Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Swings live in Los Angeles was more than I was prepared for. I WAS NOT READY! No, really. And in reality, I don’t think anyone was.
Way back on December 17th, Club Bound LA was surprisingly packed for the controversial rapper. By midnight it was wall to wall drunk partiers grinding on the dance floor, booths full of groups of people who shelled out heavy cash to see this dude spit rhymes live. He’d never performed in LA before, and given that, honestly I was really surprised that he chose to do so.
The openers walked out and I was suddenly excited as Justin Park stepped up on stage. He’s got that type of buttery voice that makes you want to question reality and devote your life to it. He sang a track and brought on Demie, who then proceeded to spit flames to a crowd who was beyond ready to get turnt.
They stepped off stage and the MC barked into the mic, “WHO’S READY FOR SWINGS?!?!?!” The crowd went nuts. Talking like “hold my camera I’m about to get slammed into the speakers” nuts.
Swings then stepped out on stage in his VLONE designer ensemble, looking like a cross between dock worker and gangsta, and he greeted the crowd. He talked about how it’d been 20 years since he’d spoken fluent English, and dude seemed shy and embarrassed as he hesitated over his words even though he spoke it pretty damned perfectly. He said he was so excited to finally be in LA and finally realize he had international fans. Apparently he was unaware. He talked about West Coast hip-hop shaping his life and immediately started spittin rhymes.
Swings’ flow was impeccable, and he didn’t stop; didn’t give anyone a chance to breathe as he rolled through a mix of classic Linchpin hits and newer mixtape tracks. “Bulldozer” rammed through the speakers as he went around high-fiving girls and fist-bumping guys. At one point, he stopped at the VIP section, which is right up against the stage. A girl reached out for a hug and he did one better: He kissed her. Did he know her? Who knows, but damn he laid it all out before he went back to face the screeching crowd.
Swings popped off a few more tracks before he stopped to thank the crowd for giving him this opportunity. He said LA women were the most beautiful and asked how many were single. A sudden sea of hands flew up and he chuckled, “Half of y’all ain’t single.” Swings followed by declaring, “If you single, get at me. I’ll be in the back getting drunk.” He then stepped off stage and the DJ took over.
After seeing him live, with his ego and swagger directly clashing with his shyness and humbleness, I realized that yeah I definitely want to see him again. In fact, I hope Just Music brings the whole damned crew out. They’re trickling out here, but I want a full record label concert!
Swings said on Instagram Live that he’s indeed coming back to LA, but with other label members … so Black Nut and Giriboy are coming to town! Is this it?! Make it happen!
