Relive Lancey Foux and Hardrock’s sets at Avondale Music Hall in Chicago (Oct. 21) through excluisve photos, videos and more.
There are an abundance of underground and mainstream rappers that are clinging onto the “rage” scene with an iron fist, and even more that have acclimated themselves to appeal more within the scene itself. Trippie Redd experimenting with rage on Mansion Musik, Ken Carson doubling down on it with A Great Chaos, and even Drake — yes, Drizzy Drake himself — dipping his toes into rage rap on For All The Dogs. Rage is international, but who really encapsulates it?
Enter Lancey Foux, the UK rapper and stylist that’s been a trailblazer for the rage scene, standing next to rage legends like Ken Carson as someone who helped usher the subgenre into the mainstream. A handful of mixtapes and singles eventually led to full-fledged albums, and then back to a mixtape with his newest work, BACK2DATRAP, which feels like a return to form for Lancey.
To get to experience it live though, that’s the real treat in all of this. Listening to rage music is only half of the fun, as seeing it live is where it really all comes together. Lancey played most of this new project while dabbling in some of his classics (“LANCEY OR LANCEY,” “Luv monëy”) before ending things on two high notes: first with an angelic rendition of The Weeknd’s “Out of Time,” before delivering an encore with my favorite song of his, “World on Fire.” U.K trap has been around, but Lancey is making sure you’re all aware — and appreciative — of what he’s bringing to the table.
All photos courtesy of John Cotter
Before Lancey took the stage, Hardrock flexed his underground aura like it was second nature. Recently dropping his debut album, 1of1, and fresh off of a handful of features on Matthew Williams’ COMPILATION V1, it’s safe to say that the young Atlanta rapper has the motion that most artists desire. He doesn’t exude excitement behind this ideal, nor does he exude contempt; instead, he maintains this rock-solid neutral energy that seems to care about nothing besides rocking out on stage. From “bleh” to “God’s Hands,” seeing Hardrock live is like getting the most ideal through line to the rage scene in contemporary underground hip-hop. It’s not for everyone, but you know when it’s for you.
