The Top Dawg Entertainment family took over Watts in South Los Angeles on Wednesday (Dec. 18) for the Nickerson Gardens 6th annual Toy Drive & Giveaway, hosted by Watts’ own Jay Rock at the Nickerson Gardens Boys & Girls Club. Performances by the members of the TDE roster are a given, with previous years’ surprise guest performers including Rihanna, Travis Scott and Rich the Kid — and this year’s edition certainly lived up to that platinum standard.
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Unsurprisingly, the all-ages show drew some 10,000+ Los Angeles locals, promising free entry under the condition that they bring a toy donation for underserved families, which caused a line to weave around Compton Avenue and down multiple blocks well after the event began.
The outdoor concert kicked off around 1 p.m. with an address from Los Angeles city council member Joe Buscaino, who introduced Jay Rock and praised him for “never forgetting where he came from,” and thanking him for “doing right for [your] community.” About a dozen local acts, some as young as 15, opened the show, each performing one to two tracks before a TDE DJ took over. Local universities, vendors, and brands had tents set up on the grassy fields, but most attendees didn’t budge from their spot in the tightly-packed crowd as they anxiously awaited the day’s headlining acts.
According to a press release for the donation-based event, it is, “extremely important to TDE as it focuses on giving back to the same community and nehgborhood that gave TDE CEO Anthony ‘Top Dawg’ Tiffith and many others in the TDE family their start.”
TDE engineer MixedByAli then stepped up to the DJ spot, where he stayed the remainder of the concert. SZA, who Ali playfully referred to as “DJ S Dot,” soon joined him as she helped hype the crowd from behind the DJ booth. Viral comedians/dancers Shiggy and Dan Rue woke up the audience with a few minutes of their famed moves before singer Zacari came out to perform “Don’t Trip,” and the Kendrick Lamar collaboration “LOVE.” Next was Nickerson Gardens local Ambjaay with his summer 2018 smash “Uno.” Between acts, Rock — dressed in a red Adidas sweatsuit — tended to his MC duties by announcing the next act up, while various TDE artists and affiliates stood at the back of the stage, giant TDE logos hanging behind them.
As the sun set and gave way to the crisp December air, Reason welcomed Ab-Soul for “Flick It Up,” before Isaiah Rashad, SiR and D Smoke hit the stage for two songs apiece, each wishing the community a “Happy Holidays” before exiting. After some playful banter between Rock and Ali, the first of several surprise artists, Swae Lee, emerged for “No Type” and “Black Beatles.” Lee’s energy was palpable as he jumped from the stage, pumping up the crowd and lowering his microphone to give fans an opportunity to sing with him. The audience’s cheers and enthusiastic dancing didn’t wane as Swae walked off and Tyga appeared, cycling through fan favorites “Go Loko,” “Taste,” and new single “Macarena.” Schoolboy Q was next, with “Floating,” the second half of which he performed a cappella.
Compton’s own Roddy Ricch was next man up, wearing a black and white “13” jersey and fresh off a No. 1 Billboard 200 debut with Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial, blessing the audience with his hit “Ballin’” and new single, “The Box.” Never one to shy from the spotlight, Chris Brown and two backup dancers then hit the stage for “Heat” and the Drake-assisted “No Guidance,” with Breezy live-harmonizing over a backing track.
Last, but of course not least, was the day’s’ main attraction: a hooded, nonchalant Kendrick Lamar. Wearing casual denim and a blue sweatshirt, K-Dot walked out for his celebrated 2012 track “B—h Don’t Kill My Vibe,” before Rock joined him for “Rotation 112th,” “King’s Dead,” and finally, closing it off solo with “Win.”
Though Day 1 was for the concert and donation collection, the following day, Thursday (Dec. 19) is the day families are given the toys and other tangibles. This second component, “The Local Community Day” embodies the true reason for the season, described as a day that “provides the Nickerson Gardens community with things that all children and families should have around the holidays, such as gifts, clothing, and food.”