Verbal Jint

With the conclusion of the Korean hip hop survival program: Show Me the Money Season 4 (SMTM4), Mnet had announced that there would be ‘SMTM4’ concerts to be held in Los Angeles and New York. This concert review will cover the September 12 show of the SMTM4 concert in New York.

Despite the on/off rainy weather, fans started lining up around the Best Buy Theater hours before the doors opened:

A little after 6:30 PM the doors had opened, and fans immediately trickled into the concert venue. As the audience members settled in, music from the artists who participated on SMTM4 resonated throughout the venue. As Loco’s “You Don’t Know” played, audience members slowly hyped themselves up in anticipation for the start of the concert.

By 7:30 PM, the concert had officially begun. Basick opened with “GXNZI“– the cheers from the audience were explosive. Even though he was performing alone on the stage, his presence extended over the entire venue. The audience members shouted ‘GXNZI’ in unison, following Basick’s example.

After “GXNZI”, Basick performed “Stand Up.” His introductory comment: “this song goes out to all the dreamers out there” incited a loud roar from the audience members. Already, the venue was becoming heated from the sheer amount of movement and passion. Overall, Basick’s impressive opening reaffirmed his well-deserved win on SMTM4.

Next up was Team AOMG! I was personally surprised to see the whole crew performing: Jay Park, Loco, Sik-K, Lil Boi, Day Day, and Geegooin. Loco opened with “We Up There 2“, followed by Jay Park’s “Mommae“– driving fans crazy. Each member started off by performing solo. Sik-K performed “Better Life“, Lil Boi performed “On It + Bo$$“, and Geegooin performed “Next Level.”

Team AOMG’s stage presence was one of my favorites especially when they performed the popular SMTM4 group song: “Respect” together. It’s no wonder so many fans regard Team AOMG with high respect.

I wasn’t able to get great photos or videos from their performances because of how excited the audience became. All I’m able to share is Loco stating: “Respect” before the start of the song.

As Team AOMG exited the stage, Tablo came up to the stage. Immediately, there was a overpowering cheer for the Team YG’s rapper. Unfortunately Jinusean and other Team YG members were unable to perform for the NYC concert. In addition, Tablo mentioned how sad and lonely he felt because he wasn’t performing with his Epik High members, Tukutz & Mithra Jin. A ripple effect of the audience’s “awwww….” rang throughout the venue. However, Tablo was still able to take over the stage with an impressive performance of “Eyes Nose Lips“, “Born Hater”, and a beat-less version of his newest single, “Hood.”

(Credits to original uploader: Tei Ritaberry)

Immediately after Tablo’s performance, Paloalto entered the stage, welcomed by an enormous cheer from the audience. Performing with fellow Hi-Lite member, G2, Paloalto performed “My Team“, “Turtle Ship“, and “Victim + Cheers.” Although Song Mino & Zico were unable to perform on stage, G2 & Paloalto’s stage chemistry proved to energize the stage regardless. For “Turtle Ship”, Team AOMG showed their support for Paloalto, by joining him on stage!

(Credits to original uploader: Tei Ritaberry)

The winning team, Team Brand New decorated the final portion of the concert. San E impressively performed “Rap Circus” among other hits. Verbal Jint and Sanchez wooed the audience with “Good Morning.” After their performances, Sanchez hilariously kept saying, “Shout out to Brooklyn!” The three artists interacted with the audience– getting everyone laughing and having a good time. While performing San E even brought bread onto the stage and said, “I bought bread, tada!” stirring laughter.

For the grand finale… Basick returned to the stage to perform “My Zone” with SMTM4 producers, San E and Verbal Jint. Since I couldn’t get a good video, check out the remarkable performance of “My Zone” on the broadcast of SMTM4!

The Show Me The Money Season 4 Concert in New York was truly a fun, exciting experience. It’s fascinating and even fulfilling to see Korean hip hop expand its horizons to reach a global scale. Although Show Me The Money Season 4 brought along a parade of controversies, each and every performance for this concert was well-prepared and exhilarating. I’m definitely looking forward to attending more Korean hip hop concerts!

– Nahae Kim, HiphopKR