Abu Dhabi got a taste of why the US city of Atlanta has become a hip-hop citadel on Friday night, as two of its finest exports rocked the crowd at du Arena.
Both rappers Future and Gucci Mane were drafted in to replace fellow Atlanta native Travis Scott, who had to pull out of his much-anticipated November 29 F1 after-race show due to personal reasons.
Despite Scott's no-show, there was a lot to see with both acts putting in separate one-hour sets. That’s a lot of tunes and fortunately, Future and Gucci Mane had the hits and wide body of work to fill the time.
Mane kicked things off in swaggering style; he entered the stage to heroic orchestral arrangements before launching into Classical Intro. The crowd soon grooved along to I Get The Bag, the 2017 hit collaboration with Migos, before the bass was ratcheted up to shuddering levels with First Day Out Tha Feds.
Mane is not just flash and eye-popping bling – the rapper is also a charismatic presence on the mic. His unique drawl allows him to sail over stuttering drum patterns, stretch out syllables and roll certain words to create new rhymes.
Where Mane had to work hard to gain the crowd’s attention, a result perhaps of his lack of hits in the region, Future had the benefit of playing a string of tracks that have become standard in many UAE hip-hop clubs.
Kicking off with the stomping Bugatti, Future's raspy and hypnotic vocals oozed throughout a greatest-hits set which included both solo numbers (Mask Off and Low Life) and the guest verses he supplied for others such as first pumping Relationship (with Young Thug) and the momentous King's Dead (with Kendrick Lamar and Jay Rock).
The Abu Dhabi F1 After-Race Concerts continue at du Arena with US torch singer Lana Del Rey taking the stage on Saturday, November 30 and The Killers performing the race-day concert on Sunday, December 1. To attend the after-race concerts, you need to have a ticket for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Tickets are available online from Yas Marina Circuit.
