This was one of Lil Tjay's first performances following his recovery from being shot seven times in an attempted robbery & his live show didn't disappoint...
The first show of 2023 is off to a great start with Brooklyn rapper Lil Tjay. Admittedly, we still needed to listen to Tjay's music apart from his chart-topping hit tracks, and before the concert, we did a deep dive into Tjay's discography listening through several singles and albums.
One of the standout tracks we found was, 'Beat the Odds.' The music video displays Tjay in a hospital gown during recovery from being shot seven times in an attempted robbery. The song is dark and hopeful, balancing reflections on senseless street violence with Tjay's love for his family. Diving deeper into the lyrics, you can see Tjay grappling with the existential realities of premature death with bars like…
'And trust me, I don't lie, can't fuck up, I'm a star right now.
If I wasn't quick to blow, I would be in the stars right now.'
Aspects of the music video appear to allude to this, with scenes shot inside a church, with the warm glow of a divine light back-lighting Tjay (1:53).
This should be unstated, but returning after an incident like that would be beyond challenging for anyone. Since, Tjay has performed at several live shows, most notably Rolling Loud NY 2022. The show we attended kicked off the first leg of Tjay's 'Born 2 Be Great Tour,' set across Canada and Europe.
Tjay's set was fantastic, and his stage presence was strong. Onstage, Tjay was energetic, seamlessly flowing through his hits while making sure to interact with the crowd. Seeing so many shows, it's easy to tell when an artist is disinterested or uncomfortable during a performance, none of which can be said about Tjay's set. Overall it was a great experience, and wish Tjay health and happiness in his future creative pursuits.
The stage background was a sight to behold, being an American flag with the stripes changed with rainbow colors representing the pride flag. Where the stars would be, they were replaced with the numbers 666 and a ring of weed leaves...
I knew that Jeff Rosenstock was going to have a good opener for his tour, so I decided to show up right as the doors opened. Small Crush was first to take stage...
Nearly every Thursday night, we would park our cars at Comps and have a listening party for which ever rap album we chose to listen to when the clock struck midnight...
Neupink is my tiny little noise rock slash digital punk slash diy slash whatever-I-feel-like-doing project that aims to explore whatever intense soundscapes I feel like
That was definitely one of the most fulfilling sets I've ever done. I cannot thank my fans enough for the support, it felt like the energy was nonstop throughout both nights I played there...
CKay's 2019 release titled, 'Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ahh)' was the first African song in history to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify and the track garnered a billion combined views in a single day on TikTok...
From a computer science standpoint, the Protocol is open-source. Medically, it’s individualized to the patient. I would like to explain this better, but the more I elaborate on the Protocol, the more specific I get, the less I think that statement would be true...
On some psychotic episodes, I catch myself hallucinating cameras on the corners of my bedroom, broadcasting to a non-existent audience my suffering, as if it were just a theatrical performance. Just because all that suffering by itself lacks purpose, feels empty...
All the guys were super humble/kind and had the energy of people you want to be around...
