A veteran of high-profile labels such as No Limit and Cash Money, Shante Scott Franklin finally just decided to start his own imprint under a deal with Warner Bros. Records, Jet Life Recordings (the name pulled from the mantra he created, “JETS” — “Just Enjoy This Shit”).
Last night, the crowd at The Observatory in Santa Ana took a trip on the Jets Life Tour featuring founder and leader, Curren$y supported by Styles P, Trademark, Corner Boy P, Fiend 4 Da Money, Young Roddy and Smoke Dza.
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Legendary New York rapper Styles P opened for Curren$y, announcing as he walked onto stage he was on a different kind of high, “that retarded high.” He had to take some time to gather him self, admitting, “Goddamn, California has the best weed.”
Curren$y, who had designed stages to look like his living room for the past few months so he could sit due to an injured ankle, is all healed up now. As he took the stage last night, he obviously was excited to be performing again without a crutch. Thumbs up, closed fist, pinky out, and 30,000 feet later, the self-made man from New Orleans started off with “Silence.” Wearing a crisp white tee and bright orange sweat pants, a blue hat emblazoned with chronic leaves and jean jacket, he announced to the crowd, “You don't have to clap for me, just keep lighting up.” With his laid-back flow, hard bass lines and spaced-out, self-proclaimed “elevator music,” he took Orange Country to a different level as he dropped “King Kong” from Pilot Talk. He then bought out Styles P for “Lean” off of the mixtape The 1st 28. While performing the songs, he lit up what he called a “28 gram joint” that a fan had thrown on stage.
The Jets united on stage as Trademark and Young Roddy accompanied Spitta for a few tracks including “1st Place.” Curren$y took a seat on the edge of the stage as he inhaled from a “Got Vape” vaporizer ballon, and then lit up a joint — he's adamant about not smoking blunts — of his own while sharing with the audience. I've seen Wiz Khalifa and Wu Tang Clan in concert, but Curren$y beats them both for having the cloudiest venue. He acknowledged the crowd by saying, “I like seeing those kush clouds being blown in the air.” There were so many joints and blunts being passed, one young girl, who obviously had had one too many handed her way, fainted on the security barrier. The girl caught Curren$y's attention and was so out of it she denied water from him, shaking her head with cracked-out eyes. She finally snapped out of it, and with Curren$y's approval the show went on.
Instead of having the song's original fast, quirky beat behind him, Curren$y had the the crowd chant, “This is elevator music, all we do is ride around and get high to it” as he did an a cappella rendition of it of “Elevator Musik.” He then said, “I noticed those joints you threw up here were zig zags, you know you have to roll them with Raw papers from now on.” Two “Raw Girls” then came out and threw out cases of Raw rolling papers. As the crowd fought over the all-natural goodies, he jumped into “Airborne Aquarium.” As the lighting turned to night-blue spotlights with red lights flipped up, Spitta did his infamous Knight Rider impression, “Uh scoo do do do do do do do.” As the beat dropped, his smooth flow on the hit “Michael Knight” left no doubt that indeed, the rapper is the modern-day equivalent of the '80s television hero.
Ending the night on a high note (literally), Curren$y did a powerful a cappella version of “Twistin Stank.” The devoted crowd joined him, answering back phrase by phrase. After performing he dropped the mic and jumped in the crowd. Old and new fans anxiously crowded around Spitta to talk, light a joint and take pictures with him.
Though he was among the talented rosters of No Limit and Cash Money Records, Curren$y is proving to the world he can do it on his own. He has successfully launched his own label and numerous national tours on his own terms. You can see the passion and excitement in his live performance — he captivates the crowd without auto tune or heavy radio airplay.
Critical Bias
Curren$y puts on an amazing show. He had a CD-quality performance.
The Crowd
Fitted hats, exclusive graphic tees and countless joints and blunts being lit.
