It seemed too good to be true.
The lineup alone would make any rap enthusiast squeal with excitement. A more representative lineup of hip-hop’s imminent future couldn’t have been assembled.
Joey Bada$$’s most recent mixtape, 1999, bewildered critics due to its amalgamation of numerous East Coast rap beats and textures. His aloof lyrical style only added to the record’s mystique, eventually allowing him to spit a verse on the critically acclaimed A$AP Rocky album, LongLiveA$AP.
Flatbush Zombies’ relations with A$AP have also catapulted the rising group to more mainstream success, as the group’s controversial track, “Bath Salts,” has become every suburban white kid’s anthem.
Even the Underachievers duo has seen explosive Internet success. They possess a combined age of 43, but their debut mixtape, Indigoism, was significant enough to gain a major label record deal with Flying Lotus.
Bringing these underground heroes last Friday to the basement feel of Memorial Union’s Der Rathskeller was indisputable. It should have been the proverbial perfect storm.
The actual show, however, failed to meet the insurmountable hype.
First, the stage height became problematic for those towards the back, as each artist became a headshot. Many attendees clambered on top of tables, benches, and chairs to gain even the slightest glimpse of the performers. Unfortunately, Union staff scolded such efforts and even ejected more than a handful of concertgoers.
Even more troublesome was the crowd itself. Expectedly, rap shows promote reckless behavior from fans. Yet, the sparse security couldn’t handle the rowdy mosh pits. More than 45 minutes of delay ensued, the show almost canceled just before Joey Bada$$’s set. Once packed with excited fans, the Rathskeller held only a small handful of disinterested and lackluster fans by the concert’s end.
This is not to say the artists performed like the feverish crowd. Rather than allowing newly acquired fame lead to an overinflated ego, every emcee rapped with intensity and laughed along at the crowd antics. The Underachievers even made a conscious effort to interact with individual fans after their set.
Overall, this experience wouldn’t deter me from attending a show billing the same artists. However, it would need an entirely new setting. While I certainly appreciate the effort, witnessing highly skilled rappers be underappreciated and disrespected by their supposed fans for a second time would just be saddening.