LA REEZY
21-year-old New Orleans rapper La Reezy came out in support of Chance the Rapper fresh on the heels of his latest release, Skiddle Bandana. And, man, did he come out.
From the moment he hit the stage with a fixed cameraman acting as his shadow from a non-invasive distance and an exceptionally talented keyboardist/DJ, his energy was palpable. Oozing with vitality, fierce flow, and an immense level of deep gratitude expressed between songs, it wasn’t hard to instantly get onboard with the young MC.
Musically, he was pretty much the most perfect choice to support Chance’s ten-year celebration of the heavily gospel-influenced Coloring Book. La Reezy harbors many of the same musical tendencies as early Chance, with a propensity for tight lyrical delivery and joyful movement. “Let’s boogie” was a mantra as he let loose, navigating the stage and delivering every single line with precision and a sense of excitement that can be all-too rare in the world of live rap performances.
At the midpoint, he explained how he started all this at age 14 and went to his dad for money to record his first tracks. Playing the role of both his past self and his father, he performed a brief one-man skit in which his father requested to hear the musi,c and he responded in kind with a hyper-fast, bravado-laced rap, to which his “father” gave him a reality check, pointing out that he, in fact, had no haters and no guns. It was a moment of levity, sure, but also a deep self-reflection on the man La Reezy sought to become. The level of self-awareness at such a young age is refreshing, but also clearly served to catapult him into the self-love and contemplative nature of his current output and persona.
Throughout his set, La Reezy never ceased to express love and gratitude to the audience, imploring everyone to take heed of the fact that they were born with purpose and no one can take that away.
It wasn’t so much a sermon as it was a congregation-sized plea for self-love, self-respect, and belief in oneself. And his sincerity, coupled with the music, allowed the message to be received in earnest without veering into pandering or "empty platitudes territory." It was wholly sincere, and you could genuinely tell he meant every word he spoke. It was not lost on him that he was performing to a dedicated crowd of music lovers, opening for an icon at 21 years old. And the crowd was all-in. The Fillmore is usually a 50/50 shot for openers to get the attention from the full crowd, and, by the time he was starting his second song, La Reezy was commanding the attention of the crowd at near capacity.
From directed hand movements, throwing up Ls (for La Reezy, of course), callbacks, and singalongs, the crowd, whether actually familiar with lyrics or not, gave the impression of a fanbase coming out just for him. Maybe it was just a perfect overlap with Chance fans, but whatever the case, it created an atmosphere of joy that carried through to the end of the night.
The love-fest continued with a detour into a singalong of “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5 and a few moments for his musical support to show off some serious piano chops.
All in all, La Reezy is a special talent and one to keep on your radar. His personality, musical skill, and stage presence create the perfect foundation for a career that will undoubtedly have longevity and range. It helps that his raw talent acts as the antidote to the current cultural narrative that rap is struggling with its identity. When someone tries to tell you there’s no more good rappers, you can start with La Reezy as point number one in the rebuttal.
And on a personal note, I want to offer a special thanks to T’Keyah and La Reezy’s team, showcasing that the quality of his people extends beyond the stage.
Can’t wait to see where he goes next.
SETLIST:
Hot
Family Bizzy
Normal Struggles
How Did You Love Me
Melanate It
HARDHEAD
I Want You Back (The Jackson 5 cover)
God Forgive Me
MOVE
Gold Chains
We Live
CHANCE THE RAPPER
Well, shit, man.
Of the countless number of shows I’ve been to in my lifetime, I don’t think I’ve ever (and I truly mean ever) seen a crowd so committed to every single moment of an artist’s set. When Coloring Book first dropped ten years ago, it was on regular rotation for me and my friends. There was a short-lived “golden era” of modern rap featuring the likes of Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Vince Staples, Kid Cudi, Danny Brown, Lupe Fiasco, and, of course, Chance the Rapper, among so many others. Album after album of high-quality content and a feeling like something special was going on. It was a short era, lasting just shy of a decade, but it’s responsible for several of what can be considered among the greatest rap albums of all time. Some of those artists have had staying power, some have disappeared, some have experimented into new territory, and some have… well, let’s not get into that.
But, despite the comings and goings of so many of these artists, last night was unequivocal proof that Chance the Rapper’s staying power is seemingly limitless. With a very tight discography of three mixtapes and two studio-produced LPs, he has achieved a level of sustained success that would make artists going on three-plus decades with a dozen albums cry out in jealous anguish.
And here’s where I have to give some immediate credit to the crowd. First of all, I’ve never been forced into the fringes of The Fillmore the way I was last night. And that’s not a complaint. I was walking the perimeter to stretch my legs between sets, and when I came back, still a good fifteen minutes before Chance was set to hit the stage, the venue was overflowing past the entryways.
And once he emerged onstage with his drummer and DJ/multi-instrumentalist in tow, all bets were off.
Every single lyric of every single song was echoed by the crowd for the entirety of the night. I think that every single person in attendance was dancing and singing their hearts out. It was a magical thing to witness, but it gave me a sense of imposter syndrome. Being a fan of Chance didn’t feel sufficient amongst this building full of die-hards. I needed to live and breathe the music the way everyone else seemed to. I guess I have some homework to do.
Visually, the stage setup wasn’t overly complicated. A screen stretching the length of the stage illuminated the back wall with two lighting scaffolds on either side. But the visuals and lights that served as the backdrop to Chance, his drummer, and his DJ/instrumentalist were pretty fucking superb. From some extremely wholesome montages of footage, lyrics, and music video snippets to Coloring Book artwork, it was an awesome and mesmerizingly well-timed display. But the best part was the more psychedelic, almost cyberpunk abstract elements. Crazy neon explosions of patterns and imaginative landscapes, cosmic ventures into the stars, red-hued skies and a burning sun–there was a lot to enjoy, and the experience proved to be a full sensory overload of excellence.
I tried to get some photos of the coolest parts, but literally gave up hope of capturing anything before opener “All We Got” reached its first chorus. It’s simply something that needs to be experienced live or, at the very least, captured with a quality camera and not an iPhone from the back side wall.
As for the performance itself, the man hasn’t lost a single step. His demeanor remained calm, and the between-song banter mostly echoed the same level of gratitude and appreciation La Reezy expressed earlier. Chance’s endurance remains wildly impressive as he remained perfect with his timing and cadence from start to finish. No lines flubbed, nothing off-key, and no diminishing energy or flow. Cool, calm, and collected all the way through, the man proves he’s still got full mastery of his craft.
Honestly, all I can really say here is that this show felt pretty damn special. I know anniversary tours come with their own level of nostalgia-based hype, but this performance, with a pretty versatile setlist, just further endeared me to the man and has presented me with the determination to see him perform every chance I get going forward.
From a guy who first intrigued me because of his feature on SZA’s “Child’s Play” to the absolute living-legend status he occupies today, I can genuinely say I hope he never stops doing what he does. Because, as it stands, he’s unequivocally one of the best doing it right now.
There’s nothing left to chance here. If you’re looking for one hell of a show, this tour is a guaranteed good time and a masterclass in live performance.
SETLIST:
All We Got
Blessings
Ride
Tree
Summer Friends
Angels
All Night
No Problem
Mixtape
I Might Need Security
Smoke Break
Juke Jam
I'm the One (DJ Khaled cover)
Link Me in the Future
The Highs & The Lows / Doo Wop (That Thing) / My Boo
Ultralight Beam (Ye cover)
All We Got (Reprise)
Sunday Candy (Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment cover)
Finish Line / Drown
Blessings (Reprise)
Cocoa Butter Kisses
Everybody's Something
Pretty
D.R.A.M. Sings Special
Encore:
Same Drugs
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