Hopsin
March 18, 2016
The Novo- Los Angeles, CA
For Hopsin, 2016 had a bitter beginning; For those who don’t know, he officially left his label Funk Volume due to ongoing issues with his now ex-business partner, Damien Ritter. After founding the label, being with it for so many years, and having much success from it, it was unfortunate to see it come to a horrible end, but Hopsin didn’t let that stop him from coming back. And when he came back, it was stronger than ever before, under his new label, Undercover Prodigy. He brought his Hop Solo Tour to Los Angeles, CA to the Novo Theater, selling more tickets in one night than he had ever before in his career, and if that’s not a great way to start a new chapter in his musical career, then I don’t know what is. Also, we should mention that tickets to this show were a mere 10 dollars! People pay more money to see local musicians, so it was a really great thank you to the fans for the show to be so affordable.
A whopping 2,200 people squeezed into the venue, all of different ages and ethnicities; It isn’t often that an artist can bring out so many different types of fans and unite them, like Hopsin does. Some ever sported his signature contact lenses, which Hopsin had mentioned that he was going to be stepping away from. It was time for a new chapter, and fans were extremely excited to be apart of it.
At around 11:30pm, J Cruz from the Power 106 morning show stepped out on stage to introduce the one and only Hopsin. Cheers echoed throughout the room as the notes on the keys played to The Fiends Are Knocking from Knock Madness. Hopsin walked on stage with a smile on his face and instantly had the crowd waving their hands in the air, in sync with him. What was great and new about this show was that Hopsin had an entire backing band behind him, including keys/synths, drums, guitar and bass.
By the fifth song, I Just Can’t, Hopsin had a bunch of his friends come out on stage and dance alongside as he rapped the lyrics. The song had the crowd jumping and vibing along, and Hopsin quickly brought the tempo down with a new rendition of his most popular song to date, Ill Mind of Hopsin 5. He held his microphone out as the entire crowd sang the song for him, with him chipping in with words every now and then. The song was powered with the live instruments, especially the keyboards which held the main tune of the song, which made for a great new twist to a popular song. The song was followed by Ill Mind of Hopsin 7, which Hopsin sat in a stool for. He looked down as he rapped the religion fueled song that one could clearly see meant a lot to him.
Following Ill Mind Of Hopsin 7, Hopsin quickly brought up the crowd excitement with Crown Me, one of the best songs performed of the night. The entire floor area was jumping up and down with Hopsin. He didn’t waste much time until jumping off the stage and standing on the barricade. He then jumped into the crowd and crowd surfed from the left side of the pit to the right. He had the crowd pick him up and rapped as the crowd held him up by his feet. It was definitely one of the most energy fueled songs of the night and it was followed by yet another exciting song.
As Hopsin jumped back on stage at the end of the song, the crowd began chanting “Fuck Dame, Fuck Dame,” who is Hopsin’s ex business partner that had cheated him out of royalties and told him he didn’t work hard. And of course with that, Hopsin performed Ill Mind of Hopsin 8, his diss track to his ex-business partner. Literally everyone in the audience rapped alongside Hopsin and really felt his anger through the lyrics. The song was released just a little over a week before this show so it was quite a scene to see how everyone knew the lyrics verbatim. It just goes to show how loyal Hopsin’s fan base is, and how they will stick with him through thick and thin.
After leaving the stage following Ill Mind of Hopsin 8, the crowd started chanting for more. Hopsin didn’t have them wait long for an encore, and quickly came out to his set closer, Sag My Pants. As the song ended he thanked the fans, jumped off stage one more time and went alongside the barricade, shaking people’s hands and thanking them up close and personal.
All the questions and concerns about Hopsin and what he would do without Funk Volume have been officially put to rest after this show in Los Angeles. He not only doubled his previous attendance numbers, but with a live band that added a whole new element to his show and the dedicated fanbase, it is no question Hopsin will be receiving more success now, than ever. We expect big things from Hopsin in the years to come and if you want to see a rapper who doesn’t rap about the cliche topics like girls, drugs and money, check Hopsin out, as he is something hip hop desperately needs.
Review by: Nicole Lemberg
