There’s nothing better than seeing immensely talented artists in an intimate venue before they blow. There’s something magical about going to a show where there isn’t a bad spot in the house and seeing a star (or in this case two) in the making. April 1st saw Saba & Sylvan LaCue‘s Bucket List Tour descend upon the 6ix. Taking over Adelaide Hall, the event was a true showcase of hip-hop’s future.
I rolled in as Pivot Gang’s Joseph Chilliams was on stage. Despite the fact that it was just before 9:00pm the crowd was surprisingly well filled-in and energetic. Chilliams’ stage presence was unique to say the least. His demeanor was something between a friendly stoner and a stand-up comic. His humor was easily his brightest talent; whether it was transitioning between tunes or dropping laugh out loud inducing bars like ‘FN-2187’s, “Real niggas never pull out/shout out my dad.” I can’t help but mention he also dropped a tune dedicated to Fergie. Needless to say he definitely scooped up a few new fans.
Sylvan appeared on stage shortly after Chilliams, rocking a Wise-up tee, a hoody and a jean jacket. The low-key style was a cool contrast to his commanding energy as he kicked things off with the high energy ‘Automatic’. The intensity swept over the crowd and had hands waving with ferocity. Sylvan closed the track off a Capella, a tactic he deplored several times throughout. The lack of backing served to showcase his flow, punctuate specific lyrics and add a more organic 1-on-1 feel. After his first track Sylvan let fans know his DJ actually couldn’t make it into Canada so he had his photographer filling in. Despite that fact the show still moved quite smooth and Sylvan was able to adlib through any extra loops or slightly behind fades. The set centered around his most recent releases with tracks like ‘Heavenly,’ ‘The Truman Show’ and ‘Grateful’. He closed the set off with his inspirational anthem ‘Best Me’ to immense fan fare. The track closed out beautifully with fans finishing the hook one last time.
After Sylvan’s stellar set, DJ Dam Dam jumped on the decks to keep the energy up and get the crowd hyped for SABA. He played it up to the hometown crowd with Jazz Cartier’s ‘Dead Or Alive’ before taking fans to Chicago with everything from Chief Keef to Kanye.
SABA came out smooth cruisin’ onto the stage with the swaggy ‘Stoney’. He took a quick break to celebrate the tour’s independent status and the fact that majority of the tracks he was performing were cut in his grandma’s basement. He then took time to slow things down and sing a back and forth ballad with the crowd. When Chance The Rappers ‘Angels’ came on the crowd erupted. Possibly the most memorable portion of the night came when he brought back Sylvan LaCue for ‘Best Me’ remix. SABA started calm with the mic on its stand and little movement. As his verse intensified as did his energy; ripping the mic off the stand and belting out the final bars. Sylvan kept it low-key while SABA rocked the stage but exploded as soon it was time for his verse. The chemistry on stage was incredible and had fans wishing they had more collabs on deck.
Following it up SABA took it back to a few ComfortZone cuts for the OG fans. This portion allowed SABA’s keyboardist/drummer some shine with tight solo breaks. From there things took a serious turn. Feeling one with the crowd, SABA allowed himself to get personal. Informing fans that just after finding out he booked his first headlining tour, his cousin John Walt was tragically murdered. He incited a chant to pay his respects before performing the fittingly poignant ‘Church / Liquor Store’. With the night coming to a close, SABA shut things down with ‘MOST’ and ‘Westside Bound 3’. The latter had Joseph Chilliams return to the stage to drop his guest verse. SABA hadn’t even left the stage before the encore chants began. Proving to be a true crowd-pleaser he easily obliged.
The Bucket List tour was everything you hope for in a hip-hop show. It hit you with myriad of emotions from straight laughter to turnt intensity. It left you feeling reflective and inspired and at times even touched. The show proved that SABA & Sylvan LaCue are the future of hip-hop.
