If the club scene and a classic saloon had a baby, that would be the vibe at Vivo KC. Split in half at the venue was a pure concert area with a stage and lights, while the other half had social tables and a bar. Munchin’ on a KC BBQ grilled cheese while being entertained by live music throughout the night was quite the experience! The show, a Korean Hip-Hop/Pop event, had a steady crowd throughout the show, with die-hard fans there the entire night.
Coming straight from Korea, Lewis Park had a very strong opening to excite the crowd. His music had a very wide range, starting off the night with some alternative rock, to pop, to hip-hop. Lewis was able to cater his music to the entire crowd. He had a lot of content to pull from, which on top of his wide range provided a great opening experience. I wouldn’t be surprised to see his name gain much more momentum internationally in the next few years.
Next up was Kazi, who immediately downed some cough syrup once he got onstage, which I thought was an interesting way to start their set. It sounded like they had a long flight from LA, but it doesn’t seem as if Kazi was under the weather at all because they killed it with the crowd. They kept the energy high for the evening, getting the crowd even more pumped for the rest of the show. Kazi gave me a very similar vibe as Chris Brown or Kyle, as they could match their R&B style of singing and rapping over some nice hitting trap beats. With a nice style and range of music, Kazi has some potential in the music game if they keep their nose clean.
Next up was a local KC rapper who goes by the name of Liu Khang and honestly…
I think she stole the show.
Coming out with an almost drill-like delivery, Liu Khang was spitting heavy bars at the crowd immediately. It was a big switch from the previous two acts, which although their shows were good, was definitely the right time to switch up the mood.
The ladies loved her, because as much as the crowd hyped her up, she hyped them all up right back, keeping everyone invested in her performance. Not only did she hit drill rap, but she was also able to switch it up and mellow out the crowd with some chill hip-hop and R&B. Her show gave me some pride growing up in Kansas City, as it shows that our hip-hop music scene is still growing after Tech N9ne paved the way for other KC natives to grow locally.
Ted Park’s performance was a little different. Beginning his performance with an intro saying that he is from Wisconsin and “raised in a non-Asian community” threw me off from the start, worse than downing some cough syrup to begin, ha! He then began singing some pop and hip-hop songs that were either very off-key or had some heavy autotune on the mic, I couldn’t tell. He seemed very fake as well, saying that the crowd was more hype compared to when he did a show in LA for thousands of people the week before. I’m not sure if that comment was a dig at the crowd for his previous show, the few dozen people that were there to support him tonight, or just trying to fake hype everyone up.
Regardless, I wasn’t too impressed with his stage presence. He did seem to hit his stride, however, when he switched to performing his R&B songs as opposed to his more poppy or hip-hoppy music. In my opinion, his solo show was lacking a bit. I’m not sure if it was his interactions with the crowd that threw me off or if it was his fake demeanor, but either way, I think he brought up the bottom of the performances.
The last artist of the evening was Parlay Pass, who sparked a great burst of energy for the crowd to end the night. Tatted up with yellow dreads, he provided the crowd with almost a grime-like hip-hop feel, rapping hard with a lot of energy. He was a little different than the rest of the artists of the night, most similar to Liu Khang, both of which were great adds to the lineup to change up the moods throughout the night. Ted Park actually stayed out with Parlay, which was an interesting dynamic that I actually enjoyed quite a bit.
The pair hopped into the crowd a couple times which kept the crowd pumped and ended the night on a great note. Parlay Pass is an Atlanta native and from his sound, you can almost tell he came from that area, as it has produced many great trap artists in recent years.
Overall, it was a very exciting night for my first K Hip-Hop show. The venue set the mood right and provided a great environment for the artists to spread their music. The lineup featured many talented artists with a wide reach of genres that the crowd really enjoyed. The night ended up being a success in my eyes and would totally recommend seeing these artists next time they are in your area!