The current rap scene in America is getting younger. The days of Dr. Dre and P. Diddy running the West and East coast scenes are far behind, and the new ebb of rap music seems to be toward young, independent “crews” and labels, groups like Odd Future, A$AP Mob and the Bruiser Brigade.

Joey Bada$$’ Pro Era Crew is no different.

Tuesday night, 300 students at Syracuse University experienced rapper Joey Bada$$ and his Pro Era crew as they played for a sold-out crowd in the Schine Underground for University Union’s Bandersnatch Music Series. Hailing from Brooklyn, N.Y., the rappers brought a loud and sweaty show.

In the Schine Underground, PA system speakers were piled high and DJ Fame, DJ for opening act Dizzy Wright, was hard at work in the booth.

In the beginning few minutes of the show, Fame tried to liven up the crowd by playing some slightly dated hits, spinning tracks like “The Motto” and “N****s In Paris.” But people milled lazily until the lights finally dimmed. After a highly dramatic entrance song and a few puffs from the smoke machine, Las Vegas native Dizzy Wright kicked the show off with a bang.

By the time Wright hit the stage, the crowd had grown to about 75 people. The speakers were soft, and after a few songs and shout-outs to the sound booth, Wright and his hypeman, Moskie Moe, were in the groove.

Speeding through his modest repertoire, Wright could not seem to catch the interest of the slowly growing crowd, his biggest response coming only when he shouted, “Where my weed smokers at?,” to which the crowd exploded into whoops and cheers.

Wright left the stage after half an hour without much of a sign-off, disappointed by his set.

“It’s frustrating, we came straight from the airport and sound-checked 25 minutes before. When we got up there, it was like (we) never even did it,” Wright said.

Still, Wright remained positive and ultimately did his job piquing the crowd’s interest for the opener.

Hailed as the new face of the New York rap scene, 18-year-old Bada$$’ sound is something to be reckoned with.

“He’s bringing back the old-school vibes with a little bit of new school. too,” said Morgan Craig, a freshman in the Bandier Program for Music and the Entertainment Industries.

Bada$$ and his Pro Era Crew are scheduled to headline their first U.S. tour, the Beast Coast Tour, this spring. Bada$$ and his group seem to be blowing up faster than anyone could have imagined.

From the minute Bada$$ stepped on stage, it was clear he had brought a posse with him. Pro Era heavyweight CJ Fly filled in for the late Capital STEEZ as Bada$$’ hypeman. That, coupled with surprise appearances by Dirty Sanchez and Dyemond Lewis, created a crowd on stage.

Beginning his set with hits off of his freshman mixtape “1999,” Bada$$ looked like he had been on stage his whole life. His ceaseless verses coupled with bold hooks created a new take on the “rap show.”

After blowing through hits like “Waves,” “World Domination” and “Unorthodox,” Bada$$ called for the music to cut so he could pay respect to the fallen member of his Pro Era Crew.

“Rest in peace to Capital STEEZ” was shouted. After blasting one of STEEZ’s verses over the sound system, Bada$$ asked, “Can we get a moment of silence?,” to which everybody in attendance immediately obliged.

From that point on, the show never stopped. Song after song was torn through with smooth transitions in between, keeping the audience on their toes just enough to squash any boredom.

Bada$$ finished up his set by debuting a new song. As the group began to leave, Bada$$ rushed to the microphone and asked the crowd if they wanted a freestyle before they left. The crowd was happy to engage, and the whole Pro Era Crew spit for five minutes before finally leaving the stage.

UU’s pick to start off their Bandersnatch series won the crowd.As an 18-year-old, Bada$$ brought himself and his Pro Era crew into the spotlight of SU.

Published on March 6, 2013 at 2:33 am

Contact Robert: ragaudio@syr.edu