A Fabolous Sunday
Five thousand people packed into The Pool at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City yesterday afternoon and throughout the evening in anticipation for the Brooklyn rapper Fabolous to grace the small stage at the end of the tropical dome.
Diehard fans, admirers, and passersby who were more than willing to pay the fifty dollar general admission fee packed into the dome to see the self acclaimed, but worthy of the title, #YoungOG and his posse #TheFamily.
Although the event sold out during pre-sale and normal admission sales online, there was a slow start as The Pool didn’t start to steadily fill until two to three hours after doors opened at noon.
As five o’clock crept its way around, anticipation for Fabolous, who was flying in from Cincinnati, started to begin. Audience members were beginning to get “turnt” as liquor flowed freely while DJ’s Cipha Sounds and Drewski took to the turn tables. Comically they mixed Drake and Meek Mill tracks, possibly only recognized by few with a sensitive ear and sober mind, but of course playing around with the recent rap beef between the two after Mill’s accusations against Drake for having a ghost writer.
Each DJ played to the crowds needs to hear some of the hottest tracks out from artists like Fetty Wap, Rae Sremmurd, Drake, and more, but surprisingly didn’t play any of Fab’s recent or older tracks. “Wasn’t this #FabolousSunday?”
The crowd became overwhelming and irritable but nonetheless excited as six o’clock rolled around and constant reminders that Fab was in the building boosted through the amplifiers. The crowd was restless as they barked responses at the DJ every time he tired to reassure the crowd that Fabolous was on his way down. “Is he coming or what?” a girl boasted from the crowd.
Seven fifteen p.m. the one and only F-A-B-O-L-O-U-S is ushered into the dome surrounded by security, police officers, bodyguards, along with family, and friends. “Fab is in the building!” runs like electricity through the dome.
His cool and calm demeanor floods the room. Everyone is in aw as he seemingly glides across the small stage only to exit the stage left and quietly take a seat while thousands screamed his name and bottle service rushed toward him.
The crowd is confused; is this a performance or appearance? Fights begin to occur as pushing and shoving become common, tag teamed with the unbearable standing time, along with extreme limited space begin to become bothersome to many.
Finally! Fabolous smoothly and inconspicuously moves to the stage. Meanwhile his entire rowdy team refuses to get off the stage, but Fab never breaks and remains calm and completely grounded. His cool never even showing signs of breaking as he laughs at his young Brooklyn boys while they dance sporadically. Even when peer pressured to join in the overwhelming fun they are having he keeps his composure and slowly does it better than anyone in the group.
The Mic! Space parts like the red sea to emerge one of the greatest of all time (being up since 7:30 a.m. is suddenly completely worth it). He begins with a couple of freestyles “Been Around the World” and “Shook Ones” to be exact.
Mesmerized! Ball Drop, She Wildin’ and Lituation are up next! The crowd takes the mic as they sing each chorus and hit punch lines one after another the dome roars. Girls are picked out of the crowd to dance on podiums while others do anything they can to get the attention of someone who they think is important on stage.
Unfortunately short lived as some type of dispute involving an extremely strong man vs. roughly six security guards who wrestled to make an arrest just next to right stage.
Watching Fab glanced to his right it seemed as if he was moving in slow motion while he disappeared off the stage just as inconspicuously as he entered, and with that a small line was drawn across tiny piece of paper on my bucket list that simply wrote “See Fabolous.”