concert review Archives - New Hip Hop News

Don’t Forget About Latto

December 2, 2024 by newhiphopnews

latto(1024x450) — Getty Image/Merle Cooper

2024 has been an embarrassment of riches for rap fans. Breakout projects like Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal, solid career evolutions such as Megan Thee Stallion’s Megan, and assertive declarations of conflict like Kendrick Lamar’s GNX have had seismic effects on the landscape of hip-hop this year, upending a decade of status quo and shaking up the outlook for the future of rap.

Amid all that, though, it feels like some stuff got lost in the shuffle; namely, Atlanta superstar Latto, whose third studio album Sugar Honey Iced Tea was not only her best, but did what each of the above-mentioned releases did — all in one sturdy collection of 17 versatile tracks. Fortunately, Latto’s tour for the project brought a welcome reminder of all that she’s capable of and just how big of an impact she’s had herself lately.

Firstly, it’s impossible to start anywhere but on Latto’s importance for the girlies. Women in rap have often expressed their feeling of being outsiders in the genre, calling it a “male dominated” culture in which women are not just a minority, but are boxed into just one or two archetypes. Newer rappers like Cardi B, Doja Cat, and Megan Thee Stallion have done a bunch of needed work to carve out space for women in rap, but in the past eight years of going to their shows, never have I ever felt quite so outnumbered by women as at YouTube Theater on Sunday night (December 1), seemingly all of them decked out in Latto’s signature leopard print.

No exaggeration, the ratio had to be 20 women to every one dude. They even commandeered the men’s restrooms; I’ve seen this happen before but never to the point that there’s a line for both. Sure, women rappers have created women-friendly spaces on their tours, but Latto’s crowd took this to even greater heights than any of her peers — which makes sense, because at heart, she’s a girl’s-girl, sharing her platform with openers in Karrahbooo and Mariah The Scientist who have been unfairly perceived in relation to their relationships with men. Flo Milli also popped out for a surprise performance of her hit, “Never Lose Me” during Latto’s sole wardrobe change (from the aforementioned animal print to baggy pants and crop top Crenshaw sweater. Long live Nipsey Hussle).

And while her main conflict with another woman spawned from a complaint about her genre classification, the setlist for the Sugar Honey Iced Tea Tour pointedly leaves out Latto’s biggest pop hit, “Big Energy.” Instead, the Georgia peach focused intently on her latest album and the more hardcore hits from her previous projects, emphasizing her rap credentials. This turned out to be a wise move, as some of the biggest crowd pops came for trap anthems like the breakdown on “Big Mama,” “B*tch From The Souf,” “Chicken Grease,” “Muwop,” and 2024 singles “Put It On Da Floor,” “Sunday Service,” and “Brokey.”

As much fuss as rap fans made over Doechii’s raps on songs like “Boom Bap” and “Nissan Altima,” Latto’s latest proved she could get equally introspective on “Georgia Peach,” which opened the show, and “S/O To Me,” to which fans may have attributed some Drake influence, but is all Latto’s story and pen. Speaking of Drake, his verses were clipped from just about every song he would have appeared on — even during the warmup DJ set — but hey, at the time Latto was plotting out the tour, including him was a good business move. It wasn’t until hometown hero Kendrick Lamar lyrically dismantled him and brought out his inner Karen that former collaborators started turning on him.

But for all the attention heaped onto the phenomenon that was “Not Like Us,” in a just world, Latto would have received just as much for “Put It On Da Floor” and “Sunday Service,” — which, if you’ll remember, actually kicked off much of the combative energy of 2024 alongside Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hiss.” Latto may not have whacked her rival quite as directly, but the fact that her bellicose invitations to step into the arena both reached the Hot 100 (the latter at No. 100, while the former peaked at No. 13) shows she’s got just as much of a knack for making battle rap club friendly as the Compton native.

If Sugar Honey Iced Tea is a reminder to the world that Latto is not to be overlooked, then the tour is a welcome reminder of the reminder. Latto has spent years proving her rap cred, then spent much of the past year proving her pop potential. But while many of her predecessors and peers might have been happy to take the bag and coast, Latto went back to the lab to double down on demonstrating her rap roots — and polishing her stage show, which has somehow massively improved since the last time I saw her live at The Novo while working on our cover story on her. She belongs in the conversation about the best rappers out today, and she’s making sure you never forget it.

Doechii Is Rap’s Newest Royal

November 4, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Sunday night at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, Doechii made her case for succession as rap’s newest royal. Over the past three years, Doechii has been preparing the land for a fruitful run, but since the Florida native rolled out her debut mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, her upward trajectory has become nothing so much as a vertical line. Her tour stop in Los Angeles to promote the project highlighted how much she’s been able to do with all that newfound attention.

The choice to occupy the 800-cap venue — an underplay if ever there was one — was one that many of Doechii’s contemporaries have foregone over the past couple of years. The last time I saw Doechii perform live was almost a year ago to the day, when she opened for Doja Cat’s Scarlet tour. At the time, she didn’t have a full-length project out and only had a thirty-minute set, but still managed one of the most elaborate opening performances I’ve seen to this day. Conventional wisdom might dictate another large stage with similar production, but that’s clearly not how Top Dawg Entertainment — the rapper’s current label home — rolls.

Doechii’s recent ascension could easily have justified a spot at The Fonda or The Belasco — spots I’ve taken in plenty of acts at or around similar levels of notoriety in past years. A quick glance at ticket resellers’ sites just an hour before showtime conveyed just how highly demanded tickets to the sold-out show really were, at one point reaching over $1,000. For contrast, I saw another artist at the same venue a week before and bought tickets the day of for under $40. But rather than book, say, The Novo or The Wiltern, and risk having to cancel dates the same way that so many artists have done in the past two years, Doechii’s management secured a win — and ensured the undying loyalty of everyone in attendance. That’s a chess move worthy of royalty.

Of course, this strategy hinges on Doechii’s ability to rock an hour-long set at a level that would justify the demand. I’m happy to report that the self-declared Swamp Princess didn’t even look winded at the end of the night, despite the additional 30 minutes, and Doechii’s performance proved every bit as magnetic and compelling even without the airboat and dancers she employed on the Scarlet tour. Stripping down to the base elements of hip-hop — an MC and a DJ, Miss Milan — the set resembled Doechii’s new mixtape in a way, echoing the vibe evoked (and lampooned) by her set-opening single, “Boom Bap.” Doechii’s interplay with the crowd, composed of a diverse array of 20-somethings adorned in country club drag to reflect the artist’s styling, was electric, resembling the dynamics of pop crowds as much as rap ones — unless you’re talking about Tyler The Creator, someone who has proved that he’s on top of the rap pyramid lately.

All of which were reasons Doechii’s succession has appeared all but assured. Her tour is sure to leave fans — already willing to go all-in on their appreciation through cosplay and absolutely unhinged demand — clamoring for more. The response to Alligator Bites Never Heal online as a project has overshadowed even more established artists, standing out from a crowded field in 2024 thanks to timely co-signs from some of rap’s biggest names. And Doechii herself seems prepared for it, carrying herself with regal charisma and relatable humility while putting on one helluva show. The crown is waiting; it’s only a matter of time until the Swamp Princess is rap’s new queen.

Childish Gambino’s “Bando Stone & The New World Tour” Is A Masterclass In Omnidirectional Creativity

September 13, 2024 by newhiphopnews

A plethora of performers nowadays ventures into multiple territories: singing, dancing, acting and the like. A noted majority of those entertainers do so with genuine intention and vigor. That said, execution is what creates the incalculably vast chasm between “good” and “great.”

Donald Glover, just as recognizable by his musical alias Childish Gambino, floats over the previously alluded-to canyon with his eyes closed. Whether it’s rapping on projects such as Because The Internet or belting his soul out over live instrumentation on Awaken, My Love, he executes with an accuracy that puts automation to shame. Throw in a small film role here and there (nothing crazy of course, just playing the iconic Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story), and being one of the masterminds behind the hit television series Atlanta, it’s blatantly obvious that his creativity knows no bounds.

Bino is Back

Artist, Childish Gambino, performing during his "New World Tour" — Image Credit: Shanyah Williams Francis

Donald Glover’s propensity for worldbuilding is absolutely extraordinary on the Bando Stone & The New World Tour. After WILLOW’s rousing opening showcase, rather than treating the audience to silence between the two acts—as is standard (and not necessarily frowned upon)—Gambino began building the futuristic soundscape with auditory mechanical warfare. Glaring lights, intentionally abrasive and jarring, flooded the arena as the seconds ticked closer to his first track. Fitting the ambience that was being cultivated, Gambino appeared in a leather jacket and cybernetically enhanced mask. Ultimately, this was to perform “hearts were meant to fly,” the opening track from Bando Stone And The New World. The lasers, visuals, and environment took on a Daft Punk-esque texture and displayed a near unquestionable fact: Childish Gambino’s last tour will be one to remember.

Gambino’s stacked discography in tow, it was almost impossible to know the direction the setlist would veer into. Tracks like “I. The Worst Guys” were strategically placed between cuts from the recent album, such as “Survive” and “Talk My Shit,” developing early onset audience intensity with a blend of the old and the new. To cap off this introductory segment, Bino exclaimed, “I know that the DMV can really bounce!” while rattling off the menacingly infectious dance track “Got To Be.” With the crowd rowdy and raring to go, Donald Glover had absolutely no intention of pumping the brakes.

Forward-Thinking Futurism Was The Selection for the Evening

Donald Glover — Image Credit: Shanyah Williams Francis

The aforementioned futuristic soundscape was accompanied by an equally advanced visual display. “Please keep your hands away from any lights and lasers, as we’re using a lot of new technology” expressed Glover, leading into a stellar performance of the recently released cut “In The Night.” Chromatic lights and beams flared in tandem with vocal runs, bassline walks, descending drum patterns, and the like. These all-encompassing setpieces were excellently offset with simpler, stripped-down sections—such as when “rapping Gambino” made an appearance for the brash and boastful “Yoshinoya.” As expected of a farewell tour of sorts, tracks from multiple Childish Gambino projects and features paid a visit. Energy-abundant tracks like “To Be Hunted” (from Atavista) and “Witchy” (a feature from KAYTRANADA’s TIMELESS) were paired with hypnotic syncopated flashes, before winding down to reveal a mesmerizing performance of “Steps Beach.”

In a showing as omnidirectional as his illustrious career, Gambino rang off a segment of multi-genre heavy hitters. Understandably, it threw the crowd into a frenzy. “I. Crawl” and “A Place Where Love Goes” served as bookends to this chapter of the show. Consequently, one can imagine the palpable energy in the venue. The Yeat feature on “Cruisin’” was spotlighted by his appearance on the mega-screens. “Feels Like Summer” engendered the lofty and hazy atmosphere expected from the sonics and title. While “Human Sacrifice” felt like the audience was surrendering their inhibitions to the music before the previously noted “A Place Where Love Goes” took things home. The fan-favorite “No Excuses”—a 7-minute, 23-second long expedition through lush vistas and lavish valleys—played as a stellar (and much-needed) intermission.

Childish Gambino’s Catalog Has Classics

Fresh out of the brief reprieve, Donald Glover dove into the track that solidified him as a dynamic powerhouse. The intro track from the critically acclaimed Awaken, My Love album: “Me and Your Mama.” The performance was just as much of a shock to the system as the first listen. Gambino poured every ounce of his musical ability into a masterful showcase of range, mood and passion, before excitedly taking the audience back to some of the simpler Childish Gambino classics.

“Are y’all real fans, though?” started Gambino, before rattling off hit after hit from his extensive discography. The nature of this segment makes it incredibly fun to list what tracks he presented to the audience. It truly displays how much enjoyment one can get from this section of music alone. He performed, in succession: “Do Ya Like,” “This Is America,” “IV. Sweatpants,” “Sober,” “L.E.S.,” “Heartbeat,” “Bonfire,” “Freaks And Geeks,” “III. Telegraph Ave. (“Oakland” by Lloyd),” and “V. 3005.” By this point, the audience was just as vibrant and beaming as the year 3000 luminescence adorning the venue from all directions.

For His Final Act, Donald Glover Sets Childish Gambino Ablaze

Then, the stage took on a silky, fire-orange hue. The lasers and lights dwindled and dimmed, and the buzz from “3005” quieted slowly in anticipation of what’s next. Based on the mood being set, and the tracks the audience was yet to hear, whispers of the track to come were becoming increasingly abundant. In each section, one could hear “Is this…?” or “Is he gonna do…?”

Those inquiries and assumptions were met with the unmistakable sound of 7 kick drum hits. “Redbone” was the next course on the menu, and it more than lived up to expectations. Flames sprouted from the stage as Gambino serenaded the audience with his biggest hit to date—and possibly, ever. The band was captivating in their own right. They had been for the night in its entirety, transporting the audience to spaces only the imagination can reach with the technology we currently have available. Rather than ending the track at its usual stopping point, Gambino gave the song a secondary outro. This came with more swells, more layers, more intention. His falsetto hit its zenith, making for a closing act that will live in the minds and hearts of the audience long after the name Childish Gambino fades happily into retirement.

End Credits

After a brief end credits scene played on the screens, Gambino had only one more question to ask: “Lithonia?” The crowd roared at the word appearing before them, urging on an encore. In what was possibly the most stunning visual of the entire show, Gambino’s shadow sauntered onto the screen, seemingly displaced in an alternate dimension. He returned to the stage to inform the audience all about Cody LeRae’s newfound awareness and discoveries—the most poignant and enlightening of them all being that “Nobody Gives A F**k.”

Though this tour is the end of an incredible career under the moniker Childish Gambino, there is a New World awaiting Donald Glover. One that he’ll terraform as he sees fit. His ability to redefine himself over and over again will now be represented in name. However, there is no telling where Donald Glover will go from here. One thing is for sure, though: Cody LaRae believes nobody gives a f**k, but that couldn’t be less true. We do.

The North American leg of Childish Gambino’s Bando Stone and The New World Tour will continue after a brief health break.

The post Childish Gambino’s “Bando Stone & The New World Tour” Is A Masterclass In Omnidirectional Creativity appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Chris Brown Sets Crypto.com Arena Ablaze With Unforgettable “11:11” Tour Finale In Los Angeles

August 8, 2024 by newhiphopnews

It felt like L.A. was about to explode into an R&B party when Chris Brown’s 11:11 tour hit the Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday, August 6. As the second-to-last stop on the tour, anticipation filled the air over what Chris Brown might have up his sleeves. For the last two months, social media has been filled with hype-worthy and viral moments from the tour, whether it’s the iconic meet-and-greet photos or some of the stunts he pulled on stage.

From the moment fans gathered inside the area, the energy was high. Breakthrough R&B artists Maeta and Muni Long warmed the crowd up as the opening acts. Following their performance, Chris Brown emerged and delivered a set that satisfied his fans, both old and new. With a setlist consisting of over 40 songs over two hours, Chris Brown certainly delivered on all fronts. He leaped into the classic hits that turned him into a star, as well as recent songs that we’ve had on consistent rotation.

Read More: Chris Brown’s Essential Songs

Chris Brown Made A Grand Entrance

Around the 9 p.m. mark of the night, the lights dimmed and the atmosphere reached a fever pitch when the LED screen behind the stage began its countdown. As the final seconds ticked away, the arena was plunged into darkness. Then, a single, dramatic beam of light illuminated Chris Brown on a raised platform. As the platform descended, he opened with “Angel Numbers / Ten Toes.” Fire and sparks erupted around the stage, and cheers roared throughout the stadium. The audience was clearly captivated from the get-go and all eyes were on Chris to see what was next.

The Four Elements

The concert was thoughtfully segmented into four thematic acts: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Each element was specifically crafted to highlight different aspects and songs of Brown’s catalog. This created a cohesive visual experience that left fans guessing which songs would appear in each act. The screen behind the stage projected stunning and immersive visuals that complemented the theme.

The first act, “Fire,” ignited the night with high-energy tracks and fiery visuals. With the crowd—mostly women—screaming their hearts out and backup dancers giving it their all, the energy could quite literally be described as explosive. During this set, he performed songs such as “Heat,” “Party,” “New Flame,” “Ayo,” “Summer Too Hot,” and more.

He Performed On A Floating Platform

Chris brown performs “Wet the Bed” in Los Angeles pic.twitter.com/ihGw3pquVU

— HotNewHipHop (@HotNewHipHop) August 7, 2024

As the concert transitioned into the “Water” act, the energy shifted to something more fluid and moody. The visuals consisted of underwater scenes that contrasted with the fiery visuals of the previous act. He leaned into the more sultry records in his catalog during the “Water” act, including “Liquor,” “Privacy,” “Wrist,” “Wet The Bed,” “Take You Down,” and “Under The Influence.” During this part of the evening, he was suspended mid-air on a floating platform.

Chris and his dancers delivered tight choreography on the circular platform, impressing the audience with his highly sensual moves. In between these acts, DJ Fresh kept the crowd energized with a mix of party classics and some of Chris Brown’s deeper cuts, keeping the crowd moving from start to finish.

The Energy Was High All Night

Accompanying the third act, “Air,” was atmospheric, ethereal visuals and records like “Press Me,” “She Ain’t You,” “No Air,” and “Don’t Judge Me.” This part of the show saw Breezy continuing to hover over the crowd as he was suspended mid-air. Though the majority of the show saw the crowd dancing along to his infectious hits, this set offered the audience a chance to catch their breath before the finale.

Chris concluded with the “Earth” act, which grounded the night with a return to more of his upbeat tracks. For this section, where the visuals became more earth and organic, he reserved some of his biggest hits to date. Songs like “No Guidance,” “Call Me Every Day,” “Sensational,” and “Loyal,” lit the arena up before he concluded with “Grass Ain’t Greener.” For roughly two hours, Chris Brown worked like a machine, maintaining high energy levels without missing a single beat of choreography.

The final act succinctly captured the evolution of his career, paying homage to his roots and celebrating his longevity with recent hits. During the final moments on stage, he took a bow and brought his two daughters, Royalty and Lovely, on stage. The 11:11 tour’s LA stop was undoubtedly a testament to Brown’s artistry, longevity, charisma, and sheer talent. For those fortunate enough to attend, it was a night to remember.

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Missy Elliott Still Sounds Like The Future

July 12, 2024 by newhiphopnews

missy_elliott_concert(1024x450) — Alexis Smith/Merle Cooper

A hill I will die on (but more likely successfully defend indefinitely until the entire world sees it my way): Missy Elliott is the single best thing to come out of the 1990s. Everything else turned out to have diminishing returns or was actively destructive. It was a time that was singularly focused on a future that seemed not that far away. Remember the hope we had for the internet, that it would be an information superhighway? Well, your Google searches are now burning down a city block’s worth of rainforest to spit out an algorithm-written answer telling you eating rocks is good for digestion.

But Missy Elliott? Missy’s timeless. The one truly pioneering artist in hip-hop who hasn’t yet shared at least one problematic opinion on social media. A performer whose live show only continues to expand, 25 years after her initial, world-shaking breakout with the “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” and its eye-popping music video. Someone who names her tour Out Of This World and delivers on that promise. I go to a lot of shows, and every time I see something mind-bogglingly futuristic, or fantastical, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer‘s influence jumps off the stage. As it turns out, during her concert, so does Missy.

Thursday night (June 11), the Virginia producer-rapper-singer-songwriter transformed the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles into her own personal spaceship, transporting concertgoers into her space-age imagination. From flying saucers to allusions to The Wiz, Missy crams so much into her set that it’s almost physically overwhelming. At 53, she’s at least as spry as some of the artists she’s inspired, like Doja Cat and Lil Nas X, and as innovative as anyone we routinely praise as genius for their creative direction — think Tyler The Creator or Childish Gambino.

Missy’s music, production, and performance has held up so well for so long because she still sounds like the future. Hip-hop, for as much credit as it gets for blasting culture forward by epochal increments over the past 50 years, has very much also been kind of a game of “Follow The Leader” ever since the first MCs picked up mics at the park jams. Whenever someone comes along who shifts the paradigm — let’s say Rakim, or Tupac, or Kanye, or Young Thug — there are nearly always a slew of imitators, duplicating what they did to the best of their abilities, at best advancing the craft and pushing the boundaries, but mostly just riding the wave to capitalize on a proven formula (just imagine how many trap beats there are on the radio RIGHT NOW).

Then there’s Missy, who arrived in 1997 crafting sounds and styles that hadn’t been invented yet, that no one has been able to imitate in the nearly 30 years since. Sure, she cracked open the door for rappers to play around visually in ways they hadn’t yet, so beholden were they to the “keep it real” ghetto tough-guy aesthetic. Her wild collaborations with video director Hype Williams were the precursor to even more outlandish excursions from the likes of Ludacris, Eminem, Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B and even Hollywood itself. And her deconstructed rhyme patterns were clear influences on future lyrical Dadaists like the aforementioned Thug, Kanye, and more — even if nobody has quite mastered the free-form thinking behind her best raps.

But for all her influence, nobody in the world sounds LIKE Missy. Not one artist who is capable of selling out arenas is equally capable of teleporting through so many different aesthetics and thematic concepts on stage — as illustrated by massive, cartoonish avatars representing her looks from different iconic music videos. Everyone else is still playing catch-up to where Missy WAS 20 years ago when she dropped “Gossip Folks,” “Pass That Dutch,” “Sock It 2 Me,” and “Work It.” Missy did what so few artists — hip-hop or otherwise — are capable of: breaking new ground, then breaking the mold. Her Out Of This World tour isn’t just a futuristic flight of fancy — it’s an overview of a one-of-a-kind career, one that couldn’t happen before she showed up and hasn’t happened since.

Chief Keef’s Explosive Summer Smash Performance Was The Homecoming Fans Were Begging For: Review

June 19, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Tensions were high on the third day of Summer Smash 2024. Ahead of sets from the likes of Waka Flocka Flame, Ken Carson, and, of course, Chief Keef himself, the festival had to be evacuated due to “high winds.” This left eager attendees concerned, angry, and confused — factors perhaps exacerbated by intense heat, a myriad of whichever substances may have allegedly snuck their way in past lovely venue security staff, and a heavy police presence. The looming threat of the whole fest getting shut down for good only made matters more serious for those who had waited all weekend for Chief Keef’s set. Luckily, the gates reopened after roughly an hour of crowds lingering just outside the festival grounds. As fans rushed to reclaim their spots, assess the now-reconfigured lineup, and get back to the action, a collective sense of relief swept the festival grounds.

In just minutes, performances had resumed. Most seemed to have been re-energized by the impromptu intermission, as well as the much-needed temperature drop caused by a brief downpour. Due to the evacuation, each artist’s set had to be pushed back, meaning there were shorter breaks between them. Now-back-to-back performances left little to no opportunity for a lull in the crowd’s energy. However, as the clock struck 9 p.m., Chief Keef was nowhere in sight. After a few minutes, people became antsy, rubber-necking the stage as mumblings of what was taking so long moved through the sea of people. Unfortunately, this would continue for quite some time. Sosa didn’t make it onto the stage until over half an hour after he was scheduled to begin.

Chief Keef Performs In Chicago For The First Time In Over A Decade

Once he finally did make his entrance, he was welcomed by a greeting best described as thunderous. Fans knew they were witnessing history in the making, and after a day plagued by uncertainty, they were grateful that the most eagerly anticipated moment of the weekend was finally underway. This was the first time the drill pioneer performed in his hometown of Chicago in over a decade. It felt like the peak of the tremendous hometown pride on display all weekend. He opened with the intro from his latest release, Almighty So 2, and the crowd went wild. “I’m back motherf*cker,” he declared, marking the start of something no less than explosive.

Chief Keef rolled right into “Treat Myself,” another fan-favorite from his new album, before diving into some older material. This is when things became truly electric. He moved through cuts like “B*tch Where,” “Kay Kay,” and more in a celebration of the decade-plus-long discography that brought him to the top. He even brought out fellow Chicago MC G Herbo for a performance of “Who Run It,” his eldest daughter, and more.

Sosa Comes Home

Chief Keef Returns To Chicago For Summer Smash 2024: Review — Chief Keef performs during the Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash Festival at SeatGeek Stadium on June 16, 2024 in Bridgeview, Illinois. (Photo by Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images)

Chief Keef took a momentary pause before crashing into “Faneto,” and for obvious reasons, the crowd lit up. This was the first time ever that Chicago fans saw a live rendition of the hit. It was followed by even more classics before the show ended with a fireworks display. Attendees were amped as ever after songs like “Love Sosa” and “I Don’t Like.” Then, the show was cut off. It seemed as though things ended sooner than anyone involved would have liked. It left no time for other major hits, though this was clearly out of Chief Keef’s control. Unfortunately, it managed to dull the shine of the finale and led to some confusion onstage.

This confusion wasn’t exclusive to the finale either, as it was prevalent at other points in the show. For instance, while the crowd swelled with excitement during the intro to “Love Sosa,” Rara ran out to give fans a live version of his infamous rant. In a bizarre turn of events, he was promptly thrown to the ground by security and escorted off the stage. The worrisome mix-up took away from the powerful moment and left some questioning if it could have been avoided. Overall, the performance left little to be desired. Chief Keef and his crew’s energy was on ten, and his historic return certainly lived up to fans’ high expectations.

The post Chief Keef’s Explosive Summer Smash Performance Was The Homecoming Fans Were Begging For: Review appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Bad Bunny Finally Comes Home & Closes His “Most Wanted” Tour With Stellar Puerto Rican Shows: Review

June 10, 2024 by newhiphopnews

San Juan, Puerto Rico’s José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum had likely never seen as many cowboy hats before the night of Friday, June 7. Dozens of thousands of fans arrived at the first of three sold-out nights hosted by Bad Bunny, officially culminating his “Most Wanted” North American tour. This supported the superstar’s latest album, 2023’s nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana, and despite its distinct Western theme, it’s also clear that this is the rollout most overtly dedicated to his home since the X100PRE days, and even that’s a stretch. Sure, he always reps Boricua culture, and that obviously translates swimmingly to the most well-equipped crowd in the world to sing along with him. But PR heard nadie sabe first with a listening party, and culminating its tour by coming back home makes that pride all the more potent.

Furthermore, one of the most viral quotes from this three-night stay at “El Choli” is an accurate assessment: if you’ve seen Bad Bunny perform, but haven’t seen a Puerto Rico show, you haven’t seen him perform at all (speaking selfishly, let’s keep it that way if you’re not Boricua). With an extra hour of runtime compared to his other “Most Wanted” dates, more special guests, and PR-specific embellishments and set-ups, the leader of “La Nueva Religión” went all out… what else is new? This writer’s seen BadBo about six times, from sweaty PR high school homecoming parties in 2016 all the way to headlining Philadelphia’s Made In America festival in 2022. While a lot of what made this San Juan show on June 7 so great is par the course for him, many factors cemented this among his most successful performance runs yet.

Bad Bunny’s Evolution As A Performer

Así arrancó el Most Wanted Tour de Bad Bunny en el Coliseo de Puerto Rico pic.twitter.com/FlbcepvGWR

— NotiCel (@noticel) June 8, 2024

Bad Bunny’s growth behind the mic and amid a spotlit stage paid off in dividends with this “Most Wanted” opening show in Puerto Rico. He hits his high notes more consistently, rips through his verses with more energy, seems entirely self-aware and calm when it comes to his body language and stage awareness, and remained consistently engaged with crowd energies. Sometimes, Benito fell victim to audio syncing and mic volume issues that have plagued previous PR shows. But with each whack at this curveball throughout his career, he’s gotten better at checking himself and mitigating the situation on the spot. Most importantly, the 30-year-old gave the crowd heart-to-heart moments, albeit less than usual. He spoke on his insecurities as a global titan, thanking his day ones (or day zeros, as he often refers to Boricuas), and inspiring and supporting the youth.

Furthermore, Bad Bunny’s stage presence and set-up for this show surely captivated many first-time concert-goers in attendance. Two small stages held most of the action: one was at one extreme of the coliseum, and the other was about two-thirds of the way to the other side, leaving the general admission crowd in the middle. Above them was a massive railway that rotated so that he could walk out and be closer to many different parts of the venue. The Vega Bajeño always ensures maximum engagement across all price points and altitude levels. With fireworks, psychedelic and nimble lighting, multi-faceted choreography with around 20 dancers, Jumbotron visual effects, and live musical performance elements we’ll get to soon, you are just as prone to falling into a trance whether you’re in the front row or “cambiando bombillas” in the nosebleeds.

Benito’s Most Cohesive Setlist

Bad Bunny interpretando “LA SANTA” en su primer show en Puerto Rico pic.twitter.com/JRsiQD3lIl

— DIOS BUNNY (@diosbunnyy) June 8, 2024

Bad Bunny, the madman that he is, ran through 49 songs on June 7 and still missed so many of his biggest hits. But what felt different about this “Most Wanted” tour stop was how deliberate, cohesive, and thematically structured the run of tracks felt. First off, the Philharmonic Orchestra Project, directed by Colombian musician Carlitos Lopez, played the Puerto Rican national anthem and three other pieces before B.B. emerged with “NADIE SABE.” The nadie sabe focus persisted until these classic Latin trap-inspired cuts transitioned into… you guessed it: El Conejo Malo’s classic Latin trap.

Some more nadie sabe records followed, then an acoustic rendition of many of his sadder and more love-centric songs with pianist Tiffany Román, and finally, a collection of his reggaetón bangers and Boricua-pride-themed anthems. A “batucada” (percussive ensemble) walked out onstage and ended the night with a rendition of “El Apagón” alongside Bad Bunny, complete with “cabezudos” and a dancer waving the Puerto Rican flag with a Palestinian one painted on.

Special guests on June 7 included some of PR’s new and old leaders: Young Miko, Mora, Bryant Myers, De La Ghetto, Ñengo Flow, and Arcángel. Yet they didn’t overshadow the significance that this setlist structure offered. Rather than stick to the script and go to this album’s hits, then this one’s, and so on, Bad Bunny outlined a more nuanced and emotionally progressive view of his artistry and its many facets compared to setlists of years past. There were also particularly impressive remixes of certain tracks, such as killer bass and strings on “MR. OCTOBER,” a particularly gorgeous “Si Estuviésemos Juntos” take, and an absolutely nasty and industrial electronic outro for “BATICANO.”

“Ahora Estoy En Mi Prime”

This electric and satisfying setlist was also bolstered by some visual elements, namely two short videos. A compilation of previous concert footage, horseback riding, Boricua views and citizens, and narration from Bad Bunny himself provided a reflection on how he chose to end the “Most Wanted” tour in San Juan, Puerto Rico because this excitement to play at home was what fueled his travels in the rest of North America. This played at the beginning, and another horse-backed clip about halfway through emphasized the loneliness that his fame and status created in him, not just in relation to the wider pop culture and celebrity sphere worldwide, but in PR itself. After all, attendees were notified before the show started that they would probably appear in the concert taping that most Puerto Rican movie theaters played live on Friday and Saturday night.

With so many shows under Benito’s belt, so much global success, and such a proud Puerto Rican identity, it can feel like he’s at a disconnect with his roots, his career, and his personal life no matter what he does. It’s the celebrity machine eating away at the spirit that blew us away with “Tu No Vive Asi,” “Diles,” and many more SoundCloud standards almost a decade ago. But more so than he did overseas, Bad Bunny backed up his impassioned professions of love and gratitude for the archipelago, its people, and his loved ones with a performance worthy of that emotion, perhaps the worthiest on a technical level since his ascent. There’s a well-worn rawness and familiarity to his PR shows that wasn’t lost here, a repetitive but inexplicably special quality that his superstardom should never take for granted.

The post Bad Bunny Finally Comes Home & Closes His “Most Wanted” Tour With Stellar Puerto Rican Shows: Review appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Doja Cat Bites Back With Intoxicating “Scarlet” Tour

December 1, 2023 by newhiphopnews

With audiences and critics’ unrestricted access to the inner happenings of creatives (in various mediums) reaching a new frontier, the delineation between music, personal circumstances, and the demands of a fanbase is rapidly evaporating. Every statement and motion magnified to the umpteenth power, the lens can begin to shift away from what matters most: the music.

Some artists, though, take it upon themselves to step out of that perpetual game of cat and mouse, taking the art in a direction that may seem jarring to others, but feels true to themselves. In this moment, the union of intention and intangibles creates something honest, and in that sense, undeniable.

Enter: Doja Cat

The full-on megastardom brought about by her 2019 album Hot Pink came along with the inevitable magnification of one’s entire existence. 2021’s Planet Her only continued the ascent, multiplying the spectator’s angle of view. These facets of artistry/industry all came to a head when Doja decided to make a blatant shift in aesthetic, ditching the bubblegum for something much more abrasive, and in many ways, more tactile. New haircut. New style. And a new (or moreso revealed) musical approach.

In the period after Planet Her, Doja Cat released tracks such as “Paint The Town Red” and “Attention.” The latter truly set the tone for the potent rapping that would take place on her 2023 album Scarlet. In fact, the former set the stage for an unforgettable spectacle that tour attendees won’t soon forget.

Doja Cat Weaves Her Web

.@DojaCat performing “Demons” in a stunning look tonight in Washington, DC! #TheScarletTour pic.twitter.com/HQInw23Xot

— Scarlet Tour Updates (@ScarletTour) November 28, 2023

Akin to watching a fully fleshed-out horror film or dark anime i.e. Devil May Cry, Doja Cat leaned into the Scarlet theme with reckless, yet somehow meticulous, abandon. Draped in all red regalia during a dramatic intro accompanied by a string section, she then burst into full energetic bravado for “WYM Freestyle.” The visual backing then transitioned the audience into a jarring, captivating performance of “Demons.” A mechanical black spider, of which seemed to be all of 20+ feet tall with red, piercing eyes, added an intimidation factor incredibly early in the show. This, coupled with her immaculate breath control told everyone one thing – Doja Cat means business.

She rounded out the first act with “Tia Tamera” and “Shutcho,” instantly garnering massive crowd engagement. The choreography began to ramp up, and the presentation of the dancers left nothing to be desired. The characters in the ‘Scarlet’ theatre embodied each scene, whether with fervent aggression, tender sensuality, or tangible culminations of both. The aforementioned sensuality began to display itself more during the final song of this act, “Agora Hills,” and would continue to reprise its role in the acts to come.

Standing At Attention

As mentioned in the intro, the June 2023 single “Attention” signified an aesthetic and energetic shift for Doja Cat. The same can be said for its iteration as the first track in Act II. There was a fierce focus in her delivery of the verses. Moreover, the choreography was much less dance-based and served as interactive sculptures around different moments of the song. Even the accompanying screens and effects were ever-so-slightly more subdued, directing every anticipating eye to the star of the show.

Following that was a sonically stunning performance of “Often,” but what came next was a shock. After filling the crowd in about some details of a voice ailment she was dealing with, out spilled the lyrics “I’ve got a red room, it is the red hour when the sun sets in my bedroom.” This was a thematically poignant, gorgeous cover of “Red Room” by the ever-transcendent Hiatus Kaiyote. This tied together her performance. Not to mention, it also displayed Doja’s ear and creative choices to a heightened extent.

She closed Act II with a rousing performance of “Ain’t Shit,” an obvious fan favorite, then dove headfirst into the next segment of this spectacle.

Still Superstar Status

The intention behind the cinema that is Scarlet still stands strong. However, shedding the pop-star persona for something that aligns more with her creative approach just works. Doja Cat still has a plethora of crowd-moving mega-hits in her arsenal. Act III was a showcase of metaphorical (and literal) firepower, as she rattled off hit after hit, with various pyrotechnics aplenty setting the scenery ablaze.

In succession, the crowd was delighted by “Woman,” an afrobeats-inspired mix of “Say So,” “Get Into It (Yuh),” “Need To Know,” and “Kiss Me More.” As if some of her hottest tracks weren’t enough to elevate the temperature in the building, intricate lasers, thermal optic sights, and a kiss cam took the act to a different degree. Doja’s screams of “KISS EACH OTHER” served as an entry point for what was next to come.

Paint The Streets Red

Being her “biggest rap hit” in terms of sales numbers, “Paint The Town Red” was yet another eye-catching single released prior to the unveiling of ‘Scarlet.’ One issue with people’s understanding of artistry – or lack thereof – is they begin to attach unrelated context that was never intended.

Doja Cat never said she would no longer make hit music. The perpetual bubblegum pop aesthetic – coupled with a lack of awareness for her lyrical prowess and penmanship – simply called for a drastic enough redirect to be intentional, visible, and most importantly, effective. Performing the track with a massive sentient eyeball alongside her on stage acted as an omni-directional lens: everyone is intent on looking at and analyzing her, while she now has the wherewithal to keep an eye on everyone else.

Following that display of multi-level understanding, Doja shifted the atmosphere back to palpable sensuality. “Streets,” the most sonically sultry of her hits, received a performance in equal measure. “Painting the town red” was seemingly not enough. Standing alone, she instead opted to delve into a visual masterpiece in performance art all her own. She communicated each brush stroke through music and motion. The dance of the cosmos, in miniature. In an act of beautiful juxtaposition, she then performed a reverberating, raucous “FTG.” She did this alongside more flames and intensified choreography to close Act IV.

Doja Goes Off

Numerous tracks encapsulate the essence of the ‘Scarlet’ cinematic experience. “Go Off” and “Ouchies” leading into “Wet Vagina” is an incredibly vivid illustration. The nonchalant braggadocio, tailing into ruthless lyrical aggression, all spiraling into uncensored, unfiltered outbursts truly created an experience that Doja Cat may currently have a monopoly on.

The live band, of which was stellar throughout the entire night, put on an absolute masterclass during the closing act. Each riff added dimensions that speak to the reasons live concerts are regarded so highly. The drummer was phenomenal, with impeccable timing alongside the electronic bass hits and ghost notes that rounded out each verse in pristine fashion.

Capping off the spectacle was an amalgamation of the effects present within the duration of the show. Fireworks, pyro, lasers, screen flares and flashes – whatever your mind can construe, it played a role in bringing down the curtain exquisitely for the parting act. One thing is astonishingly clear – with this echelon of artistry, Doja Cat will be painting towns in whichever color she feels for many years to come.

The post Doja Cat Bites Back With Intoxicating “Scarlet” Tour appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Concert Review: Travis Scott Turned So-Fi Stadium Into “Utopia” For A Night

November 8, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Travis Scott made history at the SoFi Stadium on Sunday, November 5th. He brought his electrifying Utopia – Circus Maximus Tour to the stadium in Inglewood, California, and it was an experience to remember. This larger-than-life spectacle was a sensory overload, to say the least. It defied the boundaries of a traditional concert. In fact, Scott transported the audience to his world, or his UTOPIA. Complete with a stage that resembled a rock trail, an ambiance that consisted of cricket sounds, and an eerie smoke coming from the stage, it was anything but average. UTOPIA was the album released this year, five years after his last full-length studio project ASTROWORLD. The project came off as one of the most cohesive bodies of work of Scott’s career thus far, and it earned him a No. 1 spot on Billboard’s coveted Top 200 chart.

As far as transporting audiences to utopia, Travis did just that. Teezo Touchdown was the show’s opener, and he enchanted audiences with his performance. From the moment the lights dimmed, the atmosphere crackled with anticipation. Flames erupted from the stage as music began to play, adding to the intensity of the evening. The rock stage design seemed to have a life of its own, with flames spontaneously shooting up during select moments. Although most of the setlist consisted of music from Travis’ latest album Utopia, he did in fact sprinkle in a few fan favorites from his discography.

Travis Scott Transported People To Utopia

In fact, he started the set with “Hyena,” and “Thank God,” which set the energy for the night and definitely got the crowd hyped. These two songs are also the first to appear in chronological order on the album, too. Around 10 o’clock, a robotic, AI-sounding female voice pleasantly prepared people for Scott’s lively entrance. Throughout the stadium, her voice could be heard announcing, “Greetings from Utopia. Before the show starts, open that s**t up.” The robot was referring to the mosh pits that tend to ensue at Travis Scott’s concerts. Finally, about 20 minutes after the announcement was made, Travis Scott made his grand entrance. Following the first two songs “Hyena” and “Thank God,” he went into “Modern Jam” with Teezo Touchdown, followed up with “Aye” and then performed “sdp interlude.”

The energy increased throughout the stadium with each song becoming more and more high-energy. There was even one moment when some fans tried hopping over the barricade to get to the floor. Some people made it, and ran off into the crowd. As more tried to jump the gate and get a front-row experience, security stopped that from happening. Moreover, towards the middle of the night, Scott kept the energy high. He performed three of his most popular songs, back-to-back, to which everyone knew the words. The songs were “Butterfly Effect,” “Highest In The Room,” and “Mamacita.” This was truly the peak of the night as the entire stadium filled with 70,000 people, was standing and singing each song word for word.

Scott Shared A Cute Moment With Stormi

His performance of “Mamacita” from 2014’s sophomore mixtape, Days Before Rodeo, was a highlight of the night. It’s a song that marked the early days of Travis Scott, and also signified his rise in the industry. He didn’t stop there with taking the audience back. In fact, he dug deeper into the archives to perform “90210” from his 2015 debut studio album, Rodeo. The energy was still pretty insane as the audience relived the classics.

The night took an unexpected family twist when Scott’s firstborn child, Stormi, made a surprise appearance. As the song “Mafia” played, Stormi made her cameo and rose onto the stage. With her fearless dad Travis Scott, the two rode the parasail structure together, harnessed in so that they could soar above the wild crowd. High above the mosh pits, fans witnessed an extraordinary father-daughter bonding moment, as Scott held Stormi’s hand the entire time. It was a cute moment to witness, for sure. In addition to bringing Stormi out, Scott was pretty interactive with his fans as well. He selected two people from the crowd to ride the parasail at one point during the show. Two men in green masks were selected to rage atop the rocks, definitely making their night.

But, that’s not all the surprises Scott had in store! He brought out King Vamp, also known as Playboi Carti to the stage for his performance of “Fe!n.” The song’s intro track played for at least 20 seconds before Carti emerged from the rocks. His surprise appearance had the crowd going crazy. It was definitely one of the most memorable surprise guest appearances of the night, and maybe even concert history, as the two powerhouses took the stage to turn the crowd up even more than they already were. It felt like an entire party inside the stadium as the flashing strobe lights made it feel like a club.

Travis Scott Brought Out Playboi Carti

After Playboi Carti’s appearance, Scott seamlessly segued into “Sicko Mode,” keeping the energy levels cranked up to eleven. His trusty DJ, Chase B, was the sonic conductor. He ensured every transition between tracks was a flawlessly orchestrated symphony. The entire concert felt like an unbroken, exhilarating flow of music and movement, a testament to Scott’s mastery in delivering an unforgettable live experience. The crowd was left in awe as the hits kept coming, making it a night to remember all the way through.

Finally, as the concert came to a close, it was clear that fans didn’t want the party to end. Before ending his set, he took a moment to thank his fans with a clever transition into his last song. “I never thought of this dream coming true, this night has given me beyond chills… I have goosebumps.” Furthermore, he closed out with a performance of “Goosebumps,” one of his most popular and well-known songs. As people were walking out, “Telekinesis” played in the background. The night ended far too soon!

In retrospect, it was an unforgettable night that’s going down in concert history. Travis Scott delivered an incredible performance, spanning from classics like “Mamacita” to the crowd-favorite “Highest In The Room.” Stormi’s adorable cameo and Playboi Carti’s electric performance of “Fe!n” added extra layers of magic to the evening. The audience was caught in a euphoric trance, wishing for the night to last forever. It was a party that transcended time and left a mark on all who were fortunate enough to be part of it.

The post Concert Review: Travis Scott Turned So-Fi Stadium Into “Utopia” For A Night appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Burna Boy Is The Perfect Ambassador For Afrobeats

November 6, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Over the past few years, as Nigerian pop music — also known as Afrobeats, perhaps a bit reductively — has grown more popular stateside, the artist who has emerged as the central focus for the movement is Burna Boy. Amid a constellation of rising stars such as Asake, Davido, Rema, and Wizkid, his has been the one that burns the brightest. From a semi-coincidental US breakout to becoming the first Nigerian musician to headline an American stadium tour (more on that later), Burna has become the most recognizable face of the genre and its unofficial ambassador from his homeland to the “land of opportunity.”

Of course, I knew all this going into the Los Angeles stop of his I Told Them… Tour Friday at BMO Stadium (home of the Los Angeles FC and Angel City FC soccer teams). But I was still unprepared for the show of sheer enthusiasm from the massive crowd at the recently renamed stadium. While the crowd itself was visibly smaller than the venue’s capacity of 22,000 seats, its energy filled the space, making the misty late-night show feel like the crowded arena show it probably should have been (for the record, the nearby Crypto.com Arena seats 20,000).

While I was perfectly prepared to jibe at the African Giant’s self-aggrandizing decision to pursue the eyebrow-raising “first artist” headlines over the more pragmatic decision to sell out an ostensibly smaller venue (not to mention, the seating shell game used to achieve those headlines), by the time Burna was three songs into his setlist, I was not only converted but I also fully believed that Burna is the perfect ambassador for Afrobeats in the US.

Some of this is down to background info. Having written about the artist for the past five years, I’ve gleaned some insights into his politics, including a belief in the small-but-growing “One Africa” movement, and his insistence on fighting to clarify the Afrobeats moniker. Burna staunchly rejects the classification, preferring the term “Afro-fusion,” which he believes is both more accurate and less confusing, considering his countryman Fela Kuti pioneered a genre called Afrobeat (no “S”) over 40 years ago.

And while he believes that Africa, the continent, should be united under one banner — sort of the way the EU is made up of several different countries using similar trade and financial laws — he is careful to note that “Afrobeats” paints with a broad brush that doesn’t accurately distinguish between contemporary African music such as Amapiano, Coupé-Décalé, Ethio-jazz, Gqom, Makossa, Sungura, and more. There are so many different sub-genres, instruments, languages, and cultures, that the term Afrobeats can truly be seen as reductive (and often is, outside of Nigeria).

But the main aspect of Burna’s performance that makes him such a perfect ambassador for Afro-fusion is, naturally, the music, and the ease and confidence with which he performs it. While the music itself often expresses a joy that can’t be easily put into words (and certainly not in less than these 800 characters), what I can say is I’ve never seen any artist appear to enjoy themselves onstage as much as Burna. Longtime readers will know: that’s a LOT of artists.

Both his ear-to-ear grin and his lighthearted, sometimes goofy dancing are infectious. Security gave up trying to keep concertgoers out of the aisles almost immediately on Friday, recognizing quickly that maintaining neat little lines would not only be impossible but ill-advised. You’ve probably seen how energetic some African dances can get; folks all around dipped and swayed and dropped down with the sort of urgency and stamina that would even make Megan Thee Stallion’s adamantium knees cry out for assistance.

Meanwhile, despite Burna’s lyrics mostly being in the pidgin Yoruba spoken among natives of the region, the crowd seemed to know every word, singing along like they were his real background vocalists (both sounded spectacular). He exhibited immaculate crowd control with call-and-response segments that brought the spirits of the ancestors out of the audience — even those without African ancestry (a group of SWANA guys behind me were having so much fun dancing in the aisle, it seemed like Burna’s dream of a united Africa was much closer than it might be in reality).

And even after the set lulled an hour in when Burna played most of his slow songs back-to-back (this after starting after 10 pm), he snatched the crowd back to wakefulness with joyous anthems like “It’s Plenty” and his breakout hit “Ye” before closing with his biggest hit to date, “Last Last.” That’s a guy who knows how to finish a show (confetti rain, band vamps, the whole shebang). With Burna Boy introducing more and more of the population to the music of his homeland, it makes perfect sense why Afrobeats is taking over the world.

Burna Boy is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.