San Diego was rocked to its core, as trap-star RL Grime tore up SOMA on Feb. 7. Currently on his VOID album tour, RL Grime brought along Tommy Kruise and Lunice to perform with him. Tommy Kruise warmed up the crowd with a heavy and percussive sound, while Lunice got the energy flowing with his southern hip-hop sound and blaring horns. As one half of the TNGHT collaboration project with Scottish producer Hudson Mohawke, Lunice got the crowd bumping with hit after hit leading into the main act.
Opening up with “Scylla,” one of the heavier bangers from his album, Grime unleashed a torrent of ratchet-ivity by mixing in the biggest tracks from the trap scene seamlessly with the latest and greatest hip-hop tracks. From the likes of Baauer and GTA, to Kanye West and Big Sean, Grime displayed a masterful control of the music, and ultimately, the crowd.
Grime hasn’t forgotten his roots as he included a few of his older tracks and remixes. He included songs from the genre-blending “Trap on Acid,” to his 2013 “Shells,” to the remix that catapulted him to stardom “Mercy.” Grime even took a break of pace and delivered one of the hottest house tunes in “Feel the Volume” by Jauz, which has been sweeping live sets for the past couple months. Perhaps the best highlight of the night came when RL Grime played out two of his biggest songs. Teasing the crowd with high-octane build up, the crowd exploded into cheers as he dropped “Core” from his debut album, “VOID”.
As the lights dimmed the crowd called out for one more song and RL Grime delivered. Unleashing his collaboration with Australian duo of Flume and Emoh Instead, What So Not, RL Grime ended the night with his massive banger “Tell Me.”.And just when the we thought the night couldn’t go harder, we were treated to an insane edit by fellow trap pioneer Baauer, which capped off the night with a fiery end.
The later half of 2014, leading into 2015, has been dominated by RL Grime’s worldwide tour. With the release of his debut album, “VOID,” the world has been introduced to a wide collection of electronic music. Grime has produced a solid, unified vision of his work, more than just a “trap/banger” album, “VOID” is presented as a solid, cohesive musical adventure, accompanied by it’s own unique cyber-steampunk art direction, evident in the album’s art and music videos. And with this latest release, we are reminded why a solid vision for an album stands out so much more than a sloppily thrown together collection of radio “singles.”
RL Grime stands at the forefront of the electronic trap scene, blending the best hip-hop and electronic tracks found in the mainstream and underground scenes. With a widely successful album under his belt, as well as a worldwide tour to boot, we are all patiently waiting for what he has in store for us next.
