It was a particularly busy Thursday morning for the Bixby Knolls neighborhood of Long Beach.<\/p>\n
The area, which is home to an array of independently owned businesses and small restaurants, both of which boast unique facades from storefront to storefront, saw hundreds of eager fans start lining up outside its doors as early as 8 a.m.<\/p>\n
Many crowded around one store in particular: Fingerprints Music, which only recently began to call Bixby Knolls its home \u2014 in April \u2014 after a roughly 15-year residency in downtown Long Beach. As crowd control barricades began springing up and artist security personnel lingered outside the famed vinyl record shop, passersby and neighbors alike began to ponder what could be going on.<\/p>\n
It was simple: Cardi B.<\/p>\n
The \u201cBodak Yellow\u201d singer managed to squeeze in a meet-and-greet event at the store to commemorate last week’s release of her sophomore album, “Am I the Drama?” A link to tickets dropped on Fingerprints Music\u2019s website on Sept. 9, which fans barely gave a chance to breathe.<\/p>\n
\u201cI follow her on Instagram \u2014 I have hard notifications on every platform \u2014 so, as soon as the video went up, I rushed to the website and bought it,\u201d said Gerardo Torres of Gardena. \u201cI was probably one of the first few [to buy tickets], less than five minutes after she announced it I already had mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arlene Heaton, left, of Kern County and Gerardo Torres of Gardena hold a Cardi B flag. (Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/span><\/p>\n Torres stood near the front of the line, which he joined around 10:30 a.m. Next to him was Arlene Heaton of Rosamond, who had just driven three hours from the Kern County community to arrive at the same time. The two met in line and quickly became friends \u2014 she donning a rhinestone-studded ensemble and he draping a flag depicting Cardi B around his shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cIf she would\u2019ve been three hours away, I would have been there as well!\u201d Torres added.<\/p>\n \u201cIt took about 10 minutes [to sell out],\u201d Heaton said. \u201cI love the album and I just had to get the CD\u2026 I wanted to support her and I came all the way from Rosamond to see this happen \u2014 history, this is history.\u201d<\/p>\n Though the event was scheduled for a 2 p.m. start, it wasn\u2019t until 2:30 that Cardi arrived on the scene. A few fans trickled out from behind the store, rejoicing that they\u2019d seen her arrive.<\/p>\n Moments later, security formed a human barrier around the entrance, and Cardi stepped out of the store with a megaphone. Whatever she said was rendered unintelligible among the thunderous cheers of fans who surged forward, putting her entourage to the test.<\/p>\n \u201cI do music myself, I\u2019m not a fan of many<\/i>, but her? Oh, my God, there was no way. I got up at like 8 in the morning; I set my alarm for 6:30,\u201d said Curshawn Watts, who called herself the \u201cQueen of Compton.\u201d \u201cI was out here! I didn\u2019t care how early I had to be here \u2014 I had to be here!\u201d Watts said.<\/p>\n Curshawn Watts, a rapper who calls herself the “Queen of Compton,” holds a CD of Cardi B’s “Am I the Drama?” at Thursday’s meet-and-greet in Long Beach. (Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/span><\/p>\n She\u2019d been waiting since 10 a.m. and said the heat didn’t bother her: \u201cIt\u2019s worth it all, baby!\u201d she declared.<\/p>\n As fans made their way into the store, they were greeted by the sound of tracks from Cardi\u2019s new album playing on the store speakers. \u201cAm I the Drama?\u201d vinyl records and CDs filled out the shelves, and portraits of Cardi stood above them.<\/p>\n Nestled in the back corner behind a black curtain sat the woman herself, visibly pregnant, in brown snakeskin heels, denim shorts, and adorning various gold statement pieces. She had confirmed<\/u><\/a> in a CBS interview last week that she and NFL star Stefon Diggs were expecting a child.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/b> Yes, Cardi B is expecting her fourth child. Yes, the father is NFL star Stefon Diggs<\/a><\/p>\n An estimated 1,200 fans arrived on the blistering day in Long Beach, though only 800 were able to secure a guest list spot to see the 32-year-old hip-hop artist. Others assembled nearby, hoping for a chance to merely lay eyes on her or, perhaps, to get lucky enough to join the meet-and-greet.<\/p>\n Indeed, Fingerprints Music and Cardi B accommodated around 200 to 300 more people toward the tail end of the event from among those who didn\u2019t make the list. The event lasted until well after 5 p.m.<\/p>\n By that time, the somewhat chaotic nature of the meet-and-greet\u2019s afternoon heights had settled down. Street vendors no longer camped outside, artists wrapped up their pieces for sale, and the weather began to cool.<\/p>\n Cardi B prepares to take a photo with a fan at the meet-and-greet. (Allen J. Schaben\/Los Angeles Times)<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t usually do that, but everyone seemed pretty chill,\u201d said Rand Foster, owner of Fingerprints Music. \u201cFor somebody at that caliber to be that open was really refreshing.\u201d<\/p>\n Cardi B even stayed overtime to do a surprise signing of an exclusive alternate cover of her album. Four photos from a courtroom appearance she made in August embellish that variant.<\/p>\n Foster said he considered Thursday’s event, the largest the store has held since moving to its new location, to be a resounding success. He noted that when the store was downtown, the store once hosted an Ozzy Osbourne meet-and-greet that had a roughly 2,300-person turnout.<\/p>\n At its location in Bixby Knolls, the store is still feeling out its neighborhood. Foster said not only did the event bring extra traffic to other businesses, but he \u201cdidn\u2019t hear any neighbors put out by it.\u201d<\/p>\n Cardi B could have easily opted for a location more central to Los Angeles, such as Amoeba Music, so many fans were surprised and happy to see Long Beach get some love.<\/p>\n One man, who called himself Mr. Boug\u2019e and sported a uniquely curled beard, said it came down to Long Beach being \u201cdope.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Boug’e holds up two vinyl record variants of Cardi B’s latest album, “Am I the Drama?” (Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI call it Strong Beach,\u201d he joked. \u201cShe got love everywhere \u2014 it don\u2019t matter. It can be in an alley\u2026 or Alaska; they gon\u2019 love her.\u201d<\/p>\n Foster, whose shop has a long-standing relationship with its Hollywood peers at Amoeba, said the decision by Cardi B’s team to hold her meet-and-greet in Long Beach probably also came down to logistics.<\/p>\n \u201cAnybody who is doing this kind of event and doing it with an eye towards longevity has to be respectful to the neighbors,\u201d he explained. \u201cOur line got about six blocks long; I think that would be tough on Hollywood Boulevard.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n