August 2nd 2012 saw Toronto MC/Producer Rich Kidd celebrate the 6th release of his latest installment in his mixtape series entitled “We On Some Rich Kidd Shit. ″ Hosted by Sir Lancelot and Lowkey of You Heard That New alongside DJ’s such as: DJ WRISTPECT, DJ NANA, DJ MENSA and MEKA (2dopeboyz) this event saw many fans and friends come out to enjoy a great night of music while showing their support at the same time. Known for working with several different artists in the industry, it was nice to see other talented rappers take the stage as well.
Upon entering the Great Hall, those who attended were given a copy of the mixtape as they walked towards the stage. While the venue started to quickly fill up it was clear that the night belonged to Rich Kidd. As things got underway, MC Lancelot and Lowkey came out and told the crowd to “make some noise Toronto” before the opening acts of the night performed. Toronto rapper SepTo was first to take the stage as he performed “Nevr Left” which is a cut off the mixtape and is also produced by Rich Kidd. Interacting well with the audience, they too joined in on singing the chorus as the liveliness picked up in addition to more people arriving.
As upcoming acts waited to hit the stage it was rather interesting to see a live band called “The Flow” as they performed during interludes throughout the evening. The Toronto based funk/soul/hip-hop group consisting of a drummer, guitarist, saxophonist, trombonist, and a keyboardist did a great job entertaining the audience with their unique delivery of music. Looking around it wasn’t hard to notice that many people thoroughly enjoyed the bands performances. It wasn’t long after that the Antiheroes hit the stage at around 11:30pm. Keeping the energy going the duo performed their song “The Rebels (Listen Up)” which has been featured on Much Music since. After finishing the song, they showed their appreciation towards Rich Kidd for releasing volume 6 as the audience also cheered them on.
Taking the stage next was one half of the Toronto duo Smash Brovaz rapper Crooklin. Wearing a camouflage bucket hat he jumped right into his material performing a couple of tracks including “Daydreamers Theme”, which saw the crowd interact by singing along as well. Emerging on stage next was female emcee Jelly Too Fly. Being my first time seeing her perform it could easily be said that her wordplay is not of the ordinary. After hearing countless metaphors and punch lines, it was more than evident that spectators enjoyed every moment of her stage presence as she performed her song “The Shinnin”. Be on the lookout, as this female emcee from Toronto will be releasing her upcoming mixtape “KING” which drops on August 14th, 2012. Coming on stage for a second time; The Flow were joined by Rich Kidd as they did a live performance of a song entitled “Fresh”. The group possessed a great amount of stage presence as audience members danced around. The atmosphere inside the Great Hall was great to be a part of as Toronto rapper JD Era hit the stage just before midnight. Performing his track “No Handouts” with more than enough passion, the crowd raised their hands in the air, moving back and forth. As people continued to head to the bar, JD left us with an acapella as fans cheered and shouted before he exited the stage.
As the night progressed forward, The Flow came on stage for the third time performing an alternative version of a song called “Hey Henry” before they left the stage. It wasn’t long after, that a female brought two bottles of Heineken to the stage as MC Lancelot and MC Lowkey had a contest to see who could chug a beer the fastest. After this transpired a female was brought up on stage, as onlookers were curious to know what was going on. It turned out that the female rapper requested to spit 16 bars to the crowd and was given the opportunity to do so. With her manager also joining her on stage, the woman showed no fear as she began rapping only to hear boo’s from the crowd. Continuing on with confidence she eventually finished and was given an 8 out of 10 for her bravery and flow. Although DJ NaNa jokingly stated she got that score because she was white!
Rapper SonReal took the stage next as the Vancouver native flew to Toronto to make an appearance at the release party. Joining him on stage was Rich Kidd as the two performed their song “Already There”. Coming fresh off the release of his album “Good News” which saw positive feedback from many (including myself) SonReal has really been making a name for himself in the rap game. Making his way into the crowd after his performance I quickly congratulated him while the night continued on, as it was interesting to see what acts would follow. Keep your eyes open as Rich Kidd and SonReal will be releasing a collaborative EP through Black Box Music that will come out fall 2012.
With a full crowd inside the Great Hall, it was now 12:45am as MC Lancelot and MC Lowkey interacted with the crowd saying “When I say Rich, Y’all say Kidd” as fans anticipated Rich Kidd to hit the stage. The main act of the night did just that, coming out in full force, telling the crowd to “Get em’ hands up”. Alongside Gudini and DJ Nana he jumped right into catalogue by performing tracks like “Take It Slow”, “So Much More” and his newest track “Beautiful Day”. Rich Kidd was eventually joined on stage by rapper Thurz, who came all the way from Inglewood, CA to perform their track “Keep The Faith” produced by Junia-T and Rich Kidd. The song is also featured on the Vol. 6 mixtape and is personally one of my favorites. Also joining Rich Kidd on stage that night was Edmonton native Q-Benjamin. Performing their collaborative song “Sundays (Turnt Up)” with Rich Kidd saying, “This is that BBQ music”, the two got the crowd involved as well, with everyone singing the hook.
Not even a broken air conditioning unit could stop the show as freezies were given away to the likes of many. Showing his appreciation and love for those who came out Rich Kidd thanked the crowd and told us to make sure that we received a copy of his mixtape. Bringing one of his favorite rappers on stage as Maestro came on to the applause of many from the audience. Performing his song “I Wanna Know” which features The Trews. After that Adam Bomb and Tona ended up taking the stage as they performed their song “No More”. Rich Kidd and Gudini ended the night off with a couple more songs as they once again thanked those who came out that night.
The release party for “We On Some Rich Kidd Shiiiiiit Vol. 6 – City On My Back” was an event filled with energy that continued on throughout the night. The mixtape has seen a great deal of positive feedback from several people. Many talented artists also took the stage that night, as this was truly an experience you had to be part of. Working with many big names in the industry thus far and continuing to make great quality music it will be interesting to see what Rich Kidd has in store for the future.
Make sure you download We On Some Rich Kidd Shit Vol 6. And be on the look out for our interview with Rich Kidd coming soon
Photography By: Janine Therese