On Friday night (June 28), The BET Experience Concert Series returned to the West Coast. L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena hosted a bevy of superstars, including Cardi B, Gunna, Sexxy Red, and Davido. With The BET Awards kicking off Sunday night (June 30), the iconic Black network aimed to leave an indelible impression on concert-goers and skeptics, considering this was the first BET Experience in four years.
After burgeoning singer Jordan Ward brought the R&B vibes to open up the nearly six-hour long marathon, Sexxy Red cranked the intensity with a category-five caliber performance. With a SexxyRed4President.com plastered on the big screen, Big Sexxy strolled onto the stage with “Bow Bow Bow” reverberating through the speakers. She, along with her ravenous fanbase, taunted the men in the crowd as they howled “F— My Baby Daddy” in unison, giving Sexxy the extra jolt of confidence she needed.
Sexxy raced through her newest project, In Sexxy We Trust, ripping through B-sides like “Fake Jammin” and “Boss Me Up.” Her performance peaked when she captivated the crowd during a four-song stretch of “Rich Baby Daddy,” “Skee Yee,” “Get It Sexyy,” and her breakout record “Pound Town.” Littered with catchy ad-libs and eye-popping twerks, Sexxy’s performance proves why she’s one of the hottest female rappers today.
It was Davido’s turn shortly after, and his mission was clear: Take everyone to The Motherland. The Afrobeats superstar shifted the raucous energy with a jazzy live band and his crew of break dancers. The triumphant production was the catalyst in bringing Davido’s set to life as he skated through his biggest hits like “If,” “Fall,” “Risky,” and “Unavailable.” He also veered into some of his features, most notably Chris Brown’s “Sensational,” which added more flare to his high-octane set.
Up next to bat was Gunna. Fresh off The Bittersweet Tour, he showed little rust. Opening his set with “one of wun,” Gunna, sporting a bejeweled jean jacket and shorts, was dialed in, looking to woo fans with cuts from his latest album. Though he spoon-fed songs like “whatsapp” and “prada dem,” he shifted into the deep cuts, tapping Leon Bridges to join him for a performance of “clear my rain.” Gunna didn’t stop there, as he tagged in IDK for their new collaboration, “TiFFANY,” before delving back into his vintage hits. He satiated the hunger pangs of his day-one supporters, revisiting songs like “Dollaz on My Head” and “Top Off.” He also peppered his set with songs for the ladies, rapping “Banking on Me” and “P Power,” to much of their delight.
As he commanded the crowd, Gunna leaned on his cheat code to seal the deal. “Drip Too Hard,” “Pushin P,” and the YSL heater “Hot” sans Young Thug perked everyone’s ears and revved up Gunna as he pressed the right buttons during those prime moments. To punctuate his performance, Gunna wrapped things up with his newly-minted classic, “fukumean,” before setting the stage for the night’s final performer, Cardi B.
Appearing at nearly midnight, Cardi brought a laundry bag of hits and humor to the L.A. crowd. Donning a custom-made football jersey emblazoned with the No. 11, the Bronx bombshell used Friday night’s performance to show us what a potential Cardi Tour would like. The “Cardi Party” was fun. Her signature wit and grit shined through as she sprinted with avidity through her 2018 opus, Invasion of Privacy. Though the project remains her lone gold star on the album front, it still holds, as proven by the roars on songs like “Get Up 10” and “Bartier Cardi.”
Though Cardi’s headlining set was under 40 minutes, she applied pressure once she wrangled in her features. Arguably one of the best feature artists of all time, Cardi went inside a time chamber and revisited verses from G-Eazy’s “No Limit,” Blueface’s “Thotiana,” GloRilla’s “Tomorrow 2” and more. And when Cardi wasn’t enjoying her hellacious features run, she ran up the scoreboard with her solo hits with “I Like It,” “Up,” and the steamy “WAP,” which found her spilling water on herself. Though she joked about being winded and needing a quick breather, she pushed through and stamped her New York swagger on the West Coast by closing out her set with “Bodak Yellow.”
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