DreTL has had a wild six months. In October, he was announced as the winner of “Rhythm + Flow” season 2. In celebration of his win, his alma mater, Georgia State University, threw a watch party where the entire school could watch the season finale together and more than 100 students showed up in support. On Thursday, Feb. 20, DreTL had his first official performance in his hometown of Atlanta as he headlined DreTL + Friends at the Vinyl at Center Stage. Rolling out Music was the official media partner of the event, and it was the first concert of the rolling out My City My Sound series.
One of the great parts of this event was that DreTL used his newfound fame to shine the light on a bunch of others. DreTL was still attending classes at Georgia State when he entered the Rhythm + Flow competition so he had a strong base of followers from his own college already. For those who know, a ton of students take rap seriously at Georgia State and DreTL had the opportunity to highlight a few of those young stars.
Jay Activist was the first performer and he killed his performance, as he brought the energy from his first song. Next up was the only female performer on the setlist, Nay Speaks. She has a great voice, and she had some bars too. Dreek Jones was the last opener of the night, and his was most memorable. He rapped but also showed his diverse music ability as he also performed some reggae-inspired music. Then he closed out his set by bringing out King Harris, the younger son of Atlanta legend T.I. The younger Harris brought the energy and had everybody lit; he even performed a couple extra songs because the crowd asked for an encore. The last opener of the night was another star from the “Rhythm + Flow” series, K’Alley. His energy was truly unmatched.
DreTL lit the house up
Once DreTL hit the stage, every light was up. He belted through a myriad of his hits, including fan favorite “Nobody.” The Vinyl was sold-out, packed-out shoulder to shoulder, and it must’ve been a great sight for DreTL. To have your first show, in your hometown, and to see that level of support must have really felt good. There were kids from all over Georgia colleges in attendance; kids from Georgia State, kids from Morehouse, kids from Spelman, and they were all excited to see a kid that was in their shoes make it the way DreTL did. DreTL also showed something else; his star power. He didn’t win “Rhythm + Flow” out of coincidence or because it was his hometown. He knows how to draw people in, he knows what they want to hear, and he knows how to engage with the crowd. His stage presence is there, and you can tell he’s used to performing. He’s a rookie, but he doesn’t move like it and honestly, the sky is the limit for Atlanta’s newest star.
