If you are a hip-hop fan in Philadelphia, then you need to check out its underground rap scene. There are so many talented artists throughout the city. HypeFresh recently got to see a couple of them at Philly Octoberfest.
The show took place at Millcreek Tavern, in the university city area of Philly. When we got there, the room was packed with millennials and Gen Z, excited to see artists go on stage. It hummed with voices trying to loud enough to be heard as cigarette smoke lingered in the air. The older crowd members hung around the bar, while the ones too young to drink gravitated toward the tables and dance floor. The atmosphere of the area was fast-paced, with the audience anxious for the show to get started. Eventually, they got their wish, once all the artists arrived and got settled.
The show got started with Blest Poet. Bless Poet gave a decent performance, as he attempted to pump up an unimpressed crowd. While it was not anything legendary, he still made good use of his time with the mic. Bless Poet managed to make his performance entertaining as he maintained his energy level throughout his set. He just never managed to properly engage the crowd. This was a problem that most artists that who performed that night had. Most of them just went through their set while forgetting about the crowd. The crowd was never able to vibe with them. This created an awkward atmosphere as the rapper performed their songs intensely and the crowd stood there bored.
The artists that could start a relationship with the crowd stood out amongst the other ones. These were the artists that truly knew what they were doing. They came on stage and made their performance both engaging and energetic at the same time. The best performance of the night would have to go to Shizz. Though most artists that night came on stage with hardcore trap music, Shizz instead performed music with influence from R&B and softcore trap. His music was unique and diverse. He started off with a fast song to get the crowd going, then slowed things down once he had a rapport with them. He showed that he had a range with his song choices. Shizz also managed to interact with the crowd and get them to follow along with him. His performance was never dull and left the audience wanting more.
[…] Philly Octoberfest: a night of good energy and good music […]