Rae Sremmurd
The Observatory
11/16/2016
Rae Sremmurd is sitting on top of the world as you read this. Less than 48 hours ago, the Mississippi duo assumed legendary status as their latest hit “Black Beatles” hit #1 on the Billboard charts. Like virtually every success though, their accolade was met with hate from an inconsequential opposition that took the internet by storm, giving the Joe Biden memery with which we’ve been immersed a run for its money. Rae Sremm’s Slim Jxmmi spent a solid portion of his afternoon trolling Ebro of Hot 97 and Beats 1 Radio fame.
The radio DJ was among the most vocal of Rae Sremmurd’s stand atop the the most popular music in the world. Thankfully for us in and surrounding the OC we could see the group blow off some of that steam Tuesday night. They must've been anxious since they started their set earlier than expected. As we entered the venue, the banger “Unlock the Swag” blasted off as crowd started moshing and jumping like the stars of the upcoming #MannequinChallenge. Patrons packed the venue from the stage back to within steps from the bar. Arms raised in the venue like an underhanded arithmetic question tossed to a class of overachievers. Fuck was it packed!
The plunge toward the pit where the best iPhone pics could be taken began and again, a battle ensued. Teens brimmed out of the tiered standing room allowing some to enter as those not raucous enough to last in the sauna of a showroom ejected themselves. So close yet so far was the pit
“No Type” ramped up the crowd as if it’d just come out. The two did hardly any talking throughout the set and elicited the biggest response from the crowd early on when Jxmmi threw on his now trademark long-haired yellow shawl that was likely once Big Bird’s goto piece.
Spots in the pit began opening up. This was our shot! We rushed the pit and within seconds there we were parlaying the with dedicated fans, sweating as profusely as they, though there for less than a song’s time. Teeming with anxiety and feeling the effects of the Henny, the pit was our oyster and we ravaged the area as much as possible with the three songs remaining the into world-famous duo’s set.
Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee had strict directions for us: “Stand still and when the beat drop, go fucking crazy!” Simple enough. “Black Beatles” started and the crowd stood petrified save for some Snapchatters trying to make the moment one of theirs. The beat dropped and soon we were basking in the greatness of the country’s number one song. Our posing in the mannequin challenge was more like us being cemented in the history books. SremmLife did that! We yanked and shoved one last time on the pit floor trying to reach a full catharsis.
And in the event we left out still stiff and tense, the cool couple from Tupelo encouraged us to stretch it out as they ended on “Do Yoga”.
I listen to music. I write about it. I like hot sauce on my chicken.