The Forest Hills Drive Tour made one of its 28 US stops in Pittsburgh on July 30th at the First Niagara Pavilion. The lineup included YG, Jeremih, Big Sean, and J. Cole—in that order.
With the huge lineup of Pittsburgh summer concerts, I never imagined that this tour would be this explosive. Assuming that this concert opportunity would be overshadowed by Jill Scott, Wiz Khalifa and Nicki Minaj, I was sadly mistaken.
Cole fans came out in masses. Despite one minor fight, I did not see any drunk women being dragged to medical safety and the air was not saturated with marijuana. The Forest Hills Drive Tour seemed to promote calmness and an overall genuine appreciation of good hip-hop.
YG kicked off the show in his night clothes: a plain red t-shirt, high white tube socks and athletic shorts. From the media pit (and I was close), it took me a couple minutes to delineate the Compton rap superstar from his hype men. I guess it’s West Coast swag.
He performed my jams though! You can never go wrong with “My Hitta” and “Who Do You Love?”.
Jeremih and his dancers were forgetful. As harsh as it sounds, most were getting overpriced chicken tenders, walking around aimlessly, or stuck in 376 traffic debating if the trip is worth it. There was an identifiable disconnect while Jeremih performed.
Ariana Grande’s former sugar daddy gets the award for the most creative set. Big Sean’s set included a block in Paradise, which consisted of a Paradise Liquor Store and Mt. Paradise Baptist Church. The set was very animated, colorful, and closely connected the story he was telling through song.
Rightfully so, Big Sean performed his two biggest hits, “Blessings” and “I Don’t F**k With You”, from his 2015 album, “Dark Sky Paradise”.
“I got love for Pittsburgh straight up,” said Big Sean repeatedly.
Cole rounded out the evening by performing every single song off of his latest album. That decision and execution was nothing short of incredible.
“2014 Forest Hills Drive” is the first hip-hop album to go platinum without a single feature since 1989. With little radio play and no single release prior to the album’s December 2014 release, Cole managed to hit one-million sold mark back in March.
Poor J. Cole told us his whole life story. It was so hot that I just wanted him to rap. But, he had something else mind. From the superficiality of Hollywood to slinging mixtapes on Myspace, Cole took the time out to share some of his most trivial stories and experiences with us.
“We hate TMZ” was just one of the many phrases that stuck out during Cole’s set. The North Carolina rapper had a lot to say at Thursday’s show. What I will admit, is that despite my shade about his talkativeness, the crowd seemed to eat up every single word.
Up next, Nicki Minaj and her Philly beau Meek Mill as they headline the Pinkprint Tour. I don’t know if “headline” is the best word to use after the Drake and Meek Mill beef emerged. Despite the disses, I’m welcoming the tour with open arms to the Pittsburgh area.
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