Rae Sremmurd
9/2/15
The Observatory
Rae Sremmurd might not be the most talented rap duo out there right now. They probably won't go down in history for their musical accomplishments. If you're talking young rap groups, they certainly have nothing on Migos or just about any element of Odd Future.
That said, Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi know how to party, and they absolutely brought the party to the Observatory in Santa Ana on Wednesday night.
The Atlanta-based duo took the stage after an extended introduction from their DJ and immediately riled the young crowd up with their hit “No Flex Zone.” By the time the two were halfway through the next song, “Illest Walking,” the tone had already been set for the night.
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For the next hour, the Observatory became a smoke-filled college party. An endless stream of catchy hip-hop bumped out of speakers, while a sweat-drenched crowd of university-aged fans waved their arms and bounced their hips, loosely in time with the music. Everything from water to champagne was sprayed into the crowd, and at least one out of every few songs was dedicated to the smokers in the building.
Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi then broke into “My X” after asking everyone if they were “shinin' on” their exes, bringing the excitable audience to a roar once again before continuing into “YNO” and a new track as the set neared its midpoint.
The highlight of the night was probably the duo leading a “Fuck Donald Trump” chant as the intro into their single “Up Like Trump” and then closing out the first half of their hour-long performance with “Unlock the Swag.” A friend of the group then performed a song as Rae Sremmurd left the stage, before returning by performing their portion of Ty Dolla $ign's “Blasé” to an even more amped up (and inebriated) crowd than they'd left.
Leading up to the night's grand finale, the energetic duo (who were now both shirtless) ran through “Burn Slow” and brought out Mike Will Made It (but not Future, unfortunately) for “Drinks On Us.”
To close out the night, Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi left the crowd in an absolute frenzy by leading their fans through powerful performances of “This Could Be Us,” “Throw Sum Mo'” (which led to more than a few girls in the audience dancing on ledges and a handful of guys throwing small bills into the crowd) and “No Type” to close out the night.
If you're looking for the best and brightest of the next generation of music, there's really not much reason to go to a Rae Sremmurd show at this point (they're both young enough that things could change). If you want to have a great time and have “No Flex Zone” or “This Could Be Us” stuck in your head for days, you really shouldn't miss one of their performances.
Awful Quote of the Night
“Dude, they're like the N.W.A. of our time. Swae Lee is like Eazy-E. The DJ or whatever is like Dre. And Slim Jxmmi is like the other guy.” Damn you, Straight Outta Compton.
See also
10 Punk Albums to Listen to Before You Die
10 Goriest Album Covers
10 Most Satanic Metal Bands
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Josh Chesler used to play baseball for some pretty cool teams, but now he just writes about awesome stuff like tattoos, music, MMA and sneakers. He enjoys injuring himself by skateboarding, training for fights, and playing musical instruments in his off time.