By Jack M. Angelo, Senior Video Director
CupcakKe is an experience. The Chicago rapper’s buzz began mainly in 2015 when she was 18 years old and her songs “Deepthroat” and “Vagina” went viral on YouTube and World Star Hip Hop. If those song titles did not clue you in to the type of music that CupcakKe makes, some of her best lyrics might do the trick. The aforementioned “Deepthroat,” asserts, “Lick, lick, lick, lick/I wanna eat yo’ dick/But I can’t fuck up my nails/So I’mma pick it up with chopsticks.”
The vast majority of CupcakKe’s discography shares the same lyrical themes of ludicrously detailed sexual activity. The rapper, whose real name is Elizabeth Harris, has carved herself out a very specific niche audience, on full display on November 30 at the U Street Music Hall in Washington D.C. This audience includes many women, and numerous members of the LGBTQ+ community. This should not be surprising, considering CupcakKe’s support for the community, displayed particularly on the song “LGBT.”
Before the energetic and colorful audience that had gathered in the nation’s capitol could see their headliner, they were treated to two short sets by rappers Raw Elementz and Tron Sagas. Each rapper had only a few songs, and quickly made their way through each of their sets to make room for the main event. Tron Sagas did, however, find time for a beautiful piano ballad, followed by slightly out-of-key singing between him and some other performers who had accompanied him. Both acts were thoroughly enjoyed by the eager audience and demonstrated definite talent, but those gathered were ready for the main act of the night.
When the headliner takes the stage at most concerts, there is a push to the front and a loud welcome from the awaiting crowd. In the case of the U Street Music Hall, the audience outburst lasted for several minutes, dozens of phones pointed directly at the stage where Harris was making her entrance. The small crowd pushed so far forward, the DJ and even CupcakKe herself had to ask the audience to step back because people in the front were being crushed.
What ensued after this was an insane and beautiful mixture of concert, burlesque, and drag show, with CupcakKe performing an onslaught of explicit and impressive rap tracks to an audience that refused to settle down. But make no mistake, CupcakKe is not a gimmick. The Chicago rapper has an incredible flow, captivating wordplay, and knows how to work a crowd. Her skills on the microphone are a forced to be reckoned with and should be recognized.
Throughout the course of her set, she flashed the audience, licked and pretended to deepthroat the microphone and fellatioed a water bottle, all while the audience documented the displays with their phones. When the crowded hall became hot and an audience member tried to fan CupcakKe, she responded, “I don’t know why you fannin’ me, you better fan this pussy!”
Every minute of the show was packed with incredible talent and enthralling performances. The 20-year-old rapper has a bright future ahead of her. In fact, after the show, she told everybody she was, “going to go suck a dick,” and then led everybody in a chant of “Suck a dick, suck a dick!” before leaving the crowd in amazement.
CupcakKe also has one of the best social media presences on the Internet. On Twitter, at time of publishing, she calls herself “Marilyn MonHOE,” and can be follwed under the handle, @CupcakKe_rapper.
These incredible photos from the CupcakKe show at The U Street Music Hall, in Washington, D.C., on November 30, 2017, were taken by StayUp.News senior video director and photographer Jack M. Angelo:
StayUp.News documents social and political issues through Hip-Hop, amplifying unheard voices in a language all their own. But we can’t do it without you. Support this important mission: