Hot 97’s Who’s Next series at SOBs never disappoints an audience yearning for hip-hop that evokes the genre’s Golden Age Era.
The latest round of next generation stars took the stage at SOBs last night (February 18) and the show opened with Miami-born, KB Yung Hustle, who literally won his way on stage with rhymes as he won last year’s Hot 97’s Summer Jam Battle Contest and Rugz D. Bewler, a Harlem dweller whose works has mixed with BET and Dame Dash. The real heavy hitters and energy came with the headlining acts: Nitty Scott, MC a rhymer who, as she says, is “killin’ ’em–but not softly” and Vic Mensa, the confident and electric rapper who wins the stage.
Nitty Scott, MC cites some of her influences as Andre 3000, Jean Grae, and Mos Def, and she brought her band for some live bass, drums, guitar, keyboard, and trumpet. Dressed in a jersey decorated with flowers, a white sun hat, shorts, two gold chains and dimples, Scott both personified and performed one of her most popular songs, “Flower Child” which originally features Kendrick Lamar. She performed other fan-favorites such as “Auntie Maria’s Crib”, and her verse off of “We Ain’t You,” as well as a sneak peek into her new album, The Art of Chill, called “Feng Shui.
Vic Mensa was charismatic and energetic, as he demanded every inch of the stage, sometimes coming so close to the edge, and one time jumping into the crowd for a brief second. Sporting a red BAPE jacket, Mensa performed tracks “Lovely Day,” “Orange Soda,” “Hollywood LA,” and “YNSP” off of his mixtape, INNANETAPE. Mensa, who also goes by Yung Save Peso spit a freestyle before heading off stage.
– victoria johnson
