Crowds of people assembled outside The Canopy Club on Saturday night, eager to witness what would unfortunately be an underwhelming performance from hip-hop legend Soulja Boy.
Rain pattered down on the sidewalk and the wind whipped people’s umbrellas awry, but the poor weather didn’t keep people from coming out to see one of the most influential artists of the past few decades.
Soulja Boy is an American rapper who set off an internet craze with a series of 2000s hits, including “Crank That” and “Kiss Me Thru the Phone,” and is credited for his profound impact on hip-hop.
“I’ve been a fan since I was a little kid,” said Zachary Gonzalez-Murillo, sophomore in LAS. “He’s pretty iconic … he can dress how he wants and say what he wants and still make it sound cool.”
The audience was diverse — people of all ages packed into The Canopy Club’s big room, many dressed in Soulja Boy’s signature attire of an oversized white t-shirt and long jean shorts.
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“He was the first person to do everything,” said Cedric Dredd, junior in Business. “He was the first dude making music videos on YouTube, he was the first person to start dressing like this … he put Chicago on the map, he’s the boy!”
The performance was set to start at 9 p.m., with the understanding that there would be several openers before Soulja Boy came out. It wasn’t until after midnight that the rapper finally came on stage.
“I’m very disappointed,” said Wayne Yim, junior in Business. “I knew he was going to be late because a lot of artists generally are, but after three hours … I’m ready to go home.”
Dredd also shared Yim’s sentiment, saying that he would not have come if he knew that Soulja Boy was going to be so behind schedule.
“Some people paid 60 bucks for this show and dude is nowhere to be found,” Dredd said. “If he’s not here by 12:30 I’m out.”
The crowd managed to stay mildly energized with the several openers and DJs, all of whom actively tried to hype up the crowd by mixing some throwback songs with today’s hits.
A few minutes after midnight, Soulja Boy appeared on stage in a haze of smoke and blue lights, with the audience immediately erupting into cheers.
The jumbo screen illuminated behind him, displaying a bright blue graphic of his name as he began his set, quickly transitioning into “Turn My Swag On.”
He sporadically rapped over the backing track, sounding out of breath as he jumped on a random verse every few seconds. He even took an extended amount of time away from the microphone during a few songs to light a blunt.
Though the set had a slow start, the energy immediately shifted into the room as soon as the familiar beat of the 2010 hit “Pretty Boy Swag” started. The sudden lively energy of the audience seemed to power Soulja Boy; his stage presence increased as he jumped around the stage and waved his hands.
“Y’all know how to motherf—ing party,” Soulja Boy said. “Make some noise up in this b—-!”
The audience got the most hype for Soulja Boy’s debut single “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” which catapulted him into fame almost 20 years ago. Everyone in the crowd did the song’s signature dance along with Soulja Boy on stage, proving to be the highlight of the concert.
“Rick & Morty” and “Yahhh!” also were crowd favorites, with the audience dancing and rapping along with the music. However, just as the vibe began to pick up, Soulja Boy abruptly ended his set with “FTTU,” finishing after just under 40 minutes on stage.
While some people immediately flocked to the door ready to be done for the night, others continued to stand by the stage, with some voicing excitement for a potential encore.
Soulja Boy’s performance didn’t paint him as the influential cultural phenomenon that garnered him immense fame. Instead, the unsatisfying and underwhelming show left the audience asking themselves “Was that it?”
CORRECTION Oct. 4: A previous version of this article stated that Soulja Boy arrived late to his performance. While the start of the concert was listed as 9 p.m., the headliner’s performance time was not shared.
