Big Sean, CyHi the Prynce, Shawn Chrystopher, Nickelus F (with Conrizzle), Suburban District
Wednesday, October 5 at The National
Make no mistake, Big Sean is “Famous.” The Detroit native welcomed a large hip-hop crowd to The National Wednesday night; headlining a night of GOOD Music. Thanks to my friends over at Slapdash (Cain McCoy and Octavion Xcellence), who had their hands full all night, I was able catch a good part of Big Sean’s sound check. I’m not saying sound checks do not happen in hip-hop, but they do not happen often enough. It was impressive to see how seriously Big Sean takes his performance. He was changing segments on the fly and working hard to make sure every song was right for the fans. His preparation would pay off for him later in the night. Sound check also allowed me to see the dedication of the The National, one of Richmond’s premier music venues. Unfortunately, poor sound quality is too common in a hip-hop concerts; that was not the case Wednesday night.
Big Sean’s fans starting lining-up outside The National around 5:00 PM. When the show started, the early fans were treated to RVA hip-hop in the form of Suburban District and Nickelus F. This was my first time seeing Suburban District; their style was definitely a good fit for a Big Sean concert. Tim Porter, Fair, and Octavion Xcellence do not disguise who they are or where they’re from. They stay true to their roots on stage with rhymes about RVA culture, their lifestyle and personal swag. Fully equipped with red solo cups, Suburban District let the crowd know that they are always down for a good house party. Shouting out VCU, they performed with high energy and character; selecting a few tracks from their Don’t Mind Us, We're Just the Future record. Producer and emcee Conrizzle joined the District on stage at the end of their set, along with Nickelus F, to close out the performance. Before Suburban District left the building, they broke some news exclusively to RVA Mag; the name of their upcoming album will be titled Beer for Breakfast. So be on the lookout for Beer and Breakfast from Suburban District coming soon.
Fresh off of blazing the RVA Music Fest, Nickelus F and Conrizzle killed another Richmond stage Wednesday night. There is not much I can say about Nickelus F that RVA hip-hop fans don’t already know, but I will say that the underground hype is real. Once again, Nick F performed some new tracks from the upcoming release Faces; "SMH," the lead track from Faces, is a smash. F along with Conrizzle makes one of the best (if not the best) onstage combos I’ve seen currently going in RVA hip-hop. Conrizzle’s tracks, hooks, and rhyming flow make a strong live performance even stronger, and the track "Swangin" should be in your Ipod right now. Don’t worry, Nickelus F fans; he told me that Faces is coming real soon.
After a brief break for a stage change, Inglewood, Cali native Shawn Chrystopher took the stage. The least known member of the traveling Finally Famous Tour, Shawn had a huge 2010 on the mixtape scene and has been grinding hard in 2011. Known for his production as much as his lyrics, Chrystopher showed the onstage savvy that he has gained from two previous nationwide tours. His set was high energy and he had good command of a crowd that was not too familiar with his music. For those of you who are not familiar with Shawn Chrystopher, take a listen to the single "Catch Me If You Can" and his 2010 album, You And Only You, to get a feel for his lyrics and production.
Following Shawn Chrystopher it was officially time for GOOD Music. ATL’s own CyHi The Prynce introduced himself as the newest member of Kayne’s label, but most of the crowd already knew that from his active work on Ye’s Good Friday Mixtape and the chart topping My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Hip-hop really has evolved over the years; it struck me during CyHi’s set that years ago, a record label like Bad Boy would have made an emcee with his talent wear a shiny suit to sell records. A few years later, Ruff Ryders or G-Unit would have asked CyHi to be perceived as the hardest rapper to ever come out of the ATL. But in 2011, and on GOOD Music, CyHi The Prynce--relaxed, sporting a white tee, Atlanta Hawks hat, and the official GOOD Music Jesus piece--had fun onstage, showing everyone in RVA that he is doing what he loves to do. He proved early why Mr. West wanted him on his team, opening his set with the freestyle he spit for the popular GOOD Music BET Cypher. He then went into tracks from his mixtape Royal Flush 2. "Bulletproof" and "So Emotional" got the crowd warmed up for the GOOD Friday release, "Looking for Trouble." CyHi engaged the crowd the whole set, shouting out RVA and acknowledging the college students in the building. He closed his set with the song "So Applaud." CyHi told the crowd that he can now feed his family off of rap because of that song. Be on the lookout for CyHi The Prynce’s first major label release, Hardway Musical, coming this fall.
It was then time for the Finally Famous emcee Big Sean. Though I am a fan of Big Sean’s debut album, I did have my doubts if he could headline such a large tour. My doubts were put to rest the moment Sean stepped onstage. As he walked onstage to the Finally Famous intro track, the RVA crowd had Sean’s back, from the opening song until the end of the show. Playing practically the entire Finally Famous album, Sean blazed the crowd with high energy tracks, "I Do It," "Dance (A$$)," "My House," and "Live This Life." He slowed it down with "Memories" and "Don’t Tell Me You Love Me." He also performed the songs "Meant to Be" and "What U Doing" from the Finally Famous Vol. 3 mixtape, and introduced a new up-tempo track, "I Keep It G." Even though Big Sean was doing his thing onstage and the crowd was rocking with him, there was still a rumor floating around the National, started by a Big Sean tweet earlier in the day, that he “may” have a special guest for the RVA crowd. While the majority of the crowd was guessing that Chris Brown was in the building, it delighted most true hip-hop heads when Sean brought out his GOOD Music label mate and Virginia Beach native, Pusha T. Pusha blessed the crowd with a verse from the Clipse’s classic "Grindin" and then his latest single, "My God." It was a pleasant surprise for the night. Sean closed out the set with his two biggest singles, "My Last" (with Chris Brown’s voice coming from the dj booth), and "Marvin and Chardonnay."
Somewhere in the middle of the show Big Sean asked the crowd how many of the audience were fans of what he called the new generation. He listed Drake, Wale, J Cole, and Nicki Minaj as examples of this movement. He then told the crowd that’s where he feels hip-hop is right now. While time will tell if these emcees will have the longevity of Kanye, Jay, Snoop, and Eminem, they are off to a solid start. Blessed with creative freedom and a DIY mentality, they are not waiting for record labels or cosigns, though Sean has successfully landed both. At 23, he is an example of dreaming big and staying focused. And he headlined a great show in Richmond.