BY GABRIEL BRAS-NEVARES //
It seems like everyday a new rapper with a huge social media following and a unique sound blows up. But there is one rap trend that does not seem to have carried over into the new generation: the supergroup. Rappers collaborate often, but it’s rare to see lyricists team up for a whole album, project, or in this case, tour. Heroically, Four horsemen came along in early 2022 to bring the supergroup back for fans of underground, alternative hip-hop that pays homage to its lyrical and instrumental fundamentals: the legendary and intoxicating beat wizardry of The Alchemist, Boldly James’ cold bars and confident flows, Earl Sweatshirt’s confessional monologues and experimental production, and the powerful, bombastic energy of Action Bronson.
The ÑBA Leather landed at DC’s seaside venue The Anthem on February 19th. To say the crowd was ready for the gang would be an understatement. Left and right there were signs of a powerful fanbase: groups of friends wearing Earl’s previous tour merch, two burly men with MF DOOM jerseys harkening back to the rapper that inspired this group and so many others, and Action Bronson lyric recitals on every side. I remember one shout about a half hour before the show started: “I wasn’t born with dinero, somehow I turned into DeNiro!” Throughout the whole show, concertgoers were entranced. Some shouted the chorus of a fan favorite banger, while others just stood in silence, taking in the emotion of a song with undivided attention. As expected, the venue’s airflow got hazier and hazier with every song.
First, The Alchemist came out to provide a live mix of some of his previous instrumentals. It was a perfect way to start the show: nothing but beats to get the crowd hyped up for the bars to come. Earl Sweatshirt and Action Bronson even made brief cameos- Earl swayed on stage to the beat and smiled at the crowd while Action sprayed a bottle of his recently released olive oil on ecstatic fans. Boldy took the stage next- “Double Hockey Sticks”, their first track on the list, began with a woozy piano sample and Boldy started flowing effortlessly over the minimal beat, two characteristics that are synonymous with The Alchemist and Boldy James at this point. While Boldy was not the most explosive performer, it’s clear he was committed to excelling at what he’s best at. Everyone was totally focused on the intricate descriptions of his upbringing in Detroit, his lyrical superiority in the rap game, and his experiences with street violence and disparaged communities. Where other rappers are more emotive and visceral in their live performances, Boldly is surgical, never letting the energy of the crowd or his emotion overtake the lyrical fundamentals of storytelling and flow that he champions in his music. The crowd bobbed their heads to laidback beats that were still aggressive enough to provoke a “stank-face” on me. What Boldy lacked in showmanship, he repaid in dividends through his unquestionable control over the mic highlighted by his performances on “Hot Water Tank” and “Brickmile to Montana”.
Earl Sweatshirt’s setlist was a comprehensive look back at his career aided by wickedly abstract producer Black Noi$e. He played from the darkest corners of his discography like the lumbering and distorted “Grief” and “Off Top”, two standouts from I Don’t Like S–t, I Don’t Go Outside, to some of his more recent and jovial tracks like “2010” off of his most recent album, Sick! I cannot overemphasize what that attention to history meant to me as a fan. The hits kept coming from 2018’s critically acclaimed Some Rap Songs, featuring Earl’s languid tone on “Nowhere2go,” the sparkling sampled keys on “Cold Summers,” and the cyclical, oddly paced beat on “The Mint.” Given that Sick! Released just a month ago, of course he treated fans to the hard-hitting “Titanic,” the psychedelic explorations in “Vision,” and the beautifully melancholy “Fire in the Hole.” All throughout his performance, Earl kept a happy and playful attitude, claiming his next album would be an R&B NFT uploaded only to the Metaverse and stopping the show to check in on fans that were having a fit… before he realized they were just dancing weirdly to his song. But the crowd stood in respectful silence as Earl rapped about his struggles with depression, losing his father, and finding his way in an increasingly for-profit music industry as an independent artist. Whether you point to his dark and hypnotizing production that sounded beautifully through bass-heavy speakers or his penchant for flows and quotables that make your head spin, Earl proved again he is one of the most creative and self-driven artists working today.
Finally, after two sets of lo-fi lyrical hypnosis, the ÑBA Leather Tour’s stop in DC concluded with fireworks in the form of Action Bronson, who took the chance to announce an album on the way, a new season of his food show F–k, That’s Delicious, and a new season of his online special Ancient Aliens. The crowd threw T-shirts, sneakers, vinyl records, and everything in between on stage for him to sign, which gave us the beautiful image of Action holding up a fan’s prosthetic leg while he rapped over the desert rock beat on “The Chairman’s Intent.” Action also went through his whole discography, from smash hits like “Baby Blue” to “C12H16N2” from his latest album, Only for Dolphins (which called for dolphin sounds to play throughout the set). Action was an absolute monster on stage, rapping with such conviction and force that it’s a miracle he didn’t burst into flames. Feeding off of the crowd’s shouts of “Knock ‘em out the box, Bronson!” at the beginning all the way to his closing performance of his classic “Easy Rider,” his set was both a perfect summary of his career and a fantastic introduction to his style. Fans and newcomers alike could find something to love. It was an explosive, enthralling, and most importantly, crazy fun ending to one of alt-rap’s biggest tours in recent memory. By the end of the set you could almost feel the Four horsemen ride off into the sunset, ready to take the next adventure on with just as much energy and dedication to the art of hip-hop.