While usually we could go into the standard ‘This was a rap show, with these common rap tropes performed either really well or really bad, with this additional cool/uncool stuff’ in this review of Jay Boogie’s hometown show in NYC it would be a disservice. How many hip-hop shows have the stage decorated with candelabras and pretty white fabrics?
Jay Boogie, an proud queer MC who likes to play with gender stereotypes, seems to like to elevate his performances to high art and here he succeeded (along with a kick ass music show). To kick of the nights festivities he played twenty minutes of some of the most vile homophobic videos flying around in youtube (an interesting start to say the least). The thing is taken on face value the videos were so ridiculous it served more as a comedy set (a socially woke one) than anything offensive.
After the crowd laughed up the ridiculousness of the hate, Jay Boogie came out in full drag and ripped the crowd apart. His live band (feat. Young Jimmy) brought a level of force and rock and roll to stage and for 45 minutes Jay Boogie transcended into rock god levels; strutting and annihilating the stage and the audience. He played tracks from his latest mixtape, Jesus Loves Me, and in between songs stayed on message of togetherness, acceptance, and fighting against bigotry as a unified front between straight/queer and all spectrums of gender. It was tough to leave the show not feeling empowered and most importantly not entertained; it’s going to be fun watching him grow as an MC and an artist if he’s already so fully formed and self assured.