There is no better way to start off your week than with a concert. That’s exactly what I did on Monday, April 2nd, as Korean-American artist Dumbfoundead came to San Diego for his Yikes Tour at Soma. In front of a packed crowd at Soma’s side stage, the openers were Manila Grey. The duo consists of two childhood Filipino-Canadian rappers who showed the crowd why they were worthy of opening up for Dumbfoundead. Neeko and Soliven were skillful on the mic and were able to appease the audience with their charisma and the way they performed on stage. The duo performed only a few tracks but the most memorable ones were "Timezones" and "Youth Water".
North Carolina rapper, G Yamazawa, was up next and straight up brought some heat for his set. It only took a few minutes for the crowd to realize that the rapper came to make a statement. His set consisted songs that were full of political issues, cracks about his Japanese ethnicity, and experiences from his life. Before he was a rapper, G Yamazawa was a professional poet and you can tell as his set consisted of some interesting renditions of covers along with his songs. Even after he finished his set, the crowd was still ready for the main event.
For the people that don’t know, Dumbfoundead is a legend in the Asian-American hip-hop scene. I remember first finding him on YouTube and being blown away by his skills. He doesn’t have the appeal of other rappers like Kendrick Lamar or Drake but that does not make his work any less significant as a rapper. Dumbfounded is a trailblazer who has inspired so many Asian artists in not just the hip-hop scene but in the entire music industry. Without him, rappers like Rich Brian, Kevin Ape, and Nav, may not be able to break onto the scene. We have Dumbfoundead to thank for his part in the creation of 88rising and the influence he has had with his past in the battle rap scene.
With his reputation for those that know of him, the crowd was willing and ready to get wild once he came on to the stage. I was able to get in because I was press but the rest of the crowd got their money’s worth with what the Korean-American rapper performed for his set. Dumbfoundead performed the songs off his latest EP, Rocket Man, while also providing some of his trademark humor. The way he worked the crowd on stage was reminiscent of a comedian and showed he could had the ability to connect with the audience with other ways than just his music. Although, his music played a big part on why the crowd came to see him at Soma. After he finished up his set, the crowd unsurprisingly shouted for an encore and Dumbfoundead obliged. He came back for an encore but made sure he gave the crowd a night to remember. He brought out his first openers, Manila Grey and many others. The encore was full of energy and hype and made this writer ready to come again when Dumbfoundead performs next time in San Diego.
Written by: Christian Le
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