Hardrock 4/20 @ Velvet Underground - Toronto
The Atlanta-born rising star Hardrock played his first headlining show in Toronto at the Velvet Underground.
Written by: Colin Bambury
Photography: Jeremy Bouvet
On the tenth stop of the rapper’s first ever headlining tour, Hardrock captivated a sold-out audience in Toronto with an electrifying performance. Aptly named “My Gift to You Tour”, underground rap fans were treated to a night of musical surprises.
The evening began with a lively performance from Toronto’s own hometown heroes, 10kMoss and Wavy Jackson. The duo, known together as “Mxrse Code”, have been making waves in Toronto’s underground scene and beyond. The rappers’ ability to energize and control an audience during an opening set is unparalleled, spurring frequent mosh pits and crowd excitement.
Surprise guest, Katozai, joined Mxrse Code on stage to perform their highly-regarded collaboration, R!SK. Katozai is one of Toronto’s most-streamed underground artists with hundreds of thousands of monthly listeners at only age 19. In addition to R!SK, Kato performed his solo hit “Headlinez”, a new age trap sound flip of Drake’s 2011 chart-topping record. Fans were incredibly surprised and delighted by this special guest performance. With the crowd fully energized from the local talent, it was time for Hardrock to take the spotlight.
The second the Atlanta, Georgia native took to the stage, the crowd was met with exceptional intensity.
The performance of the track “feel alive” began with colourful pyrotechnics and free merchandise getting tossed into the crowd.
As Hardrock began his verse, it was clear the audience knew every word off by heart. A room full of fans began screaming “Thought I seen the devil, but he looked just like me. How the fuck you cannot see?”. It became clear in this moment that the crowd didn’t consist of just casual hip-hop fans, but instead consisted of die hard Hardrock enthusiasts.
An impassioned showing of the track “Inferno” began with Hardrock pulling an eager audience member on to the stage. As the beat dropped and the song began, they went flying off the stage, crowd-surfing among fellow fans with excitement.
“Open it up - wider!” was the repeating mantra of Hardrock and his crew throughout the night. The raw energy exuded in these mosh pits would put a 1980’s punk rock show to shame, hence the artist’s name. The crowd celebrated as the rapper performed an extensive catalogue of popular tracks including “Hardcore Drugs”, “King Tut” and “Promises”.
“All of my lil homies like to smoke dope, all of my thotties they like to smoke dope” is the opening line of viral song “Bleh”. These lyrics hit extra hard during Hardrock’s performance in Toronto, as the concert was taking place on April 20th (also known as 4/20, the yearly “dope” holiday and celebration).
The stage, setup, lighting and pyrotechnics were beyond any other show we’ve witnessed at the Velvet Underground. Exciting bursts of smoke aligned with climactic beat drops, which contributed to a hazy yet energetic environment. The Hip Hop Guru team was situated side stage with VIP access media passes. Our team was able to connect with Hardrock after the show, bring him some gifts and take a few portrait photo features.
Hardrock has come a long way already since opening for Lancey Foux in Toronto just a few months ago (check out the interview we did with him in October).
The artist has proven himself as a certified headliner able to sell out shows internationally. We’re excited to watch and profile the acceleration and progression of his career in the underground and beyond.
