Photo by Joe Lipstein
Written by Jordan Chan
Smooky MarGielaa and friends kicked off the MarGielaa Madness tour last Thursday at Neumos, and delivered an electric performance. He, along with Comethazine and Lil Mosey, attracted the restless and enthusiastic youth out to Cap Hill for the night. The young cast turned Neumos up, each performing their own unique sound.
The show opened with Comethazine, an Illinois native. He is Alamo Records’ newest signee, the label that also manages Smokepurpp and Wifisfuneral. He’s garnered almost 50,000 followers on his SoundCloud, with tracks featuring Ugly God and DJ Mustard, a few of rap’s finest. He commands a bouncy, hard hitting beat with a flow that’s both boastful and hungry. His song “Bands”, which got a Rich the Kid Remix, has 5 million plays on SoundCloud.
Next up was Lil Mosey, a 15-year-old Seattle native. His style is more sporadic, finding YouTube beats to rap over. It was homecoming for him, and many of Seattle’s youth came specifically to see him. The upbeat and cocky tracks have earned millions of views on YouTube. His most popular song, “Pull Up” has almost 8 million views alone on YouTube. It echoes the Lil Uzi Vert accordion, accompanied by Lil Mosey’s nonchalant, cool kid flow. The crowd went wild for his latest single “Boof Pack” which has accumulated 2 million plays on SoundCloud since its release two weeks ago.
Smooky MarGielaa performed last, closing out the MarGielaa Madness show in Seattle. Smooky is 15, and hails from the Bronx by way of West Africa. As a kid, he would tour along with his dad around West Africa and even in the states, playing the djembe and balafon on Michael Jackson covers. He started recording own music on his iPhone a couple years ago on Garage Band. After meeting A$AP Rocky at a show in New York, he made an appearance on Cozy Tapes Vol. 2: Too Cozy, a collaborative effort from ASAP Rocky’s collective AWGE.
As his set started, his DJ called for the lights to be turned off; still, Neumos was illuminated by the iPhone lights that were waiting for Smooky. He opened with “Feeling Savage”, his collaborative track with King Combs (P. Diddy’s son). This energetic combo showcased the theme of the night—the young and the restless youth rising and collaborating with one another. Smooky continued his performance with a couple of other singles, unreleased tracks, as well as his A$AP Mob features. He performed like a veteran, getting the crowd involved while dancing around the stage. His feature on “Black Card” was the most recognizable, and put the crowd into a frenzy. A mosh pit broke out, and Smooky responded with one of A$AP Mob’s best hits of the year—A$AP Ferg’s “Plain Jane”.
Smooky is a quintessential artist for youth right now. I’ve got a 15-year-old brother who very much looks up to Smooky MarGielaa. In this day and age, we are seeing more and more young stars. These are kids who know how to harness the power of technology to dive into their interests—eventually reaching stardom.
Smooky is a quintessential artist for youth right now. I’ve got a 15-year-old brother who very much looks up to Smooky MarGielaa. In this day and age, we are seeing more and more young stars. These are kids who know how to harness the power of technology to dive into their interests—eventually reaching stardom. It was somewhat belittling being at a 15-year-old’s show, with some kids going with their parents, but it showed how far a dollar (and an iPhone) and a dream can go. Stay tuned for his debut mixtape, Margiela Mad Man (MMM) to drop soon. Meanwhile, check out his SoundCloud for his latest releases.
JORDAN CHAN | Aspiring Teen | KXSU Arts Reporter