I’ll start this off by saying I’m someone who has absolutely zero musical talent. That said, I respect artists who get up on stage night in and night out to bare their soul in front of complete strangers. However, I have been to way too many concerts where, no matter what, the crowd shows no attention for the opening act(s). Countless shows have resulted in me getting relatively close to the stage for the opener and having plenty of room, until the headliner comes on, then all of a sudden I'm a sardine in a can. Which don't get me wrong concerts live and die by how the crowd behaves so I'm glad they are getting up for at least somebody, but wish it was sooner.
I feel as I'm sounding like an old man yelling at the cloud that people are not doing enough homework before shows to maximize the experience. I love getting the opportunity to see an artist grow and for the most part these talents are just beginning their careers. Some (my wife) say I'm a hipster because I like finding new artists on the come up, but to me it's about the feeling of discovering another sound to add to the library. Spotify and other streaming services have made it extremely easy to do this, but having a reason to check out a new act gives me a good starting point.
Hip-Hop music has been a huge influence on my life for roughly 15 years. My music library has grown tremendously, however, the featured musicians in this article all have some roots in rap. The point of this article is to spotlight five voices I wouldn’t have heard had they not been apart of a show I was going to. Whether you call it fate or luck, the five talented people below have had a hugely positive effect on my life. They are not ranked in any particular order, but they are the five I generally think of when I've thought about how many great artists I've discovered because of them opening the shows.
Anderson .Paak
Recommended Tracks: Might Be (Venice); The Season | Carry Me (Malibu); Bubblin’ (Bubblin’ - Single)
I saw Anderson .Paak live when he toured with Watsky back in 2014. He was the hype man and one of the openers on that cold, snowy night. He held my attention the whole time. His raw energy and passion oozed during his time on stage. Also, I'm a sucker for live drumming and Anderson is one of the most talented I've seen.
After his set, I bought his debut album Venice and I’m ashamed to say that it gathered dust on my bookshelf for quite some time. Then, while perusing the internet one day, I saw his name on a couple Dr. Dre tracks for Dre’s new album at the time: Compton. This peaked my curiosity, and with some newfound motivation, I finally blessed my ears with the sweetness that is Anderson .Paak's music. As I repeatedly played Venice, and any other of .Paak's music I could find, I continuously questioned myself and wondered, why did I put this off so long?
The only good thing about waiting so long was I didn't have to wait as long for his new music to drop. I instantly bought Malibu when it dropped, and again was sucked in. .Paak has such a fun style. He can spit bars, sing with the best of them, and his vocals always mesh perfectly with the instrumentals. .Paak continuously finds ways to evolve and grow his sound in fresh and exciting ways.
It’s been a blast to see such a truly talented musician rise up the charts with no end in sight. Of all the openers I’ve seen over the years he has definitely become the most well known. While tickets to his shows are out of my budget at this point, I hope to vibe out to .Paak destroying some drums again some day. Until then I’ve got albums old and new to tide me over.
Blueprint
Recommended Tracks: Keep Bouncing (Adventures In Counter-Culture); Go Hard or Go Home (Adventures In Counter-Culture); Don’t Look Back (Two-Headed Monster)
I first saw Blueprint live when he went on tour with Macklemore back in 2011. I had been a Rhymesayers stan for about five years at the time, but for whatever reason Blueprint kind of slipped under my radar. I'd heard tracks here and there, namely his bigger hits like Boombox and some songs he was featured on, but never really took a dive into his discography until I found out he was opening for Macklemore. That’s when I found out he had a deep catalog full of wonderful music. For real, Printmatic hasn’t put out a bad album or anything close to weak. It was about time I finally stopped hitting snooze on the alarm clock and woke up.
I don't remember too much about the show itself. What stands out in my memory is hanging around the venue after the show was over. I always love when musicians hang out after their sets. At the same time, I also completely understand when someone has to bounce right away, but if they do kick it, then I always try to stick around to chat. I always end up spending way too much money while talking, but that's a whole different topic for another time. Blueprint and my I’s conversation may not have been very long, but I walked away a huge fan. He was humble, respectful, and you could feel how much he loved his craft. I bought a copy of his new album Adventures in Counter Culture and I was blown away. It is a truly fresh and unique album that I needed at the time. Seriously, like go buy that album now. (Also buy the book he wrote with a track by track breakdown)
Since that concert I've seen him about 4 or 5 more times. It didn't matter if he was the opener or headliner, playing to a big crowd or twenty people, he always played his music for the fans that showed up and had a great time doing it. Also he has a key-tair he pulls out and plays for a couple songs. It's been eight-ish years since the first concert and about a year since the last time I saw Print. All I can say is if he’s in your area be sure to check him out!
Daye Jack
Recommended Tracks: Casino (No Data); Finish Line (No Data); No Data (No Data)
I had the opportunity to see Daye as both a new fan and a much more familiar fan within a relatively short period of time. The first time was when he opened for Watsky back in 2017 and the second was on his tour with K.Flay. If the show had just been Daye I wouldn’t have been disappointed either. He puts on a wonderful show filled with energy and songs that are perfect for a live setting.
Daye Jack has a very bright future. The music he puts out is super accessible and fits for whatever mood I'm in. The music is fun, deep, and he flows with style. His 2017 album, No Data, continues to crack in my top twenty or so albums of all time, surpassing many favorites along the way. As Daye's music continues to grow, and with a new album seemingly on the way, I'm hoping I'll get the chance to finish the concert hat trick.
Lizzo
Recommended Tracks: Juice (Juice - Single); Good As Hell (Coconut Butter); Truth Hurts (Truth Hurts - Single)
Lizzo was a part of a top three concert that I've been to. I finally made the trek to the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado and not only that, I got to see Atmosphere and Brother Ali (two of my all time favorites). However, in the shadow of these personal giants Lizzo stood her own. Unfortunately, this show snuck up on me so I wasn’t able to listen to much Lizzo beforehand, but afterwards I have found plenty of Lizzo time.
Lizzo's positive attitude was infectious and even though I didn't know her music very well, I found myself trying to sing along. On top of all that, this girl can move. The whole set she was bouncing around the stage with her backup dancers, which added that extra zing to her set. I've been to shows where it doesn't even look like the musician is having a good time, so it's always refreshing where the polar opposite happens. If the artist puts forth the effort then you've at least got my attention, and Lizzo had my complete attention.
If her EP Coconut Butter and her newest singles are any indication of what her next full length album is going to be, then we've got a potential classic album on our hands. Juice, one of her latest singles, is a legit 2019 song of the year candidate. If I ever need a quick pick me up, Lizzo's music is always at the top of my list.
Toki Wright
Recommended Tracks: You Know (Pangea); Apex (Pangea); More Fiya (A Different Mirror)
The last rapper on this list was the opener for my first concert (well except that Breaking Benjamin and Three Days Grace one, but we don't talk about that). Being my first hip-hop show, I had no idea what to expect, but as we crowded into the smallish space and the concert began I got an amazing first show I’d never forget. It was the Omaha stop of the Fresh Air Tour back in 2009, and I'd mainly been there to see Brother Ali. I don't think I had any clue who Toki Wright was at the time, but if Brother Ali rocked with him then he couldn't be bad. I may not always be right, but in this instance I was . Like Blueprint, I got the chance to chop it up a bit with Toki after the show and I knew that I’d have to make room in the CD player on the way home.
Fast forward ten years and many, many missed Toki Wright shows due to various reasons (I did happen to catch one other show) he still gets pretty heavy repeats in my rotation. He has a very “your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper” vibe about him that I love. In fact, it’s not hard for him to steal the spotlight from whatever song he might be the guest spot on. Toki’s flow is versatile and sounds good no matter what beat he’s on. His music has a raw passion to it that sets him apart from a lot of other music in my library. I’m glad that Toki was there to bring in my first hip-hop show and that I’ve gotten the pleasure of hearing his music for almost ten years now.
Comments