Adderall" and all this. Shit, you know we knew it was Danny Brown.
We'd been praying for it all week, knowing he was in town for d/l Basel engagements. He came out flagrant in red leather pants, rappin' that bass-heavy Old shit in his classic cartoon cadence. Again, we're not sure if the raving masses were all ready for the molly-rap antics, but wait a year, and they'll all be asking for that old Danny Brown.
He merked the thirty-minute and finished with some "Dip." Nick Catchdubs followed with another street-rap heavy set. It was all "Versace" this and "Rooster in my Rari" that. So much Yeezus tracks, there was no room to forget the Fool's Gold to G.O.O.D. Music connection.
Photo by: Marco Torres
With thirty minutes left on the clock until the early 8 p.m. curtain call, there was room for but one more massive headliner. It was the man, the myth, the mayor: Trick Daddy Dollars.
He came out repping DJ Khaled and our city on "Take it to the Hood." He didn't "Wait One Minute" to fo into his mind-blowing stream of hits. From "Let's Go," to "In Da Wind," "Nann Nigga," "Thug Holiday," and more, he just kept bringing it.
"How much time we have left?" Trick would ask, his buddy chiming in with the "we got hits for days."
He gave us some "Sugar." He helped us "Take it to the House," and you can "Bet That" the place was going nuts. He took a moment to get loud on the mic and remind the heads in the building that Miami is the city that runs things. New Yorkers be using our slang, coppin' our moves, bangin' our beats. Fool's Gold knows what's up, and with hip-hop on the menu, Miami is perched to keep runnin' things.
Trick closed it out with energy and sent the youngins packin' up to be their parents problem. A-Trak got on stage to say something about "thank you Miami," but we were already out the door and planning our official Art Basel wind down. "Day Off" my ass, Fool's Gold.
Follow Kat Bein on Twitter @KatSaysKill.
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