On Apr. 8, 2016, the Above Ordinary Music Group (more commonly referred to as AOMG) set the Playstation Theater metaphorically on fire on their "AOMG Follow The Movement 2016 American Tour." Label co-CEO's Jay Park and Simon Dominic, along with artists Loco, Gray, and DJ Pumkin brought New York City fans a truly unforgettable Korean hip hop experience.
[AOMG In NYC At The PlayStation Theater. Photo: By Angie Mills For KpopStarz]
In true hip hop performance fashion, each artist took control for their section of the show. Simon D exploded onto the stage with "Simon Says" and followed quickly after with self-named "Simon Dominic," both from his 2015 comeback album ₩ & ONLY. Both songs set the highly energetic and captivating tone of the night's show, especially with "Simon Dominic" prompting the entire room to scream spell Simon D's name as loudly as possible.
[AOMG Co-CEO and Rapper, Simon D. Photo: By Angie Mills For KpopStarz]
Taking a break to greet the crowd, Simon D proudly boasted, "I got skillz," and easily had the crowd screaming, and swearing, as he teased DJ Pumkin behind him. After his half English, half Korean speech to the fans Simon D continued with "Won and Only" and "Where U At," a solo single from his Supreme Team days, wowing the audience with his aggressive speed rapping and vocal tricks.
"You guys are my people, like my crew!" Simon D shouted, professing his love for the New York City audience and thanking them for their love in return as he began his R&B-esque jam "Lonely Night." Rounding out his set was another throwback to Supreme Team with the fist pumping, elbow raising "Dang Dang Dang."
Loco and Gray tag teamed for the second part, kicking it off with the high energy "High No More." Loco slowed things down after with the smooth flow for "If I," featuring Gray's charming vocal accompaniment.
[AOMG Rapper Loco. Photo: By Angie Mills For KpopStarz]
The focus switched to Gray for "Dream Chaser" and "Dangerous." Throughout their set the two showed off their perfect chemistry as they seamlessly alternated lines to each other's songs and moved around the stage.
[AOMG Rapper, Singer and Producer, GRAY. Photo: By Angie Mills For KpopStarz]
In between performances, the two took the time to greet their audience and thank them for coming as well as apologize for how little they knew of the English language. Still, Loco and Gray did their best to communicate with the fans both verbally and with their body language. Even with the language barrier for some fans, the message was clear-Loco and Gray were just as excited to see the members in the audience as the crowd was to see some of their favorite Korean hip hop artists. Loco's self-love anthem "Respect" came next, filled with just as much jumping and dancing on the stage as they sparked from the audience in the crowd.
Of course no concert is complete without a little bit of bromance, kindly provided by Loco and Gray for the AOMG tour. Unfortunately, Loco was battling some sickness during the night so Gray made sure to take care of him by offering a brief neck massage and encouraging, "Don't be sick."
[AOMG Rapper Loco. Photo: By Angie Mills For KpopStarz]
Gray and Loco finished off their set proving in real life why they are the heartthrobs of many fans. Gray crooned the lines to "In My Head," accompanied by some sensual movements from the crew's back up dancers. They turned the heat up with "Summer Night," making the fans forget about the cold April weather outside the venue. During a combination performance of "You Don't Know" and "Awesome" Loco and Gray had the crowd swooning as they claimed, "You can be my girl tonight." Gray sent a number of sweet finger hearts out towards the fans for "Just Do It" before the two wrapped up their performance with a smooth rendition of "Hold Me Tight."
While Simon D, Gray, and Loco chose to hype the audience up with their first performances, Jay Park went slow and steady with "2nd Thots." The crowd were no strangers to Jay Park's diverse song stylings, jumping and dancing with "All I Wanna Do" before toning it back down for "Solo." Jay Park's 2013 single "Joah" brought some of the highest excitement, enough that audience covered the song's romantic chorus for Jay Park. The singer/rapper was openly impressed from the start of his set, commenting "You knew all the Korean words!" before expressing his blessings and gratitude for the crowd before him.
[AOMG Co-CEO, Rapper, Singer Poducer, Jay Park. Photo: By Angie Mills For KpopStarz]
The hip hop swag returned in full force with Jay Park's "On it", "My" and "Worldwide," filled with enough speed rapping and dancing to have the audience screaming in their seats. "Looking so sexy in the crowd," he called out after pulling his jacket off for "You Know." Fans of Jay Park know it's only a matter of time before his shirt comes off, but Jay Park chose to keep them on their toes as he progressively took his jacket and t-shirt off during songs. Still that didn't make the crowd any less hype when he finally pulled his undershirt off for the addictive dance track "Mommae."
The rest of AOMG joined Jay Park on the stage for a powerful performance of "Success Crazed." Unfortunately, Jay stopped the performance part way through to call out a fight that had erupted in the middle of the pit. Although upset that the show had to pause, fans were openly grateful to Jay for caring enough to get security into the area and stop the fighting before more people got hurt. Once the scuffle was handled, AOMG recaptured focus as they finished "Success Crazed" and continued onto "BO$$$$$."
Once more, AOMG addressed the fans to express their love. Jay acted as interpreter, teasingly mistranslating Gray and Loco to make a few inappropriate jokes. The show drew to a close with Loco's "Thinking About You" and "No Manners" keeping the fans excited while Jay Park roamed around the various levels of the audience. Returning to the stage, Jay Park crooned the lines to "I Like 2 Party" accompanied by the rest of his AOMG crew.
For as heart pumping as AOMG's recorded tracks are nothing compares to the excitement and energy that the various artists bring to a live stage. Together and separate, the AOMG artists captivate fans easily with their sharp lyrics and powerful beats. Whether you've been a fan for a long time or are newly venturing into the Korean hip hop scene, AOMG is certainly a group not to miss. And with a number of AOMG Follow The Movement tour stops remaining, we highly recommend you join them for a great show while you still can.
