At the end of a long holiday weekend, rap royalty Big Boi, one half of Atlanta legends OutKast, took to the stage along with Sleepy Brown and gave an electric performance for all those in attendance at Brooklyn Bowl Philly.
Before the main event, we were treated to a dope opening set from the southern gem Kari Faux with her DJ Whitney Screwston. They brought the bounce, providing the funky down south vibes to start the evening. Kari, who recently released her first new album in 10 years, Real Bitches Don’t Die, ended her set with an emotional performance of “White Caprice” featuring Three 6 Mafia’s Gangsta Boo, who passed in January and was a pioneering southern rap icon.
Kari Faux | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
But when the lights got low, it was time for a legitimate legend in Big Boi to take the stage. And take it he did, jumping out with a blaze of hits including “ATLiens,” “Rosa Parks,” and “So Fresh, So Clean,” the latter letting Sleepy Brown do his sweet soulful thing. Big Boi brought an energy that could fill a stadium, and from an artist who has filled them, this separates a good performance from great one. With the confidence of only an artist with a catalog as deep as his, Big Boi knew at every moment what would light up the crowd. At one point, he ran through four back-to-back classic songs including “B.O.B.” and “Player’s Ball,” and still had so many hits left.
Big Boi | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
One of the night’s highlights was when Big Boi and Sleepy Brown slipped off the stage for a second to come back out draped in minks, ready to slide into “The Way You Move”; the interplay between the two on stage is dynamic and shows they work on giving a great performance. After a first encore set, Big Boi and Sleepy Brown returned again to bless us with one last song, “International Players Anthem,” and everyone rapped back word for word.
I can’t say how grateful I was to be able to see a straight-up legend in a dope smaller venue. Don’t miss Big Boi when he swings back through, because he’s a master at this craft and it’s an honor to watch a master work.