Whether a concert is attended by 25,000 people or 25 people, it is the artist’s responsibility to put on a good show. However discouraging it may be to see just a few people at a show, it still has to be a good one. Artists on tour can often disappoint themselves based on expectations that every city is going to be the same. Keeping a positive attitude and appreciating the fans that do show up is an essential part to being a touring artist. Rapper Futuristic understands this mentality, and took the stage at U Street Music Hall on Sunday November 3 to a crowd of a couple dozen and rocked the house anyway.
The Illinois musician had a handful of solid openers, including the notable NoBigDyl, who came out just before the headliner and managed to enthuse the crowd throughout his set. However, once Futuristic took the stage, it was clear the audience was there for him alone.
Though the 28-year-old rapper is somewhat famous for his dexterous flows and wordy delivery, the crowd seemed to keep up with every lyric. Futuristic even brought a fan up on stage to rap along with him, making for an electrifying moment in the set.
Futuristic also took the time to crowdsurf, even with the small crowd in DC, and performed a song from atop the crowd. Futuristic explained while he was on top of the crowd that some shows on his tour have had up to 350 people, while some have been more like DC and had a few people, but DC had some of the best energy of the tour. He did, however, also attest that he would not call this the “best show” of the tour.
After “dunking on the audience,” a stunt in which he jumped from the stage to a mini-basketball hoop held by his DJ in the audience and dunked a mini basketball over the crowd, Futuristic slowed the show down. He took the audience to the back of the venue, where a guitarist was ready, and performed a few low key songs from there on the audience’s level.
Futuristic also gave any rappers in the audience a chance to rap on the microphone over some guitar loops, to which a handful of participants rose up, some even rocking the audience more than a few of the openers. The show ended shortly after this section, and Futuristic spent the next while taking pictures and conversing with anyone who wanted to do so after the show, not just those with VIP passes.
Futuristic is a talented rapper with a perhaps small, but very passionate fan base. Rapping along with him is not an easy task much of the time, and his fans are often up to it no matter the song. Whether he’s packing the stadiums or not, Futuristic should be proud of what he has built, and will hopefully continue to build into the future.