Downtown Cincinnati was buzzing with the arrival of the “Suge” singer and viral rapper DaBaby in town, and I could feel it the minute that I got off of I-71 from Columbus and into the Queen City.
After grabbing my media pass, I was directed to get in line with hundreds of DaBaby fans. It quickly hit me what was going to be special about the night, a smaller standing room only venue like Bogarts meant that I was in for a chaotic, high-contact, sweat-soaked rap show, which an arena could never offer.
Bri3, H3adband, and ZEDDY WILL, kicked the night off and did a great job of creating the energy, but DaBaby fans are a different kind of obsessed about their favorite artist. Chants of “we want Baby” were screamed between every song, and the DJ kept reminding people he was coming soon.
From the jump, “Sticks and Stones” set a confrontational tone for DaBaby’s set. It was all gas, no brakes from there as “SHAKE SUMN” and “Suge” turned the dance floor into a single, chaotic moving mass. Mid-set DaBaby turned to some crowd favorite covers, such as Throat Baby” (BRS Kash), “For the Night” (Pop Smoke), and “Cry Baby” / “Cash Shit” (Megan Thee Stallion).
Finishing the night with hype hits such as “ROCKSTAR”, “POOTIE TANG” showcased Baby at his best. It wasn’t polished, but hype ear worms that every fan knew showcased a venue like Bogarts at its best.
