Author: Kunal Khunger

Will Smith Talks Through His Journey at Kings Theatre
Will Smith, the world-famous actor, musician, and producer, stopped by Kings Theatre in Brooklyn on November 9th for his book tour to promote his self-titled memoir “Will”. Moderated by legendary film director Spike Lee, Smith elaborated on parts of his unusual path to super-stardom for a sold-out audience. What makes Will Smith such a compelling actor and public figure was on full display that night.

Will Smith & Spike Lee at Kings Theatre, 11/09/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

Will Smith is a legendary figure in Hollywood, having been only actor to have starred in eight consecutive films which grossed over $100 million in the United States box office. He’s a blockbuster legend and a huge cultural figure for a wide variety of age groups. The sold-out crowd was filled with people from various ages and backgrounds, just showing how wide of a reach Will Smith’s films have had on all of us, which doesn’t even include his big break, the hugely popular 90’s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Will Smith & Spike Lee at Kings Theatre, 11/09/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

Accompanied by a massive visual board, Will and Spike walked through some of his biggest moments, ranging from Will’s impromptu audition for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for producer Quincy Jones to the recent death of his father. Will’s father, Will Smith Sr., casts a shadow over the whole book and the conversations he had on stage. Will has referred to his father in the book as “his biggest ally and his biggest enemy”, which only sheds a little light on how complex their relationship was. While Will spoke about how grateful he was for the lessons his father bestowed on him about hard work, there was still intense resentment due to Will Smith Sr. having been an alcoholic abuser for most of Will’s childhood. Watching the famously guarded Will Smith work through his traumatic experiences on stage was fascinating.

Will Smith & Spike Lee at Kings Theatre, 11/09/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

In spite of the dark subject matter, Will really showed why he is who he is. I’ve rarely ever seen anybody so charming and naturally humorous. Even as an audience member, his charisma was too bright to ignore. You couldn’t help but fall under his spell, which is a testament to Will Smith’s ability as both a showman and a storyteller.

After having spoken to the audience about his life, Will unveiled a surprise and brought out DJ Jazzy Jeff, his old partner during his rapper days, to perform some of the old hits they were both famous for. They ran through classics like “Summertime,” “Switch,” and even the famous “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” theme song. I would not have guessed that in 2021 I’d see Will Smith perform these hits live, which was quite the experience.

Will Smith & Spike Lee at Kings Theatre, 11/09/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

Will Smith has one last stop of his book tour in London on Thursday, November 18th. You can see more details here. Be sure to check out the full photo gallery below!
November 16, 2021
Princess Nokia Brings the Energy to Irving Plaza
Harlem-based rapper Princess Nokia performed a vibrant set at Irving Plaza in New York City on October 24th for one of the last domestic stops on her tour. Known for her high-energy performances and colorful stage design, Princess Nokia lived up to her reputation by giving the crowd exactly that.

As one of the more prominent female rappers in today’s pop landscape, Princess Nokia had no shortage of hits to run through, from old favorites like “Tomboy” off the 2016 project 1992 Deluxe, to the extremely popular “I Like Him” off the 2020 project Everything Sucks. Backed up by some stage dancers, she exemplified why these songs have been popular for so long, moving the crowd to the rapid rhythm and maintaining a breakneck pace.

Princess Nokia oozed charisma and charm on the stage, always interacting with fans between songs and making jokes. Between the rapid-fire rapping, dancing, banter, and screaming crowd, this concert was an absolute spectacle. The spectators were one hundred percent into her the whole time and before the concert even started, she peaked her head out on the balcony and the crowd screamed with delight. There was no shortage of electricity the whole set.

Princess Nokia’s tour has one more stop in Boston at Paradise Rock Club on Wednesday, October 27 before hopping overseas to Europe. You can see the rest of the tour dates here. Be sure to check out the full photo gallery below!
October 27, 2021
TORRES Gives an Intimate Performance at Bowery Ballroom
Georgia native TORRES returned to her current city of residence, New York City, on Thursday, October 21st for one of the last stops on the North American leg of her tour. Making an appearance at Bowery Ballroom, TORRES played several songs off her most recent LP Thirstier, in addition to several fan-favorites from her previous projects.

TORRES at Bowery Ballroom, 10/21/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

With Thirstier having been released back in July of this year, the songs from it were very fresh in the crowd’s minds. They enthusiastically sang along to songs like “Don’t Go Puttin’ Wishes in My Head” and the title track “Thirstier.” The crowd energy was infectious and it was impossible not to move a little bit and lose yourself in the great instrumentation of it all.

TORRES at Bowery Ballroom, 10/21/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

As it has been a common thread amongst many performers I have watched recently, TORRES was visibly emotional performing for a sold-out crowd in NYC for the first time in so long, due to COVID-19. She said multiple times that she was close to tears and was just astonished by how good it felt to play in her city again. TORRES interacted extensively with the crowd and it was obvious that this was a very devoted fanbase.

TORRES at Bowery Ballroom, 10/21/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

TORRES’s tour has one more stop in Brooklyn at Baby’s All Right on Thursday, October 28th before hopping overseas to Europe. You can see the rest of the tour dates here. Be sure to check out the full photo gallery below!
October 26, 2021
Robert Glasper and Terrace Martin Dazzle the Crowd at Blue Note Jazz Club
Renowned jazz musicians Robert Glasper and Terrace Martin began their annual October residency at Blue Note Jazz Club at the beginning of this month. If the other shows have been anything like the one I attended on the night of Wednesday, October 20th- crowds have been in for an absolute treat.

Robert Glasper at Blue Note Jazz Club, 10/20/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

Glasper and Martin have been two of the most prolific popular jazz musicians working today, having done a range of production work for a range of artists, like Kendrick Lamar, YG, Mac Miller, Anderson Paak, and many more. That doesn’t even include their solo albums or their super-group Dinner Party, which includes other legends Kamasi Washington and 9th Wonder. Their work has reached critical acclaim within the jazz community, leading them to have a wide-reaching influence.

Terrace Martin at Blue Note Jazz Club, 10/20/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

The chemistry was apparent between the two. Glasper and Martin cracked jokes for much of the night, talking about their upbringing and how they both have been friends since they were teenagers. One particular funny story was how Martin inadvertently got himself replaced on the piano parts of Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly by Glasper. The vibe of the show was very easygoing. I felt like I was eavesdropping on a bunch of friends just jamming out.

Robert Glasper at Blue Note Jazz Club, 10/20/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

Glasper and Martin performed a tribute to Herbie Hancock and some material off of their Dinner Party project, but then were shortly joined by a special appearance from Denzel Curry, a prolific rapper from Miami. Denzel joined everyone else in cracking some jokes and performed some songs off of his Unlocked collab project with Kenny Beats. Curry’s music is usually fairly high energy, so it was really interesting to see him perform in a more relaxed environment. He even commented how unusual it was for him to be performing while sitting down.

Denzel Curry at Blue Note Jazz Club, 10/20/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

Right when the crowd settled down, Denzel Curry introduced another special guest: Brooklyn’s very own Joey Bada$$. The crowd immediately went into a frenzy, while Joey performed a few songs and joined in on all the jokes the whole group was having. One particular highlight was when both Joey and Denzel free-styled off of a lone baseline for fifteen minutes, back and forth.

Joey Bada$$ and Denzel Curry at Blue Note Jazz Club, 10/20/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

The show was great and if anyone has a chance to go check out a show, please do so. Robert Glasper’s residency continues all October, with more dates listed here. Be sure to take a look at the full photo gallery down below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxYvt-IBcNE
Photos by Kunal Khunger
October 23, 2021
Big Freedia Brings High Energy to Brooklyn Steel
New Orleans bounce artist, Big Freedia, performed with her usual thunderous energy at Brooklyn Steel on Monday, September 27th. Bounce music is known to be raucous and high energy and Big Freedia did not disappoint, as she showed up with her signature aplomb.

As with my other musicians, Big Freedia’s touring schedule had been on hiatus for the better part of two years. Many in the crowd mentioned that they had been looking forward to this show for quite some time and it reflected in the crowd’s atmosphere, as their eagerness to witness the pioneer of bounce music was palpable.

A 20-year veteran of the bounce music scene in New Orleans, Big Freedia rose to mainstream prominence with vocal cameos on Beyonce’s “Formation” and Drake’s “Nice For What“, two massive hits that exposed her to a wider audience. But, unbeknownst to many is that Post-Hurricane Katrina, Freedia has been known as one of the biggest voices in the regional bounce music scene and maintains and extremely devoted fanbase.

Despite not performing regularly for almost two years, her stage presence has not waned. Right after getting on stage Freedia immediately began flying through several tracks across her several EPs & albums at bone-rattling volume, as she performed nonstop for several records. All the more astounding as she, along with five backup dancers, frenetically went though their choreography. It’s rare to see a performer with such intensity across any genre, but Big Freedia exemplified the spirit and movement of bounce music for a hungry audience. She didn’t let up and neither did the crowd.

Big Freedia is undoubtedly tied to her home state and her success only means more exposure for the region. What was once considered to be a niche regional sound is now being performed for large audiences in major markets. And Big Freedia displayed why it deserves its recognition, and why New Orleans is still a city to be reckoned with musically.

This was not a one-off show for Big Freedia, she will continue touring throughout United States, with more information on her upcoming tour dates available here. Be sure to take a look at the full photo gallery down below!
October 2, 2021
Freddie Gibbs Returns to Live Performances at Schimanski
In an exciting prelude to his performance on the first day of the Governors Ball, Freddie Gibbs made an appearance at Schimanski nightclub on Thursday, September 23rd for the “Gov Ball After Dark” series.

A veteran of the rap game, Gibbs has established himself as a strong force within hip-hop’s landscape, while enjoying a cult following since his days as a member of Young Jeezy’s camp. Always considered a strong lyricist with great street tales, Gibbs’ star trajectory began to shift after his first collaborative album, Piñata, alongside legendary hip hop producer Madlib.

After a string of quality projects (including another album with Madlib) and two projects with producer, The Alchemist, he broke into the mainstream consciousness with a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album in 2020 with, Alfredo. From there, it’s only been an upward trend in popularity.

Like many artists post-pandemic, Gibbs had taken a long hiatus from touring. Based on his performance, it looked like any rust was quickly shaken off. In front of an adoring crowd, he ran through his most popular records from recent projects in quick succession as he was all smiles during the entire performance, seemingly basking in the glory of being afforded a chance to once again entertain the fans.

While his performance was fairly brief, Freddie displayed his obvious mastery of live performance, as he’s a veteran of the hip-hop game. While Freddie does not have any upcoming tours or projects announced, whatever he does next will be eagerly anticipated by both his fanbase and the hip-hop community at large.

Check out the full photo gallery from the show below.
October 1, 2021
Theophilus London brings Joy to Fans at Sony Hall
After a long touring hiatus due to COVID-19, Theophilus London was able to return to his hometown of New York City for his “Bebey, It’s Never Too Late” tour on Wednesday, September 22nd at Time Square’s Sony Hall. In addition to playing many tracks off his third LP, Bebey (released in January 2020), he also played several songs from his previous albums and mixtapes.

Theophilus London at Sony Hall, 09/22/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

Bebey was released nearly two years ago, but if an observer only went by the enthusiastic crowd reactions, they would most likely think that it came out very recently. Theophilus was a great performer, constantly interacting with the very devoted crowd and seemed incredibly thankful and happy to be back performing in front of an audience.

Theophilus London at Sony Hall, 09/22/21. Photo by Kunal Khunger

Having been active for over a decade an amassing a large collaboration list, including the likes of Kanye West, Tame Impala, & Jesse Boykins, Theophilus has a large amount of hard-hitting tracks to choose from. While Bebey has a more tropical sound, many of his previous albums have a constant mix between pop, R&B, and hip-hop. He’s able to seamlessly switch between singing and rapping at a dime, resulting in fairly riveting performances. His music has the energy that fits in live performance and the crowd was riveted by any song he played, whether it was two years old or ten years old.

Enough cannot be said about how happy Theophilus was to be back performing. He invited audience members up on stage to dance with him, took song requests from the crowd, and even asked everyone to stick around after the show outside to meet and speak with every fan who was still there. Having personally stuck around, I can attest to the enthusiasm he had and the fact that Theophilus spoke with every fan he could. No picture request was turned down and he even spent a large amount of time with each person who was interested in speaking with him.

The “Bebey, It’s Never Too Late” tour runs for the rest of September. You can see the rest of his tour dates here. Check out the full photo gallery from the show below.
September 25, 2021