Gosha Guppy & Friends Impress With First Live Show
“Posted up, p-posted up in Wonderland,” Gosha Guppy chanted, and that we were. Tuesday night, June 5, Gosha Guppy headlined his first official gig at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. Gosha Guppy, a rising Brooklyn rapper, performed to a crowd of about 110 people on a starkly bare stage illuminated with stunning red lights.
Gosha was supported by two acts, the endlessly energetic rap group, NXGN, and the effortlessly cool Soire. NXGN opened up the night with a rousing rendition of “Elegant,” a track off their bold Zoommixtape. The track was produced by MeLo-X, an A-List producer who has worked with everyone from PARTYNEXTDOOR to Beyoncé. “Elegant” did the exactly what an opening song should do; the crowd, predominately New York City prep school students, screamed the lyrics and the atmosphere exponentially intensified with energy and vigor. Other highlights from NXGN’s set included “Skywalk” and “Terror.” What made NXGN’s set work was their inimitable chemistry and their incomparable energy. Every member delivered rapid-fire verses perfectly in sync with the track while still maintaining strong stage presence.
Following NXGN, was Soire, another rap collective (an anti-label label, if you will) helmed by Darion Harris, a budding mogul who produces, writes, and raps, and does so much more. Soire far and away had the most fully-realized musical style of all the acts. Their sound was somewhere at the intersection of rap and psychedelia with notes of deep house. From their wardrobe to highlights like “Big Bank,” “27’s Farewell,” and “Miller X,” Soire definitely kept the crowd hyped and efficiently conveyed their artistry.
After Soire’s set, an emcee interacted with the crowd and brought people onstage to dance and sing along as the crowd restlessly anticipated the man of the hour, Gosha Guppy. Once Gosha took the stage to the thumping chords of “Wonderland,” the crowd went ballistic as they shouted the lyrics of the intro. In addition to his own original tracks, Gosha Guppy interpolated F.L.Y.’s “Swag Surfin'” and Playboi Carti’s “What.” Gosha Guppy has an unequivocally electric stage presence; he stalked around the stage and danced wildly, basking in the exuberance of his first show. In a set filled with relentless energy, Gosha’s strongest offerings of the night came in the form of “Flex up Lil Shawty” and “Hit My Line.” The performance of the latter song became so raucous and intense that the owner of the venue shut down the performance for thrown bottles of water. The crowd was utterly captivated by Gosha; his aura onstage was otherworldly and his anthemic songs seemed to bounce off every wall of the venue.
Look out for Gosha Guppy, Soire, and NXGN, their burgeoning stage shows, and budding artistry are sure to explode any time soon.
