It was a particularly occupied Thursday morning for the Bixby Knolls neighborhood of Long Beach.
The area, which houses a variety of independent property businesses and small restaurants, which have unique facades from the store to the store, saw hundreds of anxious fans start align
Many were filled with a particular store: digital footprints, which recently began calling Bixby Knolls his home, in April, after a residence of approximately 15 years at the Long Beach center. As the crowd control barricades began to emerge and the artists' safety staff remained outside the famous vinyl record store, passersby and neighbors began to reflect on what could be happening.
It was simple: Cardi B.
The “Wedding Yellow” singer managed to squeeze a meeting event in the store to commemorate the launch of his second album last week, “am i the drama?” A link to the tickets fell to the Digital Footprints website on September 9, which fans barely gave the opportunity to breathe.
“I follow it on Instagram, I have difficult notifications on each platform, so, as soon as the video went up, I hurried to the website and bought it,” said Gerardo Torres de Gardena. “I was probably one of the first [to buy tickets]Less than five minutes after he announced it, he already had mine. “
Arlene Heaton, left, from Kern and Gerardo Torres de Gardena hold a cardi B flag.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Torres stopped near the front of the line, which was joined around 10:30 am next to him was Arlene Heaton de Rosamond, who had just driven three hours from the Kern County community to arrive at the same time. The two met in the row and quickly became friends: she put on a set full of Dianillo and he put a flag that represents Cardi B around her shoulders.
“If I had been three hours away, I would have been there too!” Torres added.
“He took about 10 minutes [to sell out]”Said Heaton.” I love the album and I only had to get the CD … I wanted to support it and I arrived from Rosamond to see this happens: history, this is history. “
Although the event was scheduled for a start of the 2 pm, it was not until 2:30 that Cardi arrived at the scene. Some fans left behind the store, rejoice that they had seen her arrive.
Moments later, security formed a human barrier around the entrance, and Cardi left the store with a megaphone. What he said, became unintelligible among the thunderous cheers of fans who advanced, testing their entourage.
“I make music myself, I'm not a fan of manyBut she? My God, there was no way. I got up at 8 in the morning; I put my alarm for 6:30, “said Coshawn Watts, who called herself the” Queen of Compton “.” I was here outside! I didn't care how early I had to be here, I had to be here! “Watts said.
Coshawn Watts, a rapper called the “Queen of Compton”, has a CD of “Am I the drama” of Cardi B? “At the meeting and Thursday's green on Long Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
He had been waiting since 10 in the morning and said the heat did not bother her: “It is worth everything, honey!” She declared.
When fans made their way in the store, they were received by the sound of the slopes of the new cardi album that are reproduced in the store speakers. “Am I drama?” Vinyl records and CDs completed the shelves, and Cardi's portraits stopped above them.
Located in the rear corner behind a black curtain, the woman, visibly pregnant, with brown snake skin, denim shorts, denim shorts and adorning several pieces of gold of gold. She had confirmed In a CBS interview last week, she and the NFL star Stefon Diggs waited a child.
It is estimated that 1,200 fans arrived on the day of abrasor in Long Beach, although only 800 could secure a place of the guest list to see the 32-year-old hip-hop artist. Others gathered nearby, waiting for the opportunity to simply look at her or, perhaps, be lucky to join the encounter and green.
In fact, digital footprints and Cardi B accommodated between 200 and 300 more people towards the end of the event among those who did not make the list. The event lasted until 5 pm
At that time, the somewhat chaotic nature of the afternoon heights of the meeting meeting and the Greet had established itself. Stiving vendors no longer camped outside, the artists finished their pieces for sale and the weather began to cool.
Cardi B is preparing to take a photo with a fan in the match and green.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
“Usually, we don't do that, but we all seemed quite calm,” said Rand Foster, owner of the digital footprints. “For someone in that caliber, being open was really refreshing.”
Cardi B even remained in extra time to make a surprise signature of an exclusive alternative cover of his album. Four photos of an appearance in the court that made that variant in August.
Foster said he considered Thursday's event, the largest that the store has celebrated since he moved to his new location, to be a resounding success. He pointed out that when the store was in the center, the store once was host of an Ozzy Osbourne match that had a participation of approximately 2,300 people.
In its location in Bixby Knolls, the store still feels its neighborhood. Foster said the event not only brought additional traffic to other companies, but “he did not listen to any neighbor off by him.”
Cardi B could have easily opted for a more central location in Los Angeles, such as Amoeba's music, so many fans were surprised and happy to see Long Beach get some love.
A man, who called himself, Mr. Boug'e and wore a single curved beard, said he reduced to Long Beach being “drugs.”
Mr. Boug'e holds two vinyl record variants of the last cardi b album, “am i the drama?”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“I call it Playa Fuerte,” he joked. “She has love everywhere, it doesn't matter. It can be in a alley … or Alaska; they love her.”
Foster, whose store has a long -standing relationship with his Hollywood teammates in Amoeba, said that Cardi B's decision to celebrate his meeting in Long Beach was probably also reduced to logistics.
“Anyone who is doing this type of event and does it with an eye towards longevity has to be respectful of the neighbors,” he explained. “Our line reached about six blocks long; I think it would be difficult for Hollywood Boulevard.”
