EarthGang
4th December 2019
Studio The Venue, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Warren Paea.
Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, the Dreamville Records duo EarthGang lit up the crowd in the Studio on Auckland’s Karangahape Road on Wednesday night.
A rare anomaly in hip hop, Venus (aka Olu) and Doctur Dots’ (aka WowGr8) talent to both rap and sing paired with their quirky cadences, rhyme schemes and content offer a sound that is impactful through its fluidity and fearless resolve in making southern trap music that strays from the status quo.
But enough with all that nerdy shit. This show was fucking amazing! Off the rip they jumped on stage to a roaring crowd, commencing their set with ‘LaLa Challenge’. With a slightly underwhelming sound to begin with, once the beat switched in the second half the drums sped up furiously, igniting the crowd. This set the tone for the rest of the night as they unraveled their set performing tracks from their major label debut album Mirrorland.
From ‘Top Down’ and ‘Proud of U’ right into ‘This Side’, I was deep in a dizzy state of ecstasy. Energetic trap records that aren’t hyper masculine or centered on toting semi-automatic rifles, selling coke out of bandos and diamonds dancing on their necks and wrists (all which I very much appreciate) are extremely refreshing and enjoyable. The level of fandom from the crowd made it all the more exciting, as mass clusters of fans sung along not only to the hooks but confidently recited lyrics from both Venus and Dots’ unorthodox style of trap.
Earthgang engaged with the crowd bringing a handful of them to jump on stage and flex their dance moves which was both impressive and hilarious. Blessed be those children who dance like rhythm is nonexistent.
They also offered a moment of silence for all the tragedy experienced across the world this year, which felt interesting because nothing major had occurred recently to initiate it; but I personally made an attempt to think about it and we really do live in a world full of dark energy and dickheads who think racism is cool and justifies murder, but we don’t have to feed into that. After the moment passed the beat dropped for their 2017 Rags EP track ‘Meditate’ and the earth beneath my feet shifted. This is the track that made me pay attention to Earthgang and it was epic to see it live with Venus and Doc bouncing around on stage going back and forth with their verses, both fast and melodic. A true highlight of the night worth meditating on.
After my legs gave out I found solace in leaning on the bar for the rest of the show next to some old Ponsonby dads who seemed more interested in the alcohol than the music. Somewhat obnoxious, but charming, and when Tequila played they bought a round of tequila shots, so you know I couldn’t stay mad.
Cozz also provided a stellar performance where true Dreamville stans proudly represented their passion and knowledge of his music while he performed. My friend is an avid Cozz fan and flexed that he sold him the shirt he was wearing on stage earlier that day. While familiar with some records such as ‘Knock tha Hustle’, I wasn’t a diehard stan but always appreciate real rap when I hear it and although sonically there is room for growth, the man could definitely spit bars and is not one to be slept on.
Proving there are no weak links in the Dreamville roster, EarthGang have shown their ability to move a crowd without all the glamour and glitz. If they have the power to do this so effortlessly, it’s easy to imagine how well they could present their sound on a bigger stage in the future.
It can only be up from here for EarthGang.
Were you there at Studio, The Venue for this magnificent hip hop gig? Or have you seen Earthgang perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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