By Eli Longordo
Correspondent
A small stage was dimly lit with technicolor lights and powerful speakers in preparation for an energetic evening of rap.
On Friday, Nov. 8, students made their way to the Brower Student Center Room 225E, where they welcomed Lil Dude and his music producer, AR, along with an opening act from Yung Sace and Big Draco.
Lil Dude and AR took the stage at about 7:30 p.m and performed songs in front of their music videos, including “Permission Slip,” “PSA,” “Amiri” and “Limpin.”
Lil Dude showed off his skills and rapped with a mellow vibe. The rapping, movements and general performance exuded a sense of confidence and experience along with having fun, such as taking videos with fans on stage.
Devan Nieradka, a freshman open options political science major, felt that Lil Dude was “around standard, but he had good flow” and was “happy for a world-star” to come to the College.
Lil Dude has 13 albums, according to genius.com. He got his start on SoundCloud two years ago and released his first album in 2018, titled “Martin Luther Luciano.”
Despite a good performance, the show was abruptly short – Lil Dude was gone almost as soon as he began, as he only performed for about 10 minutes. An air of confusion and disappointment was felt among the crowd of around 25.
Willem Kline, a senior communication studies major and CUB organizer for this event, was disheartened about the performance. “Can’t win ’em all” was his sentiment for the brevity of Lil Dude’s act.
Kline was excited to put on CUB’s first rap shows, saying that CUB “wants to reach more students,” drawing students who prefer rap over the indie rock that is normally featured.
Surprisingly, the performances of Yung Sace and Big Draco were the highlight of the evening – for both the students and the performers.
Yung Sace and Big Draco have been working on their act for about three years, but have been focusing more seriously for the last year and a half.
The duo was ecstatic about its first paid performance.
“You have to be able to monetize everything,” Big Draco said.
The New Jersey natives work together often, and their chemistry was evident on stage. Their combined energy made their stage presence shine. The duo maneuvered around the stage rapping to songs like “Envy” and “Coca Cola” with excitement and professionalism.
What they lacked in experience, they made up for with the good vibes and positive energy they threw at the crowd. Despite an audience of about 10 people by the end of the set, the duo thanked the audience for being there to enjoy the songs.
“(We) appreciate you all for having us,” Big Draco said.
Despite the low turnout for both performances, Kline is hopeful for similar shows in the future.
“We’re going to keep trying,” Kline said, hoping to attract more rap fans in the future.
