The Bay Area’s G-Eazy had New York concertgoers feeling like they could conquer the world after last night’s (Jan. 25) ebullient performance at Manhattan’s Terminal 5, at which Eazy sold out three nights in a row, on his When It’s Dark Out tour.
But before the “Me, Myself and I” rapper hopped on stage, his Bay Area homies Marty Grimes, Marc E. Bassy and newcomer Nef the Pharaoh held down the crowd by keeping the mostly White hip-hop crowd satisfied with their catchy singles.
It was A$AP Ferg who brought the East Coast flavor for the hometown crowd. Rocking all black, with a trench coat, looking like a 2016 Black Panther Party member — minus the afro and shotgun — he stormed the stage to energetic rounds of applause and yells. The weed smoke created a fog that was growing thick inside the venue, making for a more rowdy crowd. And with Ferg running through his wavy hits like “Work,” “Shabba” and the Mob’s “Hella Hoes,” the antsy Rotten Apple crowd got buck, bounced hard and threw a few elbows. Before exiting the stage, Ferg, alongside Marty Baller, held a moment of silence for their late brother A$AP Yams, before performing the sobering and personal “Tatted Angles.”
Despite NYC being Ferg’s home, the tipsy concertgoers, who braved the snowy mess came to see G-Eazy. After the stage crew damn near gave the crowd anxiety by taking what seemed like an hour to set up the stage props, which consisted of a strip club and a run down, graffiti-filled building named The Spirit, and a motel, the West Coast rapper finally eased onstage at exactly 10:22 p.m. to an earsplitting applause.
Wasting no time, Eazy gave the New York crowd the same slices of encouragement that he lays down on his projects. Wearing snug black pants, long white T-shirt that hugged his chest and stomach, and a black jacket, the lyrically inclined rapper repeatedly reminded the crowd of how much he loved New York City, and how he’s living out his dream by selling out a NYC venue.
“When you a rapper from the Bay, that’s all you want to do,” Eazy said to dangerously loud screams and yells.
Enthused fans mouthed every word to songs like “Random,” “Me, Myself and I,” and “Drifting,” among others. Just as Eazy’s personality isn’t over-the-top on his records, he’s just the same on stage, which makes the Oakland rap star’s grind all the more believable and reassuring. Also, it’s this same authenticity that makes up for Eazy not being one of the best lyricists in the game.
One of the many highlights of the night came when Eazy brought out hip-hop veterans, Maino and DMX, which only cements Eazy’s realness in these hip-hop streets. Maino did his thug thizzle by performing his street banger “Harder Than Them,” and his verse on 2 Milly’s “Milly Rock (Remix).” An older, yet energetic DMX’s performance of the classic “Ruff Ryders Anthem” had the crowd going bananas.
“Yo, Yo, stop the music,” DMX barked. “Yo, I’ve been watching you backstage. New York crowds are the hardest crowds, and I’ve been watching you, you doing your thing. Yo, you holding it down. Hey, much respect,” X said to a humbled Eazy. Eazy’s ear-to-ear smile screamed that he was honored to have the respect of a hip-hop legend.
Before closing out the night, Eazy told his fans about his first performance at New York City’s Webster Hall, where only a handful of people showed up, Eazy said. However, he kept writing raps, working hard at his craft and paying no attention to the haters, and now he’s selling out tickets at venues in the Big City of Dreams.
After spitting his verse on the Keyshia Cole and E-40-assisted “Nothing to Me,” fans filed out of the Terminal 5 feeling like they could accomplish anything under the Sun.