Another chapter of Atlanta’s hip-hop story revealed itself on April 28. The same night Underground Atlanta hosted a Boiler Room performance, more of the city’s underground stars shined bright at Aisle 5 in Little Five Points. YellaBandanna, KARRAHBOOO and Tony Shhnow put on a show to remember. While it was the same day Shhnow released his new Love Streak album, it was still another performance for him and YellaBandanna.
For KARRAHBOOO, however, the opening set was the first live performance of her career.
KARRAHBOOO has major buzz in the underground Atlanta rap scene. She only has two songs out, and her first single, “Money Counter” was just released in October 2022. A cool music video, quotable bars and an uptempo instrumental made her an instant online sensation. A clip of the video she posted on Twitter now has over 200,000 views and she was offered a deal by her “favorite rapper” on the same day.
Made my first song and video, dropped it, and got offered a deal wit my favorite rapper the same day. 😂😂😂😂😂 who laughing now
— CONCRETE KARRAH (@karrahbooo) October 27, 2022
Her second single, “Box The 40,” is KARRAHBOOO’s official introduction as a signed artist and a part of Lil Yachty’s “concrete” team.
Her rockstar-like energy and boastful lyrics fit perfectly in an era of female dominance in rap. She knows her demographic and is sure of her appearance. She’s cool, but not too cool to the point where she can’t dance, jump around or actually perform in her music videos or on stage.
KARRAHBOOO opened up her first live set in a lane she’s familiar and comfortable with- DJ’ing. She spun an impressive number of hip-hop cuts, which featured Latto, BabyDrill, Certified Trapper and Luh Tyler. The second half of the set started with her playing “Money Counter.”
“Y’all know this song?” KARRAHBOOO asked the crowd, as she walked from behind the DJ booth, a comfortable space and to the front of the stage, unchartered territory. The crowd and the support system on stage collided energies for an unforgettable moment in the niche hip-hop scene.
KARRAHBOOO has officially arrived, and she’s here to stay.
She then played a host of unreleased songs, which included a feature from another female rapper, before closing with “Box The 40.” When her set concluded, the artist couldn’t hide her smile as she turned back to her friends and they ran to embrace her with a group hug. She eventually re-emerged into the audience holding a bouquet of flowers as fans gave her words of reassurance and encouragement. Popular Atlanta producer and artist Sonny Digital spoke with her in the crowd of congratulations as well.
KARRAHBOOO shines in a post-Glorilla world where “ratchet” party rap created by women, albeit still comes with its fair share of online hate often rooted in misogyny, can be championed just like their male counterparts instead of being outright chastised. In a time where Lola Brooke and Ice Spice are speeding up the hip-hop ranks, it will be interesting to see just where KARRAHBOOO goes in the coming months.
