Between “making underground raw s**t” and “making the universe recognize and submit,” Murs brought his West Coast-influenced underground rap to the Westcott Theater in Syracuse.

The indie-rap darling made a stop on his cross-country “Road to Paid Dues” tour, bringing his California-conscientious rapping style to his first performance in Syracuse on Tuesday night with a smooth flow, clever lyrics and laidback beats.

Westcott doors opened at 7 p.m. to a sea of hoodies and snapbacks, the classic California rap-fan uniform.

The show opened with a performance by ToTs, a local Syracuse rapper whose lyrics revolve around potatoes. With a humorous flow and clever punchlines meshed into his lyrics, the self-proclaimed “potato rap pioneer” rapped about the food in all its forms: fried, baked, mashed — any way you could make it, he would rap it.

“Murs is a great inspiration. I remember hearing a Murs track where he was rapping about Saturday morning cartoons and breakfast and I thought, ‘I could rap about potatoes,’” ToTs said. “I never imagined in a million years that I would be able to fool around and rap about potatoes, and end up opening for Murs.”

He was later accompanied on stage by Badlands Booker, a competitive eater and part-time rapper from New York City, known for competing in the famous Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest every year on July 4.

“I love working with ToTs. We have a great song together called ‘Sack of Potatoes,’ and it’s just such a great vibe. It’s all about fun,” said Booker, who frequently visits Syracuse for the city’s potato-eating challenge.

As a rapper from Syracuse, ToTs found himself surrounded by family and fans in the audience, who came out to support his starch-studded performance.

A childhood friend of the rapper who attended the concert, Julie Ondrako, said Tots is a local celebrity the community continually supports because of his great personality.

“His songs are hysterical,” Ondrako said. “He’s probably one of the most clever people I’ve ever met.”

Following ToTs was Curtiss King and Noa James, a rap duo from California that Murs selected to open for the show. With their 90s-influenced rapping style, mixed with modern slang, the two came on stage and delivered rhymes that would make anyone proud to be a 90s kid.

King, dressed in a multi-colored neon starter jacket and topped with a “Kid ‘n Play” hairstyle, mentioned his love for the 90s, even going so far as to make a mixtape from the classic Saturday night Nickelodeon program, “Snick @ Nite.”

The duo’s lyrics demonstrated a yearning for the days of yesteryear with rhymes like, “Who in the hell in 2013 would dress like me? If you see someone in the club rocking a polo yelling YOLO, you know he’s not with me!”

The third opening act was California rapper Fashawn, who worked with Murs on a recent collaboration album, “This Generation,” which was released last September. Fashawn carried a non-stop, fast-paced flow throughout his entire performance, rapping over energetic beats with a hard-hitting style.

“I’m like a decade younger than Murs, but I have the same love that he does for the culture,” he said. “I’m honored to be able to work with someone of his caliber.”

After Fashawn, a rapper named Prof came on stage, a high-energy party rapper from the emerging rap scene in Minnesota.

With a crowd of hip-hop fans on their feet for Murs, the rapper stepped on stage and opened with the crowd-pumping “Lookin’ Fly,” proceeding to captivate the audience with his trademark catchphrase and theme song, “Whatuptho?”

Murs demonstrated an energetic stage presence from the second he walked out, commanding the crowd with his call-and-response lyrics and dynamic storytelling.

In “’67 Cutlass,” he tells a humorous story of accidentally tripping a cop and disaster ensuing. He also told dramatic tales of growing up in the dangerous city of Los Angeles and selling drugs in “H-U-S-T-L-E.”

Through his performance, Murs delivered a celebration of California big enough to make Syracuse seem radiant.

Published on February 27, 2013 at 1:50 am

Contact Alfred: alng@syr.edu

@alfredwkng