The inaugural Yams Day got off to an inauspicious start, as a shortage of security guards led to a bottleneck at the entrance to Manhattan's Terminal 5, thus forcing thousands of eager fans to wait outside the venue for an hour or more, in a temperature that can only be described as cold-as-balls.
The line outside Terminal 5 was monumentally long, but the mood was upbeat. This was a celebration of the life and legacy of A$AP Yams. These concertgoers had flocked from as far as Delaware and Massachusetts because they sensed that something special was happening. Citizens of the line made fast friends, huddling for warmth and discussing which acts they were most looking forward to see perform. Due to the excessively long nature of the line, many feared they would miss their favorite acts.
The HotNewHipHop 1-man team finally made it inside Terminal 5 during A-Trak's DJ set, which means it missed performances from Da$h, Retch, Joey Fatts, Bodega Bamz, Action Bronson, Prodigy of Mobb Deep, and a host of others. Pro Era, Lil Uzi Vert, Flatbush Zombies, & A$AP Mob had yet to perform.
Sitting front and center on-stage was a couch styled after one of Yams' trademark Coogi sweaters. Flanking the couch were two DJ tables that propped up electronic signs reading “Always Strive and Prosper” and “Rest in Peace Yams." The massive LED screen in the back featured an incredible variety of Yams tribute art -- Coogi sweater style patterns, a still image of Yams riding a unicorn, a moving image of Yams riding another unicorn and galloping across a field of psychedelic pink lava. Headband Yams, shirtless Yams, fitted cap Yams; all iterations of Yams would be honored this night.
Pro Era
With his trusty DJ Statik Selektah manning the 1s and 2s, Joey Bada$$ took the stage rocking a pair of formidable combat boots and proceeded to get Terminal 5 lit with "Paper Trail$," "Big Dusty," & "Christ Conscious," three of the best songs on B4.Da.$$. Joey ordered the crowd to “open up the mosh pit." Suddenly, the rest of Pro Era materialized behind him, crouching like some swagged-out orcs wearing ripped jeans and hats with the brim pulled low.
Now that Pro Era had assembled, they launched into posse cut "Hail Razor." The rappers of Pro Era played off each other well, with entertaining call-and-responses and an overall group energy that is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
Kirk Knight and Nyck Caution each rocked their own feature track before bringing back the rest of the crew for a Capital Steez tribute track.
Before Pro Era began its final song of the set, Joey Bada$$ delivered a message to the crowd: "I want a zoo. I want madness!! I want the left side of the crowd surfing on top of the right side!!!!"
Statik dropped the beat for "Survival Tactics." The rappers of Pro Era bellowed at the crowd in unison, which is not to say they rapped with equal amounts of swag. The most impressive Pro Era performer was, by far, Joey Bada$$. All eyes were on Joey, snarling, beating his chest, stomping across the stage in his combat boots. He had absolute command of the crowd, as he had the moment he walked out on-stage. Pro Era has no shortage of capable emcees, but Joey is the crew's only true star.
Lil Uzi Vert & Flatbush Zombies
A$AP Lou and J. Scott, known together as the Cozy Boys, took the stage to do their duties as hosts/hype men for the evening's proceedings. Rocking Air Max 90 Infrareds, sweats, and a black bathrobe with "Cozy Boys" embroidered in gold across its back, Lou adhered to the Rocky-mandated Yams Day dress code more than anyone else. Between sets, a dude who had stood next to the HNHH team outside in line and rubbed his hair on a cute girl's fur coat for warmth now warmed up the crowd until Lou introduced the next performer of the evening: Lil Uzi Vert.
Uzi walked to the prow of the stage with a sashaying type of swagger. He wore green dreads, a long red Margiela scarf, and leather pants with a gratuitous amount of zippers. The crowd was definitely feeling it as Uzi kicked things off with Young Thug collab "Big Racks," "All My Chains" & "Super Saiyan Trunks." Even the security guard wearing batting gloves and facing away from the stage couldn't help but not along. Uzi's set was short, sweet, and climaxed with its final song, Carnage's massive "WDYW." This was the most lit moment of the entire night.
"WDYW" proved a tough act to follow for the Flatbush Zombies. But they more rose to the occasion. Zombie Juice made his stage entrance by somersaulting over the Coogi couch. He introduced his Flatbush bros to the crowd as the “ass-groping undisputed champions of the world" and invited Erick Arc Elliot and Meechy Darko to join him and A$AP Lou on stage to rage.
Each of the Zombies brought something different to the table. Elliot's voice translated the best to live performance, Meechy was the most rambunctious, and Zombie Juice had the most swag, as he mostly stood there twirling his turquoise Hasidic braids/devil horns. Though the Zombies' set was even shorter than Uzi Vert's, they raised the pants/shoes bar that was set very high that night.
A$AP Mob
The warmest reception came immediately before A$AP Mob took the stage, when A$AP Lou brought out Yams family. Yams' mother's heartfelt message -- “Please remember to always try and prosper" -- cued "Yamborghini High" to drop and the arrival of the Mob.
Approximately 100 people flooded onto the stage, led by A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg. Rocky wore a simple hoodie and sweats, Ferg wore a puffy yellow coat (not to be confused with the puffy yellow coat he wore in this video). They were equals at first, rapping side-by-side front and center. But while A$AP freelance around the stage over the course of the set, giving other members of A$AP Mob a chance to hop in the spotlight, Ferg never once stopped working the crowd. He was magnificent -- the most charismatic performer of the night other than Joey B.
Uzi briefly reappeared, and French Montana joined Ferg and co. on stage for a predictably turnt up rendition of the "Work" remix, as well as a heartfelt rendition of "Off the Rip."
Even the girls leaning on their crutches lost their shit when they heard the "Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye" beat drop. Despite rumors that all seven rappers who spit verses on "1 Train" would reunite, Big K.R.I.T., Yelawolf, Kendrick Lamar, & even Action Bronson were absent. Bada$$ and Danny Brown reprised their "1 Train" roles, and as two of the best live rappers in the game, they did not disappoint.
With only a few minutes left until midnight, the show's pre-determined end-point, Rocky really didn't want to leave the stage. He left the audience with some inspirational words and promises that next year would be even better. “If 2015 was your last year of being broke and you got some positive ambition coming your way, make some fucking noise!!!!” After the crowd settled down, he let them know -- "Next year, we'll have a much bigger venue."
With a capacity of 3,000, Terminal 5 provided a setting intimate enough for the concertgoers and performers to properly remember A$AP Yams as a group. Next year, when Yams Day goes down at Madison Square Garden, or at MetLife Stadium, or wherever demand for tickets can be met, the emotional closeness of the inaugural show at Terminal 5 won't be so present, but the spirit of Yams will continue to grow.
#YamsDay speech from A$AP Yams' mother pic.twitter.com/AzORNA8JF7