SU students mosh at the Dome for first Block Party since 2019
Meghan Hendricks | Photo Editor
2 Chainz performed hits like “Mercy,” “No Lie,” “I’m Different” and “Birthday Song” during his set.
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By the time A-Trak took the stage at Block Party, around 400 students were already at the stage floor, all decked out in sports jerseys, festival attire and colorful t-shirts. Once his set started, Syracuse University students already opened up mosh circles and swarmed each other. The night was just getting started.
For what was the first in-person Block Party since Khalid headlined in 2019, students came to the Dome ready for a night of electrifying music.
A-Trak began his performance without much fanfare. He didn’t immediately address the growing crowd, so it took students a second to realize it was his set playing, not the event DJ. Once he started playing popular tracks from artists like Drake and Polo G, the crowd got more involved, dancing and rapping along to the lyrics.
While A-Trak didn’t perform his Duck Sauce hit, “Barbra Streisand,” he did show off his prowess as a DJ with expert scratching between songs.
After his set, 070 Shake took the stage. Before hopping into “Morrow” from her debut album “Modus Vivendi,” the North Bergen rapper told people in the crowd to give the person next to them a big hug. After the wholesome exchange, she prepared the audience to get wild, saying they are free to do whatever they want.
“When I was in high school, I wanted to come (to SU) to play basketball and my teacher told me I couldn’t,” 070 Shake said. “Now I’m here anyway.”
Along with her popular songs like “Guilty Conscience” and “The Pines,” 070 Shake played some of her unreleased songs, which will be featured in her next album.
After her performance of “Honey,” the musician had two of her friends join students on the floor to create the biggest mosh circles of the night on both sides of the stage. To finish her set, 070 Shake performed “Ghost Town,” a Ye song she’s featured on. During her verse, members of the audience sang the song for the singer and waved their phones in the air.
“Thank you so much, Syracuse,” she said before leaving the stage.
Following a 10-minute break, the onstage screens were lit up with videos of two gold chains. A DJ walked on stage shortly after, asking the crowd if they were ready for 2 Chainz. The students in attendance responded with rowdy cheers.
Suddenly, the lights dimmed as the first notes of 2 Chainz’ debut single “No Lie” rang through the Dome. He took the stage in a lime green jacket and, of course, with a collection of chains draped around his neck.
“Freshman and sophomores, make some noise,” the rapper yelled, receiving thunderous cheers from the underclassmen. “Juniors and seniors, make some noise!”
“No Lie” led right into a performance of Chance the Rapper’s “No Problem,” which 2 Chainz is featured on, which had students on the floor and in the stands jumping together while they yelled out the lyrics to the chorus. He followed with a plethora of his other popular guest verses, from “All Me” and “Rich as F*ck” to “Big Bank” and “F**kin’ Problems.”
After inundating the audience with back-to-back hits, Chainz took a moment to introduce himself.
“I go by the name of 2 Chainz. I’m a Virgo,” he said, receiving a new wave of cheers from fellow Virgos in the crowd. “That means I like my space, I don’t want people getting too close to me.”
He added that he likes long walks and comes from Atlanta, Georgia, and received even more excited screams from attendees. 2 Chainz then warned the students that they might not be quite old enough to enjoy what he talked about in his next song before the beat to “I Luv Dem Strippers” pulsed through the Dome.
A mix of the rapper’s older hits and tracks from his latest album, “Dope Don’t Sell Itself,” were peppered throughout the rest of the setlist. The audience collectively lost it when he finally played “Mercy,” pushing one another back and forth and screaming out the words to Chainz’ verse and the classic hook.
As the end of his set neared, 2 Chainz asked if there were any lucky audience members celebrating birthdays. In celebration, students shined the light on their friends while dancing, twerking and rapping to “Birthday Song,” his final song of the night.
At 10:15 p.m., the music that had been playing during the intermission suddenly stopped, and the Dome turned dark. A few seconds later, fog and flashing white lights emerged on the stage, followed by the sound of a female voice.
When the narration finished, Baby Keem — donning a black leather jacket and black pants — appeared on stage and opened with “trademark usa.” As soon as the beat dropped, members of the audience began to furiously jump and rap along.
Along with his ragers, Baby Keem took time to perform his slower paced songs as well, including “HONEST” and “issues.”
“I wanna take some time to say some personal sh*t, ok?” he said before performing “HONEST,” where he opens up about his experience with women and fame.
Throughout the show, students tried their best to get the Grammy-winning artist’s attention, from waving signs to screaming “Let’s make history,” a phrase the rapper himself repeatedly brought up. One fan successfully caught his attention by sitting on their friend’s shoulder and waving at Keem, to which he waved back.
After Keem’s performance of “gorgeous,” a red laser appeared and pointed toward the back of the stage. Once the crowd heard Donda West’s voice, they grew rampant and opened one of the biggest circles of the night. Once the beat for “Praise God,” a track from Ye’s “Donda” featuring Baby Keem, dropped, the crowd collided and filled the circle — creating an eruption of singing and bodies in the air.
To cap the night off, the Carson-born rapper performed “family ties,” his Grammy award-winning track featuring Kendrick Lamar.
After the high-octane song finished, the audience was still hungry for another chance to surge before going home. Sensing this, Baby Keem performed the song again, and the audience generated the same energy it exhibited during the first playthrough.
“I just wanna say thank you left to right, top to bottom,” he said. “My name is Baby Keem — don’t forget it. I will be back.”
Published on May 1, 2022 at 10:56 pm
Contact Siron: sthoma10@syr.edu | @sironthomas
