The smell of sizzling beef emanating from an In-N-Out Burger truck parked a short walk from the Pacific Ocean filled my nose as the sounds of G. Love & Special Sauce drifted off into the dark sky.
It's Tuesday night in Huntington Beach, California. The scene: closing ceremonies for the third night of the second annual Future Proof event. The one-of-kind trade conference meets summer festival returned to the beach for a second running that attracted a reported 3,000 attendees.
Once again, the show featured a musical performance from rap royalty.
And much like the Outkast legend quickly established during his set, the East Coast duo that developed a reputation for stage diving and speaker climbing in their 20s keep that same energy as they step firmly onstage in their 50s.
Speaking of energy, there was less palpable uncertainty among segments of the audience this year. Maybe it's because the Long Island, New York and Newark, New Jersey streets the pair hail from are a little closer to Wall Street than last year's Atlanta-based headliner. Or perhaps it's because
But whatever the reason, this year's crowd was all in from start to finish, rapping along with chart toppers and album cuts the same. Performances of "Method Man," "I'll Bee Dat!" and "How High" gave the rapper a beach full of backup singers.
A scan of the audience revealed countless T-shirts bearing the unmistakable Wu-Tang "W," and prerolls skillfully being passed between pressed fingers through clouds of indica that would make Smokey and Craig blush.
Red and Meth's chemistry spilled out on the stage. In sync both in step and in spirit, they traded off front man and hype man duties effortlessly on tracks like "Da Rockwilder," "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" and "4, 3, 2, 1."
Every explosion of grit, execution and wordplay was embraced by fans who batted beach balls back and forth while trying to rap along between sips of complementary Tito's cocktails.
The hip-hop duo also displayed their otherworldly ability to control the crowd as well as they rock the mic. Crowd participation moments that sound bizarre on paper but felt natural while standing in the grass at Future Proof included Method Man getting the crowd to yell "WOO!" at the top of their lungs whenever he said the name of wrestling legend Ric Flair, and Redman eliciting a sea of applause from women in attendance by asking all the ladies to applaud good hygiene.
It all happened. And as crazy as it sounds, none of it felt out of place at a conference where just hours prior thought leaders discussed financial planning strategy, M&A trends and wealthtech's leveraging of artificial intelligence.
There’s really no other way to say it. @therealredman and @methodman just did some legendary shit at @FutureProofAC 🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/zkdnt2QHmI
— Justin L. Mack (@justinlmack) September 13, 2023
The proceedings may have been a concert by definition, but the energy was really just palling around with your two uncles who smoke a bit too much at the family reunion. Jovial and at times playfully self-deprecating, the emcees have a unique charisma that allows them to come off as seriously skilled without ever taking themselves too seriously.
The wit and comedic timing that made moments like
After beaming with pride when asking all the other people born in the '70s to make some noise and getting a stage rattling reaction, he jokingly welcomed all "'80s crack babies" with open arms and declared that people born in the '90s brush their teeth, but fail to brush their tongues.
"And if you were born after the '90s, we don't even wanna talk to you," Redman said, drawing a roar of laughter from the crowd.
There were also slices of sadness and support. Late in the show, the mountain of a man sometimes referred to as the "The Ticallion Stallion" suddenly shrunk on the far left of the stage.
In a moment of vulnerability that seemed to surprise both him and the audience, Method Man was moved to tears after performing
The rapper cradled his face in his hand and hugged his microphone close to his chest.
The crowd, while not supporting him physically like in one of his stage dives circa the late '90s, lifted Method Man up emotionally. As the moment of silence and sobbing persisted, isolated shouts of "RIP OBD" and "We love you Meth!" cut through the night sky.
The rest of us joined in, reassuring the music and acting icon that his fallen brother was gone but certainly not forgotten.
He gathered himself, wiped his tears with one hand and gripped his mic with the other before thanking us and launching into the next song on the setlist.
Hitting just as hard as the beats and bars was the palpable friendship between the two men, who first started making music together more than 30 years ago.
While there were never any suspicions that there was anything inauthentic about their pairing after all these years, anyone who saw Tuesday night's show now has a better understanding of how much love they share for one another, and for those they've shared stages with in the past.
It's a palpable bond that peeks through with a buffet of "real friendship" moments that played out before the thousands in attendance.
Moments like Method Man mimicking Redman behind his back and making "he talks too much" gestures with his hands as the New Jersey native — cofounder of the the
Or the two men doubling over with laughter when giving the crowd props for their enthusiasm and ability to clap on beat.
"You know, for a corporate event, there sure is a lot of hip-hop mother (expletive) in here," Redman said.
If the show had a theme or through line, it was love. Love for the music, love for one another, and love for everyone who shared their energy with them on Tuesday night.
Late in the show, Redman capped things off with another rant. This one included a few action items for the audience.
"This world is going to s***," he said. "Love each other."
