In the smoky haze of a dimly-lit blue stage, a figure emerged to the sound of floor-shaking bass and electronic ticks.
With a knee-length fur coat, an orange mesh tank top, black leggings riddled with holes and dreads placed in a perfectly vertical pony; the man looked like something out of a comic book. His superpower: the ability to bring vibrant style, power and energy as he rapped tight verses over heavy beats.
Le1f was the superhero that inspired the Majestic crowd Wednesday night to rave, dance, and party like it wasn’t even a school night. DJ Boyfrrriend, Madden, Lex Allen and Junglepussy all joined Le1f on his quest to bring quality hip-hop and R&B to the ears of the packed venue.
Each of the openers brought their own original sound, but the basic elements remained the same: attitude, confidence, love and banging beats. Madison-based DJ Boyfrrriend spun her glitchy remixes and mashups of Top 40 tracks. Madden and Lex Allen belted soulfully over smooth production, and notably sang about having sex to Mozart. Junglepussy shaked her ass as she rapped about sex, fashion and the patriarchy with tongue-in-cheek cleverness.
When Le1f gracefully entered the stage with his outlandish style and flamboyant persona, the audience greeted him with an almost endless amount cheers of “YAAAS.” He took in the energy and gave it back with more intensity. Kicking off the show with “Koi,” Le1f set a tone for the night. All the tracks that followed, from his 2015 debut album Riot Boi, were upbeat, percussion-heavy and laced with genuinely entertaining verses.
Spitting rapid-fire flows about boys, partying and positivity, Le1f made his show as much about the performance as it was about the music. There was never a dull moment. Background dancers in Adidas joggers and leather jackets circled Le1f as he took down his hair and whipped it like Willow Smith. Junglepussy came on for a song and brought her sass to his set, creating a deadly perfect combination. Lights flashed and danced across every face in the audience.
The crowd raged like they were at a rave, pouring water bottles everywhere like rain and stomping with the shaky bass like thunder. They donned crop tops, booty shorts, turtlenecks, tattoos and every type of body piercing imaginable. Between songs, shouts of “FUCK ME PLEASE” and “YES BITCH” were added to the animated atmosphere of the entire experience. Le1f truly made a connection with the people who showed up for him and his music.
The entire night was wild, the experience almost indescribable. With his equally crazy antics, raps and style, Le1f’s colorful personality still shined through all of the vibrancy.
