Lineup: Run the Jewels/The Gaslamp Killer/Gangsta Boo/Cuz Lightyear ("Run the World Tour")
Venue: House of Blues, Boston, MA
Date: February 24th, 2017
Cuz Lightyear: Despite having an A++ stage name, Cuz Lightyear was pretty underwhelming. Trap rap is one of my favorite parts of being alive in 2017, but Cuz Lightyear didn't have the energy, over-the-top personality or self-awareness that's needed for it to work. This kid basically just rapped over random Metro Boomin beats and made the audience yell "What Up Cuz" whenever he wasn't rapping for the entire 20 minutes he was on stage. Cuz Lightyear was a weak-ass opener that didn't fit in at all with the rest of the acts on the bill.
Gangsta Boo: Here is the moment where the show really kicked off. The first lady of Three 6 Mafia sent the entire venue into a fucking frenzy within the first 30 seconds she stepped on stage. Gangsta Boo embodied the edge, swag and unrelenting confidence that defines southern hip-hop, and that made her set a ton of fun to watch. I haven't really heard too much of her stuff outside of the five Three 6 Mafia albums she appeared on and her notoriously vulgar verse on RTJ's "Love Again", but after this glorious set, I plan on fixing that injustice within the next few days.
The Gaslamp Killer: I've always had a strong disdain for electronic music. The combination of the long, repetitive songs,the amount of douchebags I know personally that are super into the scene has prevented me and the live shows essentially being some dude pressing play on a MacBook while 2,000 kids hopped up on MDMA dance around like the flailing noodle-armed inflatable creatures that are outside of most car dealerships have all played a role in developing my deep-seeded hatred of the genre. This well-established series of reservations I have with electronic music made my enjoyment of The Gaslamp Killer that much more surprising. Unlike the other handful of DJ's I've been exposed to in the past few years, The Gaslamp Killer was actually super active during his set. He did live record-scratching, played keyboards and rapped a little bit while his studio material played in the background. He also gets bonus points for throwing in multiple remixes of Death Grips songs into his set and running around the stage like a man possessed whenever he wasn't playing an instrument or talking to the crowd. If there were more lively DJ's that actually deviated from their studio recordings out there like The Gaslamp Killer, my opinion on electronic music would change dramatically.
Run the Jewels: Life on Earth is defined by constants and the quality of Run the Jewels' live shows is certainly among them. Buying a ticket to see an artist you know is going to deliver every single time they hit the stage is a beautiful luxury that shouldn't be taken for granted, especially in the hip-hop world where the quality of the live performances are especially erratic. This was my third time seeing them and I'm somehow still blown away by how monstrous their live shows are. The camaraderie and sense of friendly competition that exists between Killer Mike and El-P gives their sets a playful yet intense vibe that is unlike anything else in hip-hop right now. Jason DeMarco of Cartoon Network deserves a medal for introducing these two and playing a role in the birth of the most destructive hip-hop force currently walking the Earth.
The most surreal thing about this was show was seeing how much Run the Jewels' popularity has grown in the last few years. I remember seeing them shortly after their first record came out in 2013 at a 900-capacity club that was barely even half-full. Just a mere three and a half year later, they're playing out to a sold-out crowd of 2,500 people and based on how fast a majority of the shows on this tour sold out, they could be graduating to small arenas in the very near future. What makes this surge in popularity even more crazy is that the intense dedication that defined their earlier, more intimate shows hasn't wavered in the slightest. Normally when an artist's popularity rapidly grows, you'll find a large number of fans that only know the new shit. This was not even close to being the case with RTJ. A vast majority of the crowd rapped along and went completely nuts to every single song they played over the course of their 75-minute set. There are definitely hip-hop acts who have much bigger followings , but I've never seen an artist that has a more passionate or dedicated fanbase than RTJ.
In a similarly unsurprising twist, the setlist was pretty excellent. The new stuff sounded killer ("Legend Has It", "Panther Like a Panther" and "Stay Gold" were the standouts) and they played a vast majority of the best stuff from Run the Jewels 2 ("Early", "Oh My Darling Don't Cry", "Lie, Cheat, Steal"). My only real complaint for the entire show was the lack of material played from Run the Jewels. I get that this tour is promoting Run the Jewels 3, but hearing only a single song from their debut in an 18-song set was really strange. I would've loved to hear some of their early classics ("36" Chain", "Get It", "Sea Legs") instead of the weaker stuff from RTJ3 ("A Report to the Shareholders", "Everybody Stay Calm", "Down").
This tour is basically over, but I can not recommend catching Run the Jewels at a festival this summer (they're playing Boston Calling, Rolling Loud, Summer Camp and Fortress Fest) or on their next headlining run enough. There is not a more consistent, energetic or efficient live act in the genre right now and their shows are something that every hip-hop in the world should experience at least once.
Scores:
Cuz Lightyear 4/10
Gangsta Boo 8/10
Gaslamp Killer 8/10
Run the Jewels 9.5/10
Setlist:
Run the Jewels:
Talk to Me
Legend Has It
Call Ticketron
Blockbuster Night Part 1
Oh My Darling Don't Cry
Nobody Speak (DJ Shadow cover)
Hey Kids (Bumaye)
Stay Gold
Don't Get Captured
Panther Like a Panther
Everybody Stay Calm
Love Again (Akinelye Back) (w/Gangsta Boo)
Lie, Cheat, Steal
Early
A Report to the Shareholders
Run the Jewels
Encore:
Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)
Down
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