Big Boy's Block Party

**Big Boy's Block Party** is an annual concert hosted by Big Boy, Fuzzy, and Guerilla Union. Its inaugural year was held in 2012, featuring the lineup of Lupe Fiasco, Big Sean, Nipsey Hussle, Hit Boy, and TayF3rd. It included surprise guests Tyga and Kid Cudi.

The promotional poster was designed by Rafael Santos Jr., who stated, "At the onset of this project I knew I wanted to keep it festive with a cool & fun color palette. I also kept in mind a Mardi Gras street festival feel with a sound system speaker aesthetic. I played with the Block letters to complement, and made them backlit through a navy box for additional contrast. For the icing, infused a market light flag system that suspends the content..."

## Critical reception

*LA Weekly* wrote of Fiasco's performance, "Headliner Lupe Fiasco brought his loyal fanbase and politically charged lyrics. Backed by a six-piece band, the black-clad rapper performed with intensity, thrusting his body violently into the mosh pit. The Chicago-native's intensity was reflected by the crowd, who chanted 'Lupe, Lupe' between songs. He dedicated different songs to different people, like "Beautiful Lasers," in which he paid tribute to a fan who told him it kept her from killing herself." They continued, "'Go fucking vote or be like your favorite rapper and start a revolution,' he said, in something of a turnaround. But otherwise, outside of shouting out Trayvon Martin, Fiasco mostly kept the political banter to a minimum. By the time he closed with "Show Goes On," the few fans who remained sang along to the lyrics and were clapping for an encore, before the lights came on."

Tiffanie Cheng of *Neon Tommy* praised Fiasco's energy and stage presence. She added, "Wearing vintage sunglasses, a casual dark grey t-shirt and matching jeans, he paused only from his energetic antics to rap the lyrics of his smooth hip hop tracks into a glowing sphere-shaped microphone. [...] He raised the excitement levels in the venue with his upbeat stage presence and elicited cheers from the crowd by flinging water bottles and spraying the cheering fans."

## Set list

* "Bitch Bad"
* "Lamborghini Angels"
* "Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free)"
* "Kick, Push"
* "Hip-Hop Saved My Life"
* "Out of My Head"
* "Beautiful Lasers (2 Ways)"
* "Superstar"
* "Daydreamin'"
* "The Show Goes On"

## Gallery

Photo by Kevin WinterPhoto by Kevin WinterPhoto by Kevin WinterPhoto by Kevin WinterPhoto by Kevin WinterPhoto by Kevin WinterPhoto by Kevin WinterPhoto by Kevin WinterPhoto by Kevin WinterPhoto by Kevin WinterPhoto by Kevin WinterPhoto by Kevin WinterPhoto by Kevin WinterPhoto by Kevin WinterPhoto by Kevin Winter

## References

1. ↑ "Big Boy & Fuzzy Announce New Concert: "Big Boy's Block Party"". *Live Music Today*. August 24, 2012.
2. ↑ "Big Boy's Block Party with Big Sean, Tyga, Lupe Fiaso, Nipsey Hussle, Tayf3rd, Hit-Boy". *YouTube*. October 22, 2012.
3. ↑ Santos Jr., Rafael (September 27, 2012). "Big Boy's Block Party". *Behance*.
4. ↑ Kohn, Daniel (October 18, 2012). "Lupe Fiasco and Big Sean - Big Boy's Block Party - 10/7/12". *LA Weekly*.
5. ↑ Cheng, Tiffanie (October 20, 2012). "Lupe Fiasco Highlights Big Boy's Block Party At The Hollywood Palladium - 10/17". *Neon Tommy*.