Creatives After Dark (@CADRecs), Big Joc (@BigJocATL) and A&R director Bankroll Tyler (@BankrollTyler) along with VHS Boyz (@VHSBoyz1) put together an amazing Rap/Hip Hop showcase “Greenlit”, consisting of local Atlanta rap/hip hop artists at Club Digital ATL, which of course, was Greenlit for the event. Let's talk about the highlights of the show.
Kenarri (@ken_arri) - Kenarri was the first act I saw, and I was immediately drawn in by her smooth voice and psychedelic, almost electronic beats. My favorite song she performed was “Heart Strings”; Kenarri glides over this rage beat with grace, which is a refreshing take on the sonic trend that is mostly dominated by male artists.
Thatguyveezy (@thatguyveezy) - ThatguyVeezy came prepared for this performance. I often hear people critique rap performers for using too many vocal backing tracks and barely lip syncing to their songs on stage- Veezy must have heard this too. He hit the stage with a live guitarist, key player, and no backing vocals. Hearing his raw voice paired with live electric guitar riffs while he performed “Deal With It” was amazing. Having heard the track beforehand, it made me appreciate the truly live performance even more. Thatguyveezy also had his friends come up on stage with him and dance along to his bouncy track "Rizzy McGuire", getting the audience involved; one of them was even wearing a pair of wings. You can tell they were having fun up there. Major props to thatguyveezy for putting on a show.
Oksurf (@oksurf) - One of the more exciting acts of the night, oksurf turnt up the crowd from the jump. He performed his new track “Crowd”, which is produced by HighXlass who I had the pleasure of meeting in the recording studio that Club Digital has, which I mean to check out in the future.“Crowd” is a slow yet haunting banger, with oksurfs crooning autotuned vocals flying above the dark piano notes. Oksurf brought up Velcroes to for a high energy performance of “Two Times” showcasing their amazing performance chemistry; they had the whole crowd swag surfing- even a baby that was on the stage for some reason!
Jelly (@bigjellyy) - This performance surprised me the most. Coming into this show, I wasn't familiar with the sosshouse label; embarrassing I know. But tapping in with budding artists like Jelly is one of the main reasons I started to write on this website, and one of the driving factors that will definitely get me out to more events like Greenlit. Jelly brought intense energy to the Pi’erre Bourne produced tracks. Very similar to 21 Savage, Jelly delivers concise, hard hitting bars over his steady flow. I met with him after the show and he told me his 2020 album “The Wolf Of Peachtree '' is the one to listen to, and I'm vibing with it heavy currently.
All in all, Greenlit was more than enjoyable. I made a playlist of the mentioned artists here if you want to listen: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4rCta5ibHgh66FfT8nAkUd?si=fc4f0e6fc63a43c8 . I loved seeing all types of ATL creatives get together to celebrate one another and have fun. I spoke with Big Joc during the show, and he spoke about the future of their endeavors. He told me they plan on doing a “Blue Room” version of Greenlit, where instead of rap artists, they showcase performances from R&B acts. And of course, the club will be lit Blue for the event. He is also branching out and premiering his first directed screenplay “Pocket Full of Blues” in September, so be sure to check that out here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pocket-full-of-blues-tickets-694421642827 If Bluelit/Blue Room even has half the energy Greenlit had, I will 100% be there. I asked Bankroll Tyler about Greenlit and the next moves:
“Thank you to everybody who came and supported , from the performers, vendors, DJ Chasing Capital, and of course VHS Boyz & Creatives After Dark. This is just the beginning, and we just hope that Greenlit can keep growing and leave a lasting impression on the culture”. I can't wait to see Greenlit grow. If you're in the ATL area, make sure to check in with the movement.
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