Concert Review: Saint Jhn Forms A Holy Cult At Bowery Ballroom
When you have a “This Is Not A Cult” sign splashed behind you, it, automatically, has an opposite impact. Saint Jhn’s Bowery Ballroom show used vivid, religious images and occultism as a way to empower his rebellious nature, but also establish that this is an artist that sees a fan club as a cultural statement. You follow Saint Jhn aesthetically as much as you do musically.
This rapper/ singer/ model understands that each verse is a visual, which is why he treats his songs like Instagram filters meant to heighten reality without ever taking it away. You cannot deny that he is the beating heart going through lyrical break-ups, breakdowns, and break-throughs, and offering them to the crowd like they are posts for their commenting. He is clear that he wants their love by holding their hands, coming forward to spew his rhymes like calls to be wild, and inviting friends/ fellow artists like, Anik Khan, to give you every reason to follow him. Yet, there is another “secret weapon” to Saint John’s mystique that might be hidden even to him.
Looking at the crowd, I saw the audience divided in gendered reactions. The guys roared and bashed to Saint John’s vibes like he was the soundtrack to every house-party, bumping car ride, and general pre-game in existence. He punched and spiked his verses in “3 Below”, “Reflex”, and “Some Nights” for the bravado and image of “invincibility” that tethers to ideas of masculinity and a good time. Hence, guys followed him as if his swag was the epitome/ a lesson of what they want to be and what women want to see from them. Meanwhile, women gravitated to the moments when he sang: his voice carrying a cool, brisk melody that absorbed unto female ears like water on sand.
SAINt JHN – 3 Below [Official Video]
Songs like, I Heard You Got Too Litt Last Night, and the moments he spoke about his mom, who was in the audience, or how things ended with his ex/ love of his life easily grabbed ladies’ hearts. One even threw a bra at him. It was a strange, distinct dynamic because never have I seen a sold-out crowd receive one artist in completely different ways and during different songs. Yet, that is the magic of Saint Jhn. On one hand, he appears like a finesse guru upping men’s games and good vibes through rap, while, on the other hand, he is simply singing the jams that make women want to sway into love’s arms. For More Information On Saint Jhn Click Here.
SAINt JHN – 1999 [Official Music Video]
