By 8 p.m. last Thursday evening, Thalia Hall had a line wrapped around itself venue. Considering the show didn’t start untill an hour later, only a very special guest could get Chicagoans to stand for hours in what seemed to be the first night of winter.
Headlining the concert was Chicago native, Mick Jenkins, stopping by his hometown while on his Red Bull Sound Select “Quest For Love” tour. Sidelining the concert was up-and-coming St. Louis artist Smino Brown.
Red Bull, the curators behind the “Quest for Love Tour” have their hands in the city by hosting events featuring new buzzing artists every month. The company not only makes their events an experience by providing photo booths, a stocked bar and prime artist, but also makes tickets affordable by selling them for $3 with a RSVP and $10 without.
By 9 p.m., Thalia Hall was so packed guests were told to go upstairs only to find no more open seats. As the DJ readies the crowd with songs from artist like Chance The Rapper, Lil Uzivert, Tupac and a few opening acts, guests were anxiously standing shoulder to shoulder awaiting Smino Brown to hit the stage.
“I’ve been listening to Smino Brown for about two years now,” said 22-year-old Columbia College student Kayla Brown. “He actually talks about stuff and on-going issues in his music while making it sound good.”
Smino and his band “Zero Fatigue” which features two background singers, a producer and lead guitarist projected his soothing sound across Thalia Hall.
While performing some of his most popular songs like “Raw,” “Runnin” and “Oxygen” he also debuted a new song. Though he didn’t provide the crowd with the title, the Sango produced track is destined to be an instant hit based off the crowds reaction.
If Thalia Hall wasn’t sold out before, it was definitely packed to capacity after Smino’s performance. Although Mick Jenkins just released his debut album “The Healing Component” last month, Chicago residents are very familiar with the artist and his music. Socially conscious, poetic and positive are only a few adjectives to describe Jenkins music. As he walks out gracefully to start his set to no other than Kanye West, he gazes over his largest Chicago show yet.
“Mick use to do open mics in the city”, DePaul student and Red Bull Sound Select artist FemDot said. “This is great to see him and Smino performing in front of this crowd, I’m proud of them.”
As he started his set, he performed songs off his new project like “Spread Love” and “Drowning” reminding the crowd that “Love is the answer.”
In 2014, Jenkins released a mixtape titled “The Waters” that debatably jumpstarted his career. The crowd ready to hear some of their favorites up next from the project shouted “Drink More Water” which is often a phrase Jenkins used to promote his past project.
“I like how real Mick is,” Sayf Kone, a California native who recently moved to Chicago. said “He talks about really important things and I appreciate that and I can vibe with him.”
During his performance, audience members often held hands and danced together, forgetting about the different cultures that filled the venue and coming together as one.
Thalia Hall wasn’t just filled with regular hip-hop fans, but a crowd that is aware of the social issues happening around us. After performing tracks off his past mixtape, the crowd shouted “Drink More Water” and “Love is the Answer” over ten times.
“It’s a lot of hate going in the world but, love is the answer,” Jenkins said.