J.I.D and Smino Shut Down Hollywood Consecutively

J.I.D performing at the Hollywood Palladium, LA by David Anguiano

co-headline tour in hollywood for two sold out nights

Six dates into touring, East Atlanta native J.I.D and North St. Louis’ own Smino, kicked off night one of two of their “Luv is 4ever” tour at the renowned Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California. Announced back in fall of 2022, the two rappers and collaborative members of Zoink Gang, (consisting of themselves and members Buddy and Guapdad 4000) have been co-headlining the tour since mid-January and finally touched down for a night of entertainment to a sold-out crowd.

As I arrived and made my way up the block, I could see the line of fans wrapped around El Centro and Sunset. People were wearily stepping out of line in between red lights and onto the oncoming traffic of Sunset Boulevard, trying to snap a cool shot of the marquee. Celebrating both their albums (The Forever Story and Luv 4 Rent) released within a span of a few days from each other back in October of 2022, the enthusiasm of the fans was eminent and the crowd buzzed up and down the as the doors opened. A press member escorted me into the venue and let me know where I’d be shooting for the night as the floor began to fill with the audience. With almost perfect timing (and probably more of a reflection of my punctuality for the night), SwaVay came out swinging as the opener. I had never seen him perform live before, but SwaVay couldn’t have been any more perfect; the Atlanta artist almost instantly ignited the crowd with his stage presence and energy. High tempo hi-hats and 808s rung deep across the room with SwaVay appropriately hyping up and warming up the crowd. After performing songs from 2022’s Almetha’s Son, SwaVay asked the crowd if they were ready for Smino and concluded his set by leading the chants of Smino’s name with the crowd.

Smino performing at the Hollywood Palladium, LA by David Anguiano

SwaVay was able to give a forecast of the energy for the rest of the night as Smino walked out to chants of his name, rocking a #33 Lower Merion High School Kobe Bryant jersey; appropriately fitting for a night in LA. Smino looked out for his fans and opened what would be about an hour set with a classic and played “KLINK” off of Noir before fast forwarding into his catalogue and playing “Ole Ass Kendrick” from his latest release Luv 4 Rent right after. In the last few shows I’d been lucky enough to shoot, I’ve grown to love and appreciate the fans directly at the front of the crowd. Tonight, I had probably seen some of the most distracting (in a good way) audience members celebrating an artist I hadn’t seen at a concert in a long time and a true testament to the loyal fan base that was rocking the venue tonight for the members of Zoink Gang. Rapping every bar of every verse, the people hugging the rail directly center stage almost made me feel bad for being in front of them. The crowd couldn’t have complimented Smino more, making his set almost feel like a homecoming despite performing on the west coast. After his performance of “Z4L”, another crowd favorite, I made my way out of the pit and enjoyed the show from the left side of the stage. I was back in the crowd enjoying everyone else’s presence at the Palladium which at this point felt like a party. Smino maneuvered through the rest of his set with great crowd control, contradicting the somber feelings of his laid-back humble raps and demeanor on “I Deserve” and immediately switching it up with “Pro Freak”, a song that gave the crowd and especially the women, a party anthem and the best excuse to dance with the likes of special guest and Florida rapper Doechii. 

It was hard to imagine that the night wasn’t over yet and that co-headliner J.I.D still had a whole set to perform and gift his fans. After Smino’s set, the excitement and anticipation was nowhere near diminished. Loyal fans of both artists were essentially eating off of fresh and highly anticipated albums back to back. Soon the time in between held steady by the tour DJ playing songs was over and the stage backdrop set with an infinity symbol comprised of two hearts illuminated to J.I.D’s entrance. Boasting his crowd control as well, J.I.D gradually built up the energy of his set, starting off with “2007”, the closing track of his latest release and immediately digging into “NEVER” off of 2017’s The Never Story. It’s around this time that J.I.D thanked the crowd for coming out, giving his appreciation for everyone supporting him and Smino on their tour. The interpolation of the live band into songs like “Bruddanem” allowed J.I.D to really let the musicianship on stage shine with keytar solos and drum pockets that went hand in hand with his smooth bars all under violet and blue lights.

J.I.D and Smino at the Hollywood Palladium, LA by David Anguiano

Emotional performances like “Kody Blu 31”, an homage to the passing of J.I.D’s grandmother, created a wave of phone lights swaying left to right. Then he shockingly brought out collaborator and Grammy nominated artist James Blake to perform “Sistanem” which features Blake on the chorus. The phones stayed out and I immediately see them go from simple flash to recording Blake, who was a pleasant surprise to see come out live. J.I.D unselfishly shared the stage and let Blake perform “Retrograde” before thanking him for coming out. The set kept firing on all cylinders for fans and went into more aggressive tracks like “151 Rum” off of DiCaprio 2 before J.I.D treated his LA audience to more of his collaborative friends on stage, bringing out EARTHGANG for “Meditate” and performing “Down Bad” with Dreamville artist Bas. I wasn’t sure what direction he would take to conclude his set then I heard DJ Drama’s tag echo throughout the Hollywood Palladium over a crowd that knew exactly what was about drop. That tag sounded intense in a normal setting already but hearing it in a crowded venue felt so much more powerful. The high note ending featured “Stick” off of D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape (a Dreamville mixtape hosted by DJ Drama). To think that these two would repeat this show the next day at the Palladium was impressive. I walked out of the venue with my ears ringing and a bunch of satisfied fans who were still processing what they had just seen. It will be exciting to see just how well Smino and J.I.D will continue to perform and complement each other on the Luv is 4ever tour which will stretch out into late March of 2023. Check out the setlist here!

PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!

PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!