It’s a busy week within the Billboard zeitgeist. After internet hosting the 2024 Billboard R&B Hip-Hop Energy Gamers occasion, the Billboard Hip-Hop Stay live performance went down in Brooklyn on the Xanadu curler rink on Friday evening (Sept. 6).
Amazon Music’s Breakthrough Artist BigXthaPlug hit the stage first, round 9:40 p.m. ET, to set the tone for the evening as a whole lot of followers bought settled in to the brand new Bushwick venue.
BigX emerged following a cross-country journey from the West Coast together with his Texas-sized swagger in a white soccer jersey, however shortly ditched it for his signature shirtless look.
The Dallas native ran by way of cuts like “Massive Stepper” and his newest hard-hitting single, the aptly-titled “The Largest.” He had some enjoyable with the viewers when betting his DJ that the left aspect of the group can be louder than the fitting, and BigX’s pockets ended up leaving a little bit heavier than anticipated after successful the $2,000 wager.
The 26-year-old hit his two-step onstage and continued to carry out the Dazz Band-sampling “Whip It,” “Degree” and “Mmhmm” in his heavy, bellowing Southern drawl. The latter served as BigX’s first Billboard Sizzling 100 entry earlier this 12 months when it peaked at No. 63. He closed issues out together with his breakout anthem, “Texas,” whereas over 1,500 miles from house.
Subsequent up, the scorching Bossman Dlow hit the stage round 10:10 p.m. ET. Massive Za rocked snow white denims and an identical letterman jacket together with his signature ski goggles off to the aspect like he was able to hit the slopes.
“Mr. Pot Scraper” gave followers a style of the motivational anthems that have been to return earlier than heating up whereas leaping round from “Piss Me Off” to the braggadocios “Speak My Shit.” The Florida rapper clearly has the streets on lock as the group was within the palm of his hand.
“Finesse” sans GloRilla set the desk for “Get in With Me,” which drew the loudest ovation of any observe from the viewers within the constructing because the temperature was turned up a number of notches.
Dlow’s inspirational raps went a cappella for the primary go round as followers belted the “Yep” a part of his “Juggs fiendin’/ Telephone ringing/ N—s hating” verse proper again at him. He spun the block to carry out his prime 50 Sizzling 100 banger a second time with the booming DxnteMadeIt instrumental to offer the individuals what they got here for.
Simply shy of 11 p.m. ET meant it was time for the evening’s headliner, the eccentric Teezo Landing, who painted a extra romanticized aesthetic whereas mixing the worlds of rap, rock and R&B.
Rocking a pink tank prime and an identical furry cherry bucket hat that LL Cool J can be jealous of, which went alongside together with his rose bouquet microphone, Teezo served as a palate cleanser that took followers in one other path together with his shrewd creativity.
It was an evening of reflection for Teezo Landing — in essentially the most optimistic means. Coming off of successful Billboard‘s 2024 Rookie of the Yr honors and celebrating the one-year anniversary of his How Do You Sleep At Evening? debut this weekend, Teezo took a second to look again and understand how far he’s come as an artist on this labor of affection.
“Final evening I used to be awarded the Billboard Hip-Hop R&B Rookie of the Yr award. What a 12 months it’s been, proper,” he mentioned. “I went on my first sold-out headlining Spend the Evening Tour, and on Sunday (Sept. 8) it is going to be the one-year anniversary of my How Do You Sleep At Evening debut album.”
Teezo fired away with cuts from his critically acclaimed debut whereas delivering stay performances of “Inconceivable,” “Too Straightforward” and “Out of Respect.” He broke the arrange with Travis Scott’s forgotten Utopia dance-leaning “Fashionable Jam.” Teezo had everybody throw their twos within the sky whereas returning to his debut to convey the present throughout the end line with “Familiarity,” “Third Coast” and the trippy “Stranger.”