Concert Review: SonReal Get Reals About Life At Mercury Lounge

 

“Everyone has problems!”, SonReal remarked as the Canadian rapper marveled that he was performing in NYC. Despite the Biebs and Drake, it is not easy for every Canadian to blast onto the U.S. market, to which I had to marvel at the power of the internet. Like Hoodie Allen, and most us who argue for net-neutrality, SonReal is a product of the internet’s capacity to gather the wealth of this world in one click. 
SonReal – No Warm Up (Official Video)

In a packed show at Mercury Lounge, a pack of NYC’ers gathered at SonReal rapped about the rage and riotousness of being depressed. Anxiety and difficulty of accepting it as a real and hindering emotion can cripple us, of which SonReal felt a sincere connection to his fans for connecting with him on this thought. Tracks like, “Problem”, “Potential”, and “Try” were literally written for the personal sufferings he has faced, f which most of the crowd could not say they shared his life, but they did share his pain. From “Repo Man” to “Granny Song” or “Can I Get A Witness” each track was inclusive, and made for the time we have all wanted to say “Shut The F**k Up” to a mean person or felt like a situation was yelling that to us. Hence, his warmness as a person and in reception was unsurprising because he writes for fans, even before they meet his music. He is completely other-centered, and is he ran into the crowd to give hi-fives or claimed he could not sing without us joining along, SonReal turned Mercury Lounge into a cool, basement party, where all of your friends gathered to laugh at how crazy life is and reminisce on how good it is to live it with love. 
SonReal – Repo Man (Official Video)

As one fan yelled, “SonReal you are SO REAL!”, I would agree. It is not easy to even to tell yourself you have problems, but it is the first thing that SonReal admits in his show. He has wounds he has to heal, and his music is his medicine. That truth gives him a surprising rock n’ roll vibe for being, “technically”, Hip Hop. He felt more like the Keith Richards of Rap; swinging his verses like a guitar with an agility that was so melodic it might as well have been composed for an instrument. He bashes around the stage, and look out into the audience like he was seeing his future, and like his past few years; it will only get bigger. For More Information On SonReal Click Here. 
SonReal – Can I Get A Witness (Official)