Before internet rap sensation Lil Yachty’s set of high-life quotables and sing-song delivery, proceedings Wednesday night at Cheer Up Charlies remained introspective and subdued behind Chicago poet and rapper Noname and indie-pop singer Tei Shi at the SXSW showcase for JanSport.
Backed by a threepiece, Argentine songstress Tei Shi (Valerie Teicher) delivered upbeat, Eighties pop-leaning atmospherics with overlaps of dreamy soul and R&B. Previewing debut LP Crawl Space and her Verde EP, the singer balanced mad quivers, tender timbres, and longing trills. The pop-swathed “Basically” tangled bouncy, bubbling electronics as Shi’s voice wailed off-kilter like sirens lurching forward.
Stepping next to the mic, rapper Noname (Fatimah Warner) shared her childlike-inflected and intimate debut Telefone. Her delivery ranged from easygoing chit-chat to social commentary amidst a bedrock of shimmering keys, in-the-pocket percussion, and watercolor jazz. While her performance lost the innocent naivete of the recordings, Noname morphed the stage into a freeform poetry session with a fluidity and candor to her flow that sweetened the bitterness of her lyricism.
Unlike Noname, “King of Teens” Lil Yachty (Miles McCollum) doesn’t wax philosophical. Carved out through a digital realm, the Atlanta MC pleased a crowd of millennials through a Lil B-like delivery grounded in simplicity, carefree energy, and repetitious hooks. With random thoughts about one-night stands and self-proclaimed mogul status, Yachty’s attention span mirrors that of his youthful crowd.
What he lacked in substance, he made up in insouciant vigor.
Performances of viral hits “Minnesota,” and “1Night” had the audience copycatting the 19-year-old’s jerky, warbling melodies while being splashed with water by his posse. If Yachty ever wants to be taken seriously, it’s only as the life of the party.
This article appears in March 10 • 2017.