Grown Up Hip-Hop: Oddisee Concert Review
A concert review from your friendly neighborhood hip-hop heads, Kevin & Kiran.
One word to describe Oddissee is authentic. We first heard of the 32-year-old D.C. native with his song “After Thoughts,” and we couldn’t tell if he was a rapper or a DJ. After all, the track (and subsequent album, The Beauty in All) were all smooth beats. After digging a bit deeper, we discovered that this DJ is not just a DJ after all — Not only can he rap, but lay BARS. We were sold.
The Venue
The Highline Ballroom is intimate to say the least. In our opinion, it’s the ideal setting to see your favorite artists. A restaurant by day, concert venue by night. The place is small enough to hold “700 guests,” but honestly it felt like 200 people at max, about the size of your average McDonald’s. This venue was so intimate, we were able to walk right to the front of the stage 30 minutes after doors opened. We watched Oddisee walk into the venue and go backstage without being noticed.
The Openers
The show began with a set from Sir the Baptist. Our only prior knowledge of the Chicago-native came from his pitch to be an XXL freshman. We weren’t really sure what to expect. Sir the Baptist ran on stage, looking like he just won The Masters in his green blazer (pictured), and the first thing we noticed was the lack of a DJ on stage. Instead, Sir was accompanied by a band featuring a drummer, keyboardist, and bassist. Throughout his 30-minute set, Sir the Baptist and his band kept the crowd (which grew by the minute) engaged. One song in particular that sticks out to both of us was the last song of the set: “Heaven.” Sir the Baptist taught the chorus to the crowd before performing the song and it lead to a powerful performance.
The next act was actually Oddisee’s band, the Good Company. This three-piece funk-rock band, led by Olivier St.Louis (who oozes Funk) on guitar and vocals, left us speechless. The bassist masterfully maneuvered 8-strings while the drummer looked like he wasn’t breaking a sweat. They performed about seven songs, and the second they finished, we didn’t have time to breathe before they introduced the man they called “The General,” Oddisee.
The Headliner: Oddisee
Oddisee played for about an hour-and-a-half of NON-STOP RAPPING (see setlist below). He rarely took breaks between songs, but when he did, it was strictly to thank his fans. He was energetic with Good Company, who came across as best friends rather than coworkers. When introducing Good Company, he mentioned this was show number 51 of 130. He mostly played songs from his most recent album “The Iceberg,” but of course, threw in tracks from his oldies. Oddisee is the pinnacle of emceeing when it comes to delivering and switching up his flows. There wasn’t one predictable moment.
Before this concert, we’d only seen one rap show in which the main act had a live band performing with him. And that was Jay-Z. The two shows can’t really be compared by size, but they can be compared in the execution of the performance. Oddisee put on an arena performance with a small venue vibe. What more could you ask for?
Verdict
One thing is for sure: this artist, this show, this vibe is grown folk’s hip-hop. There was one interview with Hot 97 in 2015 that rings true to Oddisee. He said:
“I think the disconnect is a classic one; There’s a certain type of person who seeks music, and a certain type of person who is spoon-fed music. If you’re a music seeker you know who I am. And if you’re spoon-fed, you don’t.”
Every person at this show was a music-seeker. And with his performance, Oddisee proved that seeking real music has a sweet reward.
