There is no record label in the rap game with as much heat right now as Anthony Tiffith’s Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). TDE is all over the headlines with Thursday’s announcement of (and Friday’s first single from) Kendrick Lamar’s forthcoming album, IV. A little closer to home, Top Dawg is showing Vancouver some love by hitting our fair city with the one-two-three combination of Isaiah Rashad, Lance Skiiiwalker and Ab-Soul over a two-week timeline.
If Wednesday night’s pair of sold-out performances by Rashad constitutes the ‘jab’ in the analogy of boxing’s most utilised combination (jab, left hook, straight right), then the scrapper simile connects with a straight right from Ab-Soul on April 12. Having released this writer’s pick for album of the year, Do What Thou Wilt, in late December, ‘Soulo’ kicks off his YMF Tour here in Vancouver at Fortune Sound Club.
Often performing two shows a night on his Lil Sunny Tour, Rashad is on an extensive 65-date marathon that will require every bit of the 25-year-old’s energy. Thus far, the tour’s opener has been Jay IDK; however, due to issues at the 49th parallel further perpetuating Canada Border Services’ reputation for consistently trimming our city’s incoming rap lineups, the “Soliloquy” MC and Smoker's Club Tour alumnus was the lone performer on the night.
Rashad came out to his second set of the evening with “Smile”, sounding a lot like Joey Bada$$ and dressed a lot like Tyler, The Creator. While the Tyler comparisons persisted throughout the evening in subtle ways, like his between-song banter, Rashad’s unique vocal style was prevalent by his second track, “Brenda”.
By his third song, “Modest”, there was no looking back.
Cranking up the aggression with “R.I.P. Kevin Miller”, Rashad was in the kind of tight form that would last the evening. Appearing to no longer drink during shows, likely due to his publicized battle with depression, ‘Spottie’ often doled water out to the condensed fanbase up front hanging on the rapper’s every word. In a freestyle turned spoken-word, flowing out of “Dressed Like Rappers” and into “Tity and Dollar”, Top Dawg’s debut signee handed out a couple of bottles of water and expressed to the crowd, “You gotta hydrate to have a good show. If you’re gonna party, be good. You gotta share that shit; you know what I mean? Share the water. Don't put your mouth to the bottle. Enjoy yourselves.”
Having no set design, no props, no hype-man, and having lost his opening act, Rashad’s raw energy drove the second set well into Thursday morning. Receiving a considerable amount of energy from the raucous crowd coupled with his now alcohol-free and therefore tight live show, it is clear that this young rapper’s star is ascending. Unless the Chattanooga, Tennessee-born MC plans on three sold-out nights, it may be a while before we see him back at a venue with a fire marshall limit the size of Fortune’s. But who knows? The way that GMan and Rizk so admirably run Fortune Sound Club, we may see Rashad and other Top Dawg notables killing it at their superior-sounding venue sooner, rather than later.
Sza, we’re looking at you sister!
• Catch Ab-Soul with fellow Top Dawg Entertainment artist Lance Skiiiwalker at Fortune Sound Club on April 12. Tickets $25 + s/c at Timbre Concerts.
