What do you get when you mix a mad amount of humidity, random thundershowers, and a rapper who shows up two hours late for his own event? Big Sean's Block Party Thursday at the Cricket Wireless store near 290 and Mangum, that's what.
The Detroit-based rapper has been celebrating the dropping of his second album, Hall of Fame, by traveling to random cities to throw these block parties for his fans, actually spending time meeting people and posing for pictures and schtuff. In theory anyway, it's a totally in-your-face promotional concept, where fans get to see an artist's more personal side for once. Pretty sweet, right?
Well, sure. However, it's only awesome if his flight isn't delayed and you're not in a parking lot that resembles of a swamp more and more as the minutes pass, thanks to a mixture of heavy rain and the blaring Houston sun. Then it's torture. Unintentional torture, but torture nonetheless. So here's how it went.
3 p.m. Setup for the block party is a bit delayed. The torrential rain and threat of being struck by lightning must have kept the crew from risking their lives to staple up some fancy-schmancy Big Sean posters. We're huddled under a tent trying to keep our hair from frizzing any further, and yet a line of brave fans has already formed outside of the Cricket store. Big Sean must be worth the lightning risk.
3:12 p.m. -- Brave souls are starting to venture out from under the tent, and the line for the meet-and-greet has tripled in just a few minutes flat. Big Sean is a popular dude. There's a snow-cone truck, and that's freaking rad. I'm still under the tent.
3:38 p.m. No sign of Big Sean, there's a rap battle courtesy of J-Mac from 97.9 The Box and an overzealous fan, and it's pretty awesome. Maybe if Big Sean doesn't show, J-Mac can be a stand-in. I dig him. Oh, and the dude he's battling against wins a phone. Also awesome.
3:52 p.m. They're playing Ca$h Out, there's free pizza from Papa John's, and still no sign of Big Sean. The meet-and-greet line is long as hell, but some of the more daring fans are venturing over to the block-party area. Wise, I think. Also, fuck this, I'm getting a snow-cone.
The wait continues on the next page.
