May you never know the hardship of being a support at a hip hop gig. Ryland Rose had his game face on for his Oxford Art Factory supporting set, but his energy wasn’t returned by the rapidly filling room. All the more credit to the young rapper, then, for rising to the challenge and bringing his A-game.
Despite little movement at the station, Rose leapt about the stage to tasty, bass-heavy beats conjured by his lip-syncing DJ partner. His appeal relies on his humility – his rhymes are sufficient when he’s repping himself, but on ‘Almost Famous & Broke’, his more self-deprecating lines truly shone.
The Coburg rapper took after the main act in that respect. Conversely, humility is not something Loyle Carner could be expected to adopt right now, given the skyrocketing state of his career. Fellow Groovin The Moo artist L-Fresh The Lion was in attendance, and was surely not the only hip hopper punting for the night – Loyle’s got everyone’s heads turning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H39Q02EkNNA
Just like at GTM, Carner strode onstage to a wild rise of applause, one which seemingly took him by surprise. The spotlight doesn’t faze him but the devotion of his fans constantly astounds him, and it’s clear on his face every time he lowers the mic. In his free hand, he gripped a football jersey tightly, but this time he gave it an explanation.
“I carry my father’s jersey with me always,” he said, “and he’s a fucking Man U fan.”
Carner’s sense of pride in his family takes the average hip hop fan off-guard – Loyle admits more vulnerability than Kendrick would ever display, more melancholy than Drake, but couches in such clever, effortlessly flowing turns of phrase and such chilled beats that one cannot help but be captivated. He’s a sad boy on the other side of the world from his dear old mum, and yet you can’t help but hang on his every word.
When Carner freestyles, you begin to understand why he’s picked up the support he has. He dropped in references to Sydney without missing a step, rapping off the cuff in the same emotionally open fashion. Ever the polite young man, he’d ask his audience for permission before dropping new tracks or – for his closer – a heartfelt poem without any backing track.
This is a new voice in the hip hop community – one versed in grime’s linguistic gymnastics but sidestepping its bombast in favour of appeals to the soul. If you’ve missed Carner on this trip Down Under, keep in mind the next time you’ll see him, it won’t be underground on Oxford Street. It’ll be in a stadium.
Loyle Carner played Oxford Art Factory on Monday May 8.
