Anyone who has spent more than two hours inside an East Lansing bar should know the name Waka Flocka Flame, and they should know the party anthem for which he is best known, “No Hands.”
On March 28, the party school met the man whose songs grace Grand River bars each and every night. Yes, “No Hands” is his premier track, but Waka Flocka Flame is also known for the hits “Hard in Da Paint,” “Grove St. Party,” “Round of Applause” and more.
His most acclaimed album, Flockaveli, reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200, and its reputation as one of the most important rap albums of the 2010s remains to this day. Flockaveli helped shape the sound of modern drill, and the album’s aggressive, inflammatory style still overstimulates and excites 12 years after its release.
So, when Waka Flocka Flame charged onto the stage at the Breslin Center, students knew they were in for a loud, bombastic party. And what can East Lansing be, if not that?
“No Hands” served as the set’s opener, and the entire building couldn’t help but sing along. The pit morphed into a rabid ocean of lifted hands, churning amid the flashes of hundreds of phone cameras. As the chorus rang throughout the arena, everyone knew there’d be little downtime for the next hour or so.
And what little downtime there was. The aforementioned hits “Hard in Da Paint,” “Grove St. Party” and “Round of Applause” lit the crowd aflame, and other Waka Flocka Flame tracks, like “Bustin’ at ‘Em,” kept the air properly singed.
The middle portion of the show was fit for an MSU party; it was a DJ set comprised of songs and covers one might hear at local bars or at a typical Saturday house party. Artists like Sexyy Red, Kendrick Lamar and Lil Uzi Vert were featured, and during this time, Waka Flocka Flame jumped into the pit to mosh with fans.
In the hours afterward, videos of students jumping around with Waka Flocka Flame were all over social media. Videos of him climbing up to the seats and walking among the lower level crowd also lit up just about every social platform.
So, what was this concert? Well, it was unexpected. It was wild. It was a Thursday night in East Lansing, and that’s all we could have asked for.
After the show, the Impact was fortunate enough to interview Waka Flocka Flame, who is as fun on the mic as he is on the stage. Topics discussed include his thoughts on MSU, his recently-released track “Foreva,” the MSU Dairy Store and advice for college students. Be sure to tune in for the inside scoop.
