Photos by Khammy Phanthavong

Words by Ryan Reyes

The night started with sets from R.O.Z. and his fellow EMB microphone fiends Big Lean and Teddy T, who provided a piff-tastic soundtrack while the crowd settled in.

The settlement was brought to a close when Pusha started his set. Moving from his verse on the “I Don’t Like” remix to The Clipse classic “Grindin’ ” then to the Birdman-fronted “What Happened To That Boy,” Pusha’s beginning was explosive. The crowd was clearly not ready for such a strong opening sequence. Midway during his set, which somehow maintained the bar-setting momentum of the opening, Pusha stated “I went to Hawaii for one month to record and when I came back home I was signed to G.O.O.D. Music.” Right on cue were G.O.O.D. bangers “Runaway”, “New God Flow” and “Lamborghini Mercy.” He’s been with G.O.O.D. for a relatively short time, but he’s already made quite a name for himself. Appropriately, before he relinquished the stage to Fab, he promoted his upcoming album My Name Is My Name, which drops on July 16th.

Fabolous’s backing band made adjustments during a short intermission. Yes, Fab plays with a band. But you knew that already – back to Winnipeg. Taking the Pusha-T route, Fab also started things off with a sequence of strong classics :“Holla Back”, “Superwoman” and “Breathe”. In response, ladies screamed, people banged on club windows (that were 9 feet off the ground) and guys in the front row gleefully swung their chains. Fun times. Fab then brought out Pusha for their aptly titled tour track “The Life is So Exciting,” from Fab’s Soul Tape 2. This track perfectly highlights why this tour works: Pusha’s signature snarling delivery perfectly compliments Fab’s laid-black flow.

The set continued with “Imma Do It” (remember his line “My attitude is celibate. I don’t give a f*ck!”?), “Everything, Everyday, Everywhere” featuring Keri Hilson and the Ryan Leslie-produced “You Be Killin Em”. The live drums really brought some of the songs to life: “You Be Killin Em” was one of them. Fabo ended the night with his single “Ready” from his upcoming album Loso’s Way 2: Rise to Power.

All in all, it was a fantastic night. It was very apparent why Fab and Pusha-T have had such long and productive careers. Hopefully, their two upcoming projects will extend that legacy.

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