Show Recap: Pusha T, A$AP Mob and A-Trak Perform at the Best Buy Theater

On Thursday night, VIBE kicked off its V-MIX concert series of "mash-up performances" with an evening at the Best Buy Theater, featuring some of the rap scene's hottest artists, as well as legendary DJ and Fool's Gold founder, A-Trak. The crowd was as eclectic as the bill, which also included Pusha T, DJ J.$cott, and A$AP Mob (including A$AP Rocky).

Pusha T started the night up with a solid solo set made up of mostly newer releases, and took the opportunity to announce the title of his upcoming solo debut to a house full of enthusiastic young fans. Though the use of a vocal track deprived G.O.O.D. Music MC of some of the raw energy that his unique voice would have provided, Ziplock P successfully got the crowd warmed up for the acts that would follow.

When the A$AP crew mobbed the stage 10-plus deep, the energy in the building reached the next level. A theme for the night, in Rocky's words, was that, 'This is not a show. This is a party.' The young Harlem MC insured that this was the case via turnt-up bangers from both the LiveLoveA$AP and Lord$ Never Worry mixtapes and heavy dosage of inaudible screaming into microphones, as well as a full-blown, on-stage twerking contest involving the fattest booties that the hyped-up crowd had to offer.

A-Trak ended the party right with a solid set that lived up to expectations, made up of an eclectic mix of classic and modern hip-hop and EDM. Pusha T’s My Name Is My Name and A$AP Rocky’s LongLiveA$AP are slated for release in the first quarter of 2013. —Nick De Molina (@odmod)