Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti On the Come Up

By: Annie Kane

Rising hip-hop artists Playboi Carti and Lil Uzi Vert were greeted by a crowd so hyped, it seems as if they are already legends.

Lil Uzi Vert.

Lil Uzi Vert.

Cervantes’ Masterpiece was filled to the brim with eager hip-hop heads this week, and fans brought their A-game: brand labels shined up nicely in the front row, from Supreme, to Vans, Nike, Adidas and, of course, Bape. The crowd was there for a bumpin’ lineup: J-Krupt, Tony Neek$, Playboi Carti, and headliner Lil Uzi Vert. (Read more about these artists in our Cervantes’ pre-event coverage here.) And they knew it.

Playboi Carti.

Playboi Carti.

Security guards had to push the barricades against the raging crowd to keep people out of the VIP area… and this was just for the opening DJ of the night. As the warm-up acts wrapped up their sets, the crowd grew anxious, and everyone started chanting “Carti!” over and over again. When Playboi Carti finally emerged from the depths of backstage, I could literally see a wave ripple through the crowd as people from the very back pushed to the front.

Carti’s style is raw; he avoids heavy vocal editing in his work. As such, his live performance barely wavered from how it sounds on his recorded tracks, whether he was transitioning from the traditional MC style of blurting into the mic or straight vibing to his own beats. Carti’s voice oscillates between the lazy-like style coined by Future, to that almost nasal pronunciation Vince Staples has. He kept the energy high as well, which culminated at one point when he literally flew into the crowd.

Not long after Carti’s set, Lil Uzi Vert ran onstage holding his girlfriend Brittany’s hand, both of them adorned in colorful Supreme sunglasses. Uzi’s personality is so strong, not only by way of appearance (fully clad in Vlone accented by black Yeezy 750 Boosts), and his recognizable voice, but most by his energy. If you didn’t know who Lil Uzi Vert was prior to this show, you found out the second he stepped out into the spotlight. His quick lyrics were broken with heavy “Yeah!”s, while sweat trickled down his back, shining from the insane dance moves he jumped into while spitting full 16s. His energy is unlike any other hip-hop artist I’ve seen.

The show ended with Lil Uzi Vert’s bringing out Carti for a joint performance of “Left Right”, the song for which their current tour is named.  A security guard brought out an entire case of water bottles and the two artists proceeded to drench the crowd, with people begging to be soaked. It was wild.

Cervantes’ brought such an infectious hip-hop lineup to Denver this week, which has me curious for their summer show lineup. Make sure to keep up with them here, and catch a show there soon!

-Annie

Connect with me on twitter and instagram.

All photos per the author; embedded tracks per the artist featured and those credited.

Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti Join Forces for Left Right Tour at Cervantes Denver

By: Annie Kane

On May 17th, Denver’s Cervantes Masterpiece will be throwing down with some of hip-hop’s fastest growing artists.

Lil Uzi Vert.

Lil Uzi Vert.

At 21 years old, Philadelphia native Lil Uzi Vert has already collaborated with A$AP Ferg, Rich The Kid, Young Thug, Metro Boomin and Wiz Khalifa, along with receiving support from The Fader, Noisey, XXL, HotNewHipHop, and the late A$AP Yams. The “vert” in his name insinuates “vertical”, and that’s fitting since Lil Uzi Vert has a promising unique talent that is soon to skyrocket him to the top of the charts. He fuses his trap-like quality of rapping with old-school hard rock influences like Marilyn Manson. His first mixtape released in 2015, “Luv is Rage”, lit the fuse and his recent tape released last month, “Lil Uzi vs. The World”, has solidified his path toward the top. Lil Uzi Vert is signed to Generation Now and Atlantic Records.

Playboi Carti.

Playboi Carti.

Without even having a full mixtape out yet, 18-year old Atlanta rapper Playboi Carti is already receiving high appraisal. His song “Broke Boi” has reached over 8 million plays on Soundcloud, making it the song that essentially broke him into the hip-hop scene. Affiliated with Atlanta’s Awful Records, Playboi Carti signed with A$AP Rocky last September and is supposedly working on a song with Frank Ocean, according to close friend Ian Connor. Already praised as a rock star in Europe (check this interesting article), Playboi Carti is on the verge of selling out stadium venues.

Tony Neek$.

Tony Neek$.

These two big names will be introduced by two local Denver rappers, Tony Neek$ and J-Krupt on Tuesday night. Tickets at Cervantes are going fast for this star-studded show, so be sure to grab some here before they’re gone!

-Annie

Connect with me on twitter and instagram.

All photos per the author; embedded tracks per the artist featured and those credited.

Boatclub Music Collective Touches Down in Colorado

By: Annie Kane

Oklahoma based music collective, Boatclub, smashed their first out of state festival. Held at the transformed Church Nightclub in Denver, Boatclub’s eighth event consisted of several talented emerging hip-hop and EDM artists.

The night began with DJ duo MNYH$E, who then transferred their set to local DJ Young Profit, known best for his work with rising Denver rapper Tony Neek$. Mook tha Martian then began the rap element of the festival, bringing his raw Atlanta style to the Colorado crowd. Headlining DJ LiTE BRiTE warmed up the crowd before transforming the show into a collaborative one, where Retro P, M1 and James Wade each took turns spitting their own verses. The small stage set up in front of the DJ booth made for an intimate environment, allowing the audience members to interact closely with the performers. Beach balls were flying and the performers grabbed onto audience members’ hands for support. Between sets, the crowd jumped onstage like performers themselves, exhibiting Boatclub’s mission of providing a space where people can express whoever they want to be.

The young crowd began to get anxious as they chanted over the music for Lil Yachty. As he emerged from his VIP room backstage, DJ LiTE BRiTE built up excitement by playing the infamous two electronic words “lil boat” repeatedly. The second Lil Yachty’s red hair hit the light, fans went berserk, breaking the barrier between them and the backstage area where photographers and previous performers were planted. Fans yanked Yachty into the crowd, who gave in and darted around. Security grew tense as Yachty moved further away from them, and fans couldn’t stop smiling as they snagged wicked close-up shots of him in the crowd.

Lil Yachty eventually made his way back onstage, but people were reluctant to let him go up and had to be warded off by angry security guards, who remained there for the rest of Lil Yachty’s three-song set. Also onstage was Lil Yachty’s smiling producer, Burberry Perry, holding a microphone and rapping alongside Yachty. Before jumping into each song, Yachty had to wait for the crowd to calm down. He looked anxiously between his producer and DJ LiTE BRiTE, in awe of his intense fanbase that has truly been built up within a matter of months. Though his set was small, Yachty played house favorites “Minnesota”, “1Night” and “Wanna Be Us” before retreating backstage.

This uniquely underground event pioneered Boatclub’s national presence. It paved the way for a better platform in Colorado for emerging hip-hop artists, and it provided a space for the local hip-hop community fanbase. Be sure to stay on the lookout for future Boatclub events, and keep an ear out for all the artists who performed!

Follow Boatclub on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

-Annie

Connect with me on twitter and instagram.

All photos per the author. Head to our FB for more photos from this show.