Hip Hop Concert during the Summer of 1999

Strobe lights and neon green lights, waved in and out of my face like magic wands during the Hot Boys concert in Detroit. It was the summer of 1999 and I was ready for fun. This would be my first hip hop concert in years. That night, one of my good friends in the crowd, vowed to jump the stage and twerk for backstage tickets with some guy from magnolia. I was so hyped, I almost forgot that I was wearing a short dress with some high heels. I had a spiked, 14 inch ponytail, with a china doll bang. When the green light beamed across my face, you could see the glare on my hair from oil sheen and pump it up spritz. My eyebrows were arched and my eyes were accented with eyeshadow. My lip gloss was thick and clear. When the smog cleared, I caught a glimpse of some Hot Boys from magnolia. I knew that it was a step up, but then again I could handle the outsiders from magnolia. The look outs, I call them. Anyhow, after daydreaming about the magnolia boys and admiring some of their gold teeth, bird chest and baggy jeans, the main act started. Suddenly, the stage got dark, a green beam of light like a wand, waved in my face. The crowd got hype and the Hot Boys main act began. The crowd opened their cell phones and flicked their lighters. During the intermission, the Hot Boys had a twerking contest. My good friend jumped on stage with cute jeans on. Next thing I know, she disappeared and the lights dimmed. The smell of marijuana over powered the crowd and blended in with the fog. The green light beamed across my face. Hot sweat evaporated from our bodies, and into the crowd. A guy from the Eastside of Detroit started jitten during the second intermission. I instantly fell in love with his swag, while he danced in the circle. More boys joined him as they took turns doing the native dance of Detroit.

When the intermission was over, the Hot Boys proceeded with the rest of the concert. I was still watching the look outs. Although they were from the Magnolia projects in Louisiana, they would fit right in with the Forest Knoll townhouses and projects I grew up in. I knew if we were ever acquaintance, that they would feel right at home in my neighborhood.

Before I knew it, the concert had come to a end. The Hot Boys were swarmed by beautiful girls. I searched for my friend who disappeared backstage. I found her and went home.

I will never forget the way the green light felt in my face at the Hot Boys concert. When the lights dimmed I knew it was to move the crowd and to hype them. When the lights dimmed and the green lights beamed, it was time to sing along to our so familiar tune “Paper chaser” and “Back that thing up”. The Hot Boys were so famous that elderly people moved the crowd when their music was played. The Hot Boys had erupted from the south and had surfaced world wide. They impacted many cultures and races as a group, with their booty bouncing music that was sure to move the crowd, which included children and the elderly.

I was so honored to attend one of their concerts in 1999. I was so grateful to have gone and witnessed this worthy hip hop group from the south. Most of all, I was honored to witness the dimming of the lights and the flashing of the green lights in my face like a magic wand.