By Odeisel

Last night, in front of a packed house at New York’s fabled S.O.B.’s lounge, the hometown crowd was treated to a bit of good Southern cooking and a dash of West Coast flavor with a billing of Killer Mike, Pac Div and headliner Young Dro, along with newcomer Dee-1.

Gone are the days when New Yorkers raised eyebrows at out of town performers. These days, of you got some good energy and stage skill, the Rotten Apple audience gives props where it’s due. The standing room only crowd was treated to a wide array of show skills from Killer Mike’s bombastic stage presence, to Dee-1’s youthful energy. The newcomer showed surprising confidence in his set but he needs a bit more presence to take himself to the next level. His show will probably get better as more people learn his music.

 Pac Div’s set was full of mic passing fun in the spirit of those early 90’s groups and its clear with their new change to Grand Hustle management that they intend to win and win big. They brought on Brooklyn’s own Maino for a guest spot but it wasn’t memorable. Good for the hometown morale if nothing else.

Young Dro showed a surprising veteran control on stage. I never considered him a legitimate headliner but he acquitted himself well on stage and was in full command of the crowd. His hit “Shoulder Lean” with Killer Mike as hype man was the highlight of the evening.

While the show went a bit late, there was a nice range of performers. The intimate settings of the venue allowed for greater fan interaction and no joke it was a good time. I know I didn’t expect Dro to tear the house down. I can even overlook his “Free the King” ranting. With Pac Div, added to the roster there is additional muscle to the hustle.

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