Clipse & Friends Prepare for the 'Casket'

As the crowd settled in at Hiro Ballroom in NYC on Tuesday (Oct. 20), the opening acts readied the crowd for the men of the hour, Clipse, the headliners for MySpace Music’s “The Release.” From underground hip-hop to alternative overseas influence, fans were taken on a lyrical ride with newcomers Jasmine Solano, Adam Tensta, and Donnis.

Jasmine Solano, a young vibrant Latina with a deep voice and raunchy lyrics, was the first to hit the stage. Her mature content isn’t for the under-18 set, but her words do resonate with women. Take the song, “That’s Not It,” for example. Solano, like Salt-N-Pepa before her, combines feminine sexuality with empowering tunes.

Next on stage was Swedish rapper Adam Tensta. His reputation clearly precedes him as the crowd knew his singles like “They Wanna Know” and “My Cool.” Adam’s sound is far different from mainstream hip-hop’s bass heavy melodies. His use of synthesizers and new wave undertones had the crowd on high.

The latest Southern rapper to emerge out of Atlanta, Donnis, was the perfect act to precede the Clipse. To turn critics into fans, he proved his talents by spitting a beat-free freestyle. Donnis’ lyrical swagger on the track “Country Cool” is similar to the likes of T.I. mixed with a dash of Ludacris.

While listening to DJs Wonder and dB spin, the crowd seemed to think the Clipse would never hit the stage. But once the hip-hop veterans stood before their New York fans, their presence alone had them screaming. The renowned Virginia rap duo worked through classics like “What Happened to that Boy,” “Hot Damn,” “Grindin’,” and “Mr. Me Too.” Malice and Pusha T made sure to thank loyal followers who rode their wave before their mainstream albums by supporting their mixtapes. Malice, the more cool, calm, and collected half, stood by as Pusha T jumped around the stage, giving high fives to fans. The Clipse completed their set with two new tracks off their upcoming release, Till the Casket Drops, “I’m Good” and “Kinda Like a Big Deal.”

–Nadia Chanté

Photos by Cassidy “Sparrow” Maldonado for staging-rapup.kinsta.cloud