Review: Despite The Drama, Yams Day Is Still Essential To The Culture
In what appeared to be the darkest part of the Bronx, tons of late teens to early 20-something concertgoers made their way down the maze of an entrance at The New York Expo Center for Yams Day 2018. Once you finally got through that maze, you entered what appeared to be a warehouse, a large empty space.
To the left were food trucks and restrooms, which were actual port-a-potties, directly ahead was the audio visual area and then the crowd that stood in front of a well-lit stage. The atmosphere was similar to an indoor music festival, especially because of the Porta Pottys.
The crowd was mixed, but mainly made up of the young, eager fans who bum rushed the front of the stage. Towards the back you would find a few people who one could assume were working the event. There was a balcony above the stage to the right, which was considered "V.I.P," and backstage could be seen from the crowd.
A$VP Lou, the Mob's hype man, came out onto the stage around 7:50 p.m. and got the party started. Overall, everyone was there in the name of A$AP Yams. Leading up to the start of the show, fans danced in his honor.
California got the show off to a hot start with two of it's own new school rappers. First up was G Perico, followed by A$ton Mathews. Both got the crowd amped for what was to come. After Mathews, New Jersey rapper Retch, a.k.a. Retchy P, performed and had the audience hype. Da$h's performance followed and then a brief A$VP Lou intermission.
Next up was Nav. The Canadian rapper walked out onto the stage while performing his hit "Myself" and the crowd literally roared. He made the whole audience raise their cellphones in the air, the beat dropped and then he went straight into "Wanted You," his song that features Lil Uzi Vert. Lastly, he performed 'Biebs in the Trap,' the song he is featured on with Travis Scott, and everyone loved it.
After Nav's performance, A$VP Lou returned to the stage and asked the DJ on set, DJ Scott, to play some Flaco. Next thing you know, A$AP Rocky came out on stage.
Yes, that music you hear in the background of the above clip is some new A$AP Rocky. The A$AP Mob ring leader got on the mic and mentioned how he was on stage outside of his turn, but said he was only happy to be there. After telling the audience he would "see [us] in a few," A$AP Rocky danced with the crowd to Three 6 Mafia's "Slob On My Knob."
The entire audience pretty much kept on their coats, hats, vests and gloves, so the outdoor vibe was very real in there. Lil' Yachty came out and performed "Ice Tray," which is his new song with Migos, and A$AP chilled out on the stage during Yachty's set. His performance consisted of a lot of bead shaking, but the audience was here for it. His performance continued with his song "I Spy" and then PnB Rock joined him and the two performed "iRun." He finished up with the "Peekaboo" chorus.
Everything changed when Tekashi69 came out to do "Kooda." His music brought on some true party anthem vibes. His performance of "Gummo" was just as lit.
Playboi Carti was also in attendance, and performed his two hits, "Wokeuplikethis*" and "Magnolia," and before you know it, A$AP Rocky was back out on the stage again dancing around as the music played. The lights were bright on stage and throughout the entire duration of the show there was a picture of A$AP Yams where his eyes moved. It was almost as if he was watching everything the entire time.
A$AP Rocky made a heartfelt, brief speech in his memory.
One thing that A$AP Rocky did a great job of doing the whole night was engaging with the audience. He requested a mosh pit a few times, in the front of the stage of course, but then he also went and moshed in the back. In fact, at one point he was on foot while in the audience.
It's clear that A$AP Rocky was having a great time, but unfortunately fun was cut short due to a security issue backstage.
After the moment seen above, the show was paused for a few minutes before all of the concertgoers began charging towards the back to make an exit. A vicious brawl had broken out backstage, where chairs were being thrown. Some confused that sound with gunshots when there weren't actually any, but because of all the disarray, the event was shut down at exactly 10:30 p.m. sharp.
It sucks that the event had to end this way because it was certainly leading up to a good show. It was also highly disappointing considering this was a charity event.
Nonetheless, Yam's Day is certainly 100 percent essential to the culture, so nice try, A$AP Mob.