WHERE: Wilbur Theatre
WHEN: October 3, 2013
The pairing of Action Bronson and Danny Brown on a tour dubbed ‘The 2 High 2 Die’ seems as fitting as it does long overdue. And the notoriety Leedz Edutainment possesses when it comes to bringing Hip-Hop’s most crucial artists to Boston makes it the most powerful platform to have your name on if you plan on selling out any venue. Bottom line: this show was destined to be great upon its inception—there was no doubt that the dual headliners would live up to their hype. And Bronson, rap game’s newbie of the two, had no qualms about being a showstopper. He held his own as he graced the stage completely solo, and his extravagantly abrasive attitude was pitted in the fact that he is truly a gifted MC. The New York native’s vocal styling is comparable to Ghostface Killah, and his beats are unfussy and direct. “The Rockers” was just as swirling live as it is on his Saab Stories EP, and Bronson took it one step further by fighting tooth and nail to make it through the crowd in order to perform it amongst legions of diehard fans. As he returned to the stage for “Strictly 4 My Jeeps” and “No Time,” a slightly misogynistic overtone took precedence as Bronson’s perpetual oral fixation was dually noted and howled by male onlookers (“Stop talking/Just go down, baby” was the only lyric on ‘Jeeps’ that every dude in the crowd knew). It was a nice surprise to have “Bird On a Wire” as his last song—he completely outshined Riff Raff on the track and made a nice Jodeci reference in the process. Danny Brown’s entrance after was comically low-key: dressed in all black he eased his way onstage slowly with a hoodie hiding his wild mane. But as soon as the hair was unleashed, the crowd went completely apeshit. While performing songs like “Black Brad Pitt,” “Molly Ringwald,” and “Blunt After Blunt,” it was clear that Brown was an amazing maestro—when he calmed down, the crowd became pacified. But as soon as he revved up, we were all right there with him. His cadence isn’t as gritty as Bronson’s, but his tendency to intentionally misconstrue his voice when he rhymes is a nice throwback to the days of Slick Rick when rappers weren’t afraid to experiment. Of course, by the time he gave us “Express Yourself” the night was already at an end. Sure, we were saddened, but even more eager to see what Leedz will bring us next.