By Jack M. Angelo, Senior Content Producer
Marijuana is very popular. Pot has been inspiring works of art, and especially music, since long before hip-hop. Snoop Dogg crafted an entire image around the stuff, and he is arguably the most famous person to emerge from the genre. Weed is nearly ubiquitous in hip-hop, and there is an enormous subset of rappers that regularly focus on the subject: Wiz Khalifa, Dizzy Wright, Smoke DZA, the list goes on.
A perhaps lesser-known name that could fit into this category is 31-year-old Minnesota rapper Mod Sun. The rapper’s discography focuses on being happy just as much as his drug of choice. This attitude has earned him a healthy set of fans, many of whom seem to be female admirers. Mod Sun has grown this fan base for nearly a decade, releasing mixtapes and albums since 2009, with his 2015 album Look Up reaching 120 on the Billboard, number 1 on the Heatseekers. Mod Sun continues to release music steadily, but he has not been rapping for his entire career. From 2004-2009, he drummed for post-hardcore band Four Letter Lie, and even for Scary Kids Scaring Kids for their final year from 2009-2010. Mod Sun’s national tour stopped in College Park, Md. at MilkBoy ArtHouse on October 14.
After a few well-received opening acts, Mod Sun took the stage with a lot of issues. For the first few songs of the set, the microphones at MilkBoy intermittently decided not to share Mod Sun’s vocals with the rest of the venue. Mod Sun’s joyful demeanor slowly became more frustrated, as he tossed his first mic behind him. The next few microphones he used refused to pump out consistent audio, whether he stole them from the keyboard, guitarist, or DJ. Eventually, the venue got its act together, and Mod Sun started the set over again in an attempt to do it right. His energy never wavered, but reverted back to the elation that opened the set. The rest of the set went off without noticeable technical troubles.
Mod Sun’s largely female crowd varied in age vastly, from a young girl no older than six (ears well-protected) through at least middle age. The crowd’s enthusiasm stayed constant throughout his lengthy set. Mod Sun’s songs from throughout his career were known in the crowd, even up to the song he had released just weeks prior. Mod Sun’s crowd is passionate, and he matches that passion in his performances.
These incredible photos from Mod Sun’s performance at MilkBoy ArtHouse in College Park, MD, on October 14, 2018, were taken by StayUp.News senior content producer and photographer Jack M. Angelo:
