The Underachievers @ Voltage Lounge with Bodega Bamz, Kirk Knight, Pouya & the Buffet Boys.
Text by Lissa Alicia. Images by Evan Kaucher.
On Monday, The Underachievers performed at Voltage Lounge for the Philly leg of The Forevermore Express tour. The line up included rappers who have built their buzz in the streets – Bodega Bamz, Kirk Knight, Pouya & the Buffet Boys – and, of course, The Underachievers.
Bodega Bamz and squad took to the stage first with perhaps the most lively performance of the evening – attendees were thrashing in the mosh pit not even five minutes into the show thanks to songs from Bamz’s recently released Sidewalk Exec. Bodega Bamz broke up the sounds of the fiery snares common to trap, with a Bachata music break. Bamz, who is clearly proud of his Puerto Rican heritage, cleared the stage of the for a few seconds and didn’t come back out to perform his final song, until full-sized Puerto Rican and Dominican flags were waving regally into the crowd.
Next to the stage was Kirk Knight of Pro Era. His youthful, unjaded attitude gave a slightly wholesome air to the show. Knight performed tracks from his recently released album, Late Night Special, making a reflective choice when he rapped “Heaven Is For Real.” After finishing the song, Knight requested a moment of silence for his fallen camp member Capital Steez who committed suicide in 2012. The audience gladly obliged – not a sound could be heard in all of Voltage Lounge.
Pouya and the Buffet Boys were next to the stage with a refreshingly odd performance. Pouya, who slightly resembles Philly Jesus, and Fat Nick with his freeform dreadlocks, delivered their unique style of suburban Miami trap rap to energized fans. Trap is such a unique genre – It has the ability to blend music, that at first thought, would be considered polar opposites. At one point in their snare laden set, the Buffet Boys switched gears and sang along to “Let The Bodies Hit The Floor” by Drowning Pool. The crowd instantly went insane – it is safe to assume that a few bodies hit the floor in the mosh pit that encompassed most of the viewing area.
Pouya performed hit track “Energy” where he boasted, “I got a whip now, I got a whip now, I got a whip now, I got a bitch now, I got a bitch now, I got a bitch now.”
Clearly some pretty spectacular accomplishments.
Although the opening acts left the stage absolutely lit, with very little time in between sets, The Underachievers decided to build anticipation with more than a 15 minute pause before they hopped on stage. The duo performed tracks off of their latest album, Evermore such as “Generation Z” and “Star Signs.” The audience was very forgiving of the wait that they endured – their fans couldn’t have possible showed more love. Unlike the opener, The Underachievers low energy set was possibly due to the fact that the show, which was originally supposed to take place at the TLA was moved to a cozier Voltage Lounge.
Overall the show was a great smorgasbord of relevant up and coming artists who are making their mark. The audience was constantly turnt, and most left a big sweaty mess covered in mosh pit bruises.
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 
Comments are closed.