Sik-K

On May 4, hiphop label H1GHR MUSIC held their US Tour at 333 Live in Los Angeles. Read our concert review written by guest writer Yasamine (of Pixeletry).

Before we get into the wildness that was the H1GHR MUSIC Los Angeles tour stop, I feel it’s my duty to make for damn sure you all understand just how important this music label is. In the world of Korean hiphop, everyone spends a hell of a lot of time spouting comparisons between K-hiphop and North American hiphop. Understand that there will always be comparisons. That’s what people love to do.

“You can get with this, or you can get with that” – Black Sheep: The Choice is Yours

It’s expected. What wasn’t expected, was Jay Park and Cha Cha Malone bulldozing their way through the barrier not just bringing Asian artists to the forefront, but starting from the ground up, with a foundation solidified in diversity. There are no barriers for H1GHR MUSIC.

The label itself is one that is a strong mix of Seattle-based (and now all over the US) underground rap, hiphop and R&B artists mixed with South Korean artists and producers building a bridge between two worlds that was desperately needed. You see, beyond just bringing Asian artists here to North America, they planted roots here and created an exchange program of sorts, importing and exporting sounds and creativity that are so infectious, that birthed tour that housed sold-out shows and a wild rollercoaster experience beyond language barriers, beyond etiquette barriers, and held together with brotherly love, mutual respect and a damn good mix of talent. Now all they gotta do is bring on some Femcees and Latinx love up in this mix and my world would be complete.

Now that we’ve cleared the air, let’s talk about this wild crazy long night at the H1GHR MUSIC Tour LA stop. Hold on to your hats–this is gonna be an adventure!

The night started with Ted Park, fresh off his chaining at SXSW earlier this year, he’d just cut his long hair and dyed it cherry-bomb red. In his purple track jacket and white sweat band, he pranced around the stage with his adorable dance moves and humble genuine joy to be performing. He hyped the crowd with the tracks ‘Me oh My‘, ‘Me Love‘, and the viral sensation ‘Hello (Who Is This?)‘. It continued throughout the entire night as he popped back up later in the show to perform his newest collab, ‘Hands In The Air‘ featuring Jay Park.

The night was on a strict schedule as Avatar Darko stepped out on stage. Earlier this year he’d dropped the juggernaut mixtape Young Lomachenko with 14 tracks of pure fire. He stood on stage with his long dreads and designer sunglasses. He dedicated the night to his recently passed friend and proceeded to turn up hard to tracks like ‘Putin Work‘, ‘Never Comin’ Down‘, and ‘Xanny Pacquiao‘.

I don’t think anyone prepared me for Woodie Gochild and his … Pants. In his Kelly-green polo shirt and hand-designed super tight mom jeans, I don’t think anyone in the front row breathed throughout his entire set. Dude is small, but he really packs a … punch.

Ya dig?! Most of us stared slack-jawed as he saucily maneuvered about the stage, busting out Latin moves to tracks like ‘Let’s Get It‘, and ‘Muse‘.

Just as the I thought the crowd was about to spontaneously combust from the hotness, Phe Reds took the stage. His gentle lilting voice talked about how he’s working on his first album and only had a few songs for us that night. And then he began to sing. I could almost feel the cool, calming breeze from him. The entire sold-out venue sighed as they fell in love with him. He sang ‘Smile‘ and my personal favorite, ‘We Are The Stars‘, his guitarist taking us through an acoustic performance that dragged us through our feels.

Raz Simone took the stage and sucked the coolness right out from under us … I wasn’t ready as he pounded us with hard-hitting rhymes and his oh-so-sultry voice. With tracks like ‘Clout‘, ‘The Lights‘, and ‘Sometimes I Don’t‘, we rode his wave of energy. At one point he parted the sea, splitting the audience into two sides and performing on the floor with the audience as he ran up and down that makeshift aisle. As the barrier pressed into my ribs, I questioned my life, but it was worth seeing his explosive performance live.

I’m gonna take a moment and just scream at the realization that those of us who caught this performance, got to experience Cha Cha Malone on the mic. Not just as the MC but performing as well. We got a full set of unreleased tracks from his upcoming EP, and let me tell you! They are pure fire! Who knew the producer extraordinaire was hiding such raw talent under his belt! The man can produce, bboy dance, sing, rap … He can probably do my damned taxes!

Jarv Dee is probably one of my personal favorites. I was so surprised at his ability to flip between laid-back and turnt-up demeanor as he spat 4/20 friendly rhymes that had the entire crowd jumping to the beat. His expressiveness, not only in his lyrics but in his face and entire stage presence, is really all the reason you need to see him live. Seeing ‘I Just Wanna‘, and ‘Smoke 2 Much‘ live was pure craziness. The man is just fierce with a mic.

pH-1 exudes dominance. Straight up. There’s no other way to describe him. He seems quiet on stage until he brings that mic to his lips and lets you know the party is on! He takes over your whole world for his set time and you have no choice but to let him drive you through some of the funnest and most poppin’ tracks on the set list. I’ll be honest … I seriously lost my mind when he performed ‘Donut‘. It was really all I needed but of course he did ‘Perfect‘, ‘Game Night,’ ‘Christ’, and others!

Sing it with me now! Iffy Iffy Yah Yah Iffy Iffy Yah! Sik-K took the stage with pH-1 and had the entire audience doing the dance! Let’s be real. I’ve been worshipping the ground Sik-K has walked on since he dropped his first single back in 2015. Seeing him live was the epitome of this show for me. I seriously screamed myself hoarse and sang every song. This ain’t no joke. Seeing him live was it for me. I can die now. And he brought out the big guns dear lord he did not hold back! He performed ‘Party‘, ‘Rendezvous‘, ‘Ex’ (with Cha Cha) ‘Yacht‘, ‘Ring Ring‘ … I mean I could go on! I was hoping for ‘What The Hell’, but unfortunately it didn’t make the roster which is probably a good thing because it would have killed me.

With a finale that included the incomparable Yultron taking to the turntables as a curious DJ Summit stood glued to his hip, watching every move he made on that mixer. The night finished with the H1GHR MUSIC anthem and every member taking the stage. Every artist reached for fans, from pH-1 to Jarv Dee getting out there with those high fives and big smiles. At one point Sik-K reached out, passed the hands next to me and took my hand. This could have been a hallucination as I was in the process of being smashed between the stage and the barrier, fans clamoring to reach their faves. Everyone turned up hardcore and by the time it was over … the rush of adrenaline was just enough to get us through an insanely packed after party.

All in all, I think about the fact that this show was in multiple languages with a talent lineup just as diverse as the packed audience that had started to line up for the show at 9AM that morning. To me, nothing can beat that type of immersive experience because it promotes unity and acceptance. Be prepared, H1GHR MUSIC is just getting started and they’re out to change the game.