Overnight Celebrity “Drizzy Drake” Takes NYC Stage

Drake performing at S.O.B.'s

Last night, I had the pleasure of seeing up-and-coming Canadian rap sensation Drake headline at my favorite NYC hotspot, S.O.B.’s for the Hot97 Who’s Next showcase with Peter Rosenberg. As expected, Drizzy held it down for a sold-out crowd, as he spit tracks off his red-hot mix-tape, So Far Gone, of which I’m sure would be a chart-topper if in fact it were a real album. Technically, young Drake is still an unsigned talent, having not released a major album. But, my, my the company this dude keeps. Lil Wayne has cosigned on his protege’s swagger from day one. And although Weezy wasn’t in attendance (that would have been a mess indeed), Drake had other supporters on hand, including the likes of Kanye West and Talib Kweli, among others.

Onstage Drake showed loads of energy and bravado, finding time to throw in quick-witted, cocky banter here and there that made me chuckle light-heartedly instead of roll my eyes (which often happens when the talented Mr. West opens his mouth). “Don’t say you will, unless you will,” he sings to a crowd of screaming girls in the front of the stage, looking down at his “you know what,” as he samples West’s “Say You Will.” Or an even better example is when he says to the massive crowd, “I’m a new artist, by the way. I don’t know if you can tell by this show.”

The cuts he performed included, his smash radio-hit, “Best I Ever Had,” “Unstoppable,” “November 18th,” “Successful,” “Uptown,” and every bachelor’s favorite track, “Every Girl,” among others. All in all, Drake’s 30-minute set was pretty freaking entertaining and all the buzz surrounding it was warranted. Afterall, dude headlined a sold-out show at S.O.B.’s without even dropping an album first.

Random Highlights
*Before the show begins MC Lyte hits the stage…not really sure why…who knows maybe she’ll make a comeback?
*“DJ Class in this b**ch…” You know the hot club track, “I’m The Shit” from DJ Class feat. Ye. Love that joint! DJ Class popped up onstage to perform it before Drake hit the stage.
*Bun B joins Drake onstage for “Uptown.” He pretty much kills it.
*Drake jokes about his seduction skills as he croons along to R-Kelly’s “Feeling On Your Booty,” “Birthday Sex,” and Usher’s “Can You Handle It.” According to this ladies’ man, New York women are the perfect women who could give him the perfect night.

I’ll be uploading some more amateur video footage compliments of me shortly! Until then, I’m sure you can find a slew of footage on the internets.

Filed under: Music, Reviews, entertainment , concert, drake, Drizzy, Hot 97 Who's Next Showcase, Music, new artists, NYC, rappers, Reviews, S.O.B.s, up and coming MCs