Luv is “4ever”. Luv is “4rent”. Nothing was given but luv on the Los Angeles stop on Smino and JID’s conjoint Luv Is 4ever tour at the Hollywood Palladium.
Mr. Smino di grigio, a.k.a Smino Populous, the poet laureate of St. Louis, is an artist whose music catalog is retrospectively defined by an ever-loving fan base as “music for the vibers”. Smino’s arsenal of chill, melodic and seductive raps, and “ratchet romance” filled concoctions heavily defy a particular energy associated with family kickbacks and no problems in sight. With music highly associated with sensual evenings, Sminos’ live performance after years without touring fulfilled every expectation and more.
At the show, an eclectic energy filled the air, accompanied by good company on and off stage, blunts lighting the darkened crowd, and a setlist showcasing Smino’s very best from the latest album to his first LP blkswn. “Luv” was the main ingredient in the night’s recipe for wonderful memories as the main man himself took the time to show love to all his bandmates as well as shout out the attendees who came with their best friends and/ or partners.
With the passionate yet subdued mood from Smino’s performance shaking throughout the venue, JID followed suit with a powerful set to balance the crowd from calm to jumping. Where Smino was more low-key in certain elements, JID immediately came through with an urgency that balanced out the energies.
One aspect that was surprising for Smino’s set was the lack of guests featured on stage. With many creative colleagues being nearby in L.A., it was a bit of a shock to only have one featured present. Grant it, the crowd was blessed with a verse by Swamp Princess Doechii.
JID’s set made up for this element by bringing out not only fellow Dreamville cohorts Earthgang and BAS, but surprisingly he brought out the least expected featured artist James Blake for a live performance of “Retrograde”.
Before both, the crowd was properly warmed up by an underrated rapper known as Swavay, who is also based in Atlanta. Swavay has been on the come-up since appearing on the Into The Spiderverse soundtrack, collaborating with major names such as James Blake and Metro Boomin and achieving a deal with Def Jam records. Swavay’s energy in his performance was enough to get the crowd active and garner some new fans.
The Luv Is 4ever tour is one of the most worthwhile live experiences currently happening and fans can expect nothing but a whole lotta love from the performance.
