UPDATED: March 26, 2017 at 5:50 p.m.

21 Savage took Syracuse University by storm in front of a sold-out Goldstein Auditorium crowd Friday night. Performing crowd favorites from his critically-acclaimed 2016 album “Savage Mode,” the rapper used the audience’s seemingly bottomless energy to support his performance. Coupled with Nebu Kiniza, Manny Little, and Henny Pica$o, the night was surely a party thanks to efforts by Thrillin Theta Xi chapter of Phi Beta Sigma at Syracuse University to bring the Atlanta headliner to campus.

DJ Maestro, a familiar face to Syracuse University, handled the pre-show festivities. DJ Maestro mixed tunes for the Men’s basketball games in the past, often perched in his signature seat behind the basket in the student section, though he was notably absent this season. He constantly built up the energy inside as audience members entered the venue by calling on members of the crowd by graduation year. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors alike could be heard responding to the DJ’s Shouts. He made satisfying the screaming masses look effortless, as he played several songs from Drake’s hyped new release “More Life.”

The first rapper to take the stage was a local favorite, Phil The Artist. Phil has amassed several thousand listens on SoundCloud during recent months, making him a force to be reckoned within the Syracuse music scene. The highlight of his performance was “Take Off,” which he both wrote and produced himself.  The musical savvy and high-energy personality he displayed opened well for 21 Savage.

Henny Pica$o took advantage of the warmed-up crowd, hopping on stage to perform “Vanity,” “Move,” “Shots” and “Honeycomb” with dancers at his side. His eye-catching all white outfit augmented with LED gloves that could often be found at a psychedelic music festival was a fan favorites. His uniform proved a great canvas for the swirling lights in Goldstein Auditorium.

Nebu Kiniza was last to perform before 21 Savage.  He hinted at an album in the works, but not before performing the club favorite “Gassed Up.” Kiniza gave a shoutout to his friend Kodak Black, a Florida rapper that was recently incarcerated for violation of probation. Kodak Black has been receiving media attention and support from fellow rappers. Kiniza congratulated his friend on his recent release.

DJ Suss One from Power 105.1 in New York City gave several shoutouts to audience members, calling on the crowd to put their right hand up if they were from “the city.”  After noticing that a large portion of the audience hailed from one of the five boroughs,  DJ Suss One proceeded to play NYC favorites such as “OOOUUU” by Young M.A and “Hot Boy” by Bobby Shmurda.

The theme of constant interaction with the massive crowd continued throughout the show. 21 Savage consistently held the mic out in the audience’s direction, encouraging them to sing along. Later, when he proclaimed the SU crowd was the “best he’s had all year,” the building erupted. The energy inside Goldstein Auditorium was palpable during “No Heart” and “X,” with students screaming along to the lyrics.  

The concert ended abruptly but before the music stopped, 21 Savage hinted that his “Issa Album” would release “very soon.”  Many audience members, including Spencer Parson, a freshman State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry student, felt that his individual performance could have been longer. But, overall, the show was well received. The auditorium cleared out soon after the lights were turned on and as quickly as 21 Savage arrived in Syracuse, he was gone.

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, Henny Pica$o was misnamed. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Published on March 25, 2017 at 2:07 am