This past weekend, we brought West Coast hip-hop torchbearer Kalan.Frfr to World Famous VIP Records in Long Beach for a headlining show celebrating the lineage and history of West Coast hip hop, presented by FX’s The Drop: The Snowfall Saga.
G-Funk scholars will know, VIP Records isn’t just any old record store – in the late 80’s and early 90’s, owner Kelvin Anderson turned the store’s back room into a music studio that served as a safe house for young kids in the neighborhood to stay out of trouble and expand their creativity. This is the studio where Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Nate Dogg cut their first demo as 213, so the party at VIP Records was a great moment for the community, who showed up!
Lines wrapped around the block, candy-painted lowriders lined the sidewalk, and vintage photos by photographer Mike Miller covered the walls, while South LA and Long Beach staples like Woody’s BBQ and Glizzy Street Dogs handled the food.
Legendary DJ Hed kept the crowd jumping and Ye creative director Andre Troutman stopped by to bring his talkbox mastery to the stage ending with a cover of “California Love”. But Kalan.FrFr was undoubtedly the star of the show – the crowd lit up the second he retired and paid tribute to the past, present and future of West Coast hip-hop.
Watch the replay above, then watch Kalan.FrFr explore the streets of LA in our documentary How LA found its sound and FX’s The Drop: The Snowfall Saga. Now streaming on Hulu.