The crowd was small, but mighty at RBC (Rhythm, Blues, and Culture) last night as Travis Thompson’s YouGood? tour rolled into town. Jack Fro$t got the evening rolling around 8:45 P.M. and came packing a bunch of energy. I had never heard of him before this, and because there was no information about the shows lineup, I couldn’t do any research beforehand. His set was solid, high paced, and he didn’t have any stumbles to my knowledge. Speak, hailing from south of the border, was the first act of the touring package. Easy going on stage, while never stopping his movement, he brought an energy packed, lyrically filled, and comedic set to the crowd. Filling us in on his awesome knock off finds in the markets of Mexico, he kept it lively. The track “Super Chaka Jr.” was the song that stuck out to me the most, because of the crowds reaction and because his verses on it are solid with a great sampling.
Travis Thompson took the stage a little before 10:00 and the crowd erupted with excitement. This is his first headlining tour and I’m grateful he came to Texas. While attending/covering huge shows at big venues is exciting, nothing beats a small, intimate venue for one of your favorite artists. Thompson started his set off with “Bad Apples,” from his sophomore effort YOUGOOD? – and most of his set drew heavily from this album and selections from his freshman album Ambaum, like “Say Wassup” and “The End Of The World.” Most of the crowd sang along to every one of his songs. His style is a breath of fresh air in a market muddled by mumble rap and lack of lyricism. His entire set was full of movement and he never seemed to lose pace or get winded. The track “Fix Me” came mid set and slowed down the mood for a few minutes, but the song hits home for me and it was the song I was most hopeful to hear. I got the chance to chat with him for a little bit post show and he was down to earth and incredibly humble. Shit, the whole Ambaum squad was great company and they all took the time to chat with me throughout the evening. I’ll be catching every show I can of his and can honestly say the future of rap is safe in his hands.
– Brently Kirksey
– click to enlarge photos –
