Arriving at the Turret for perhaps the second time in five years, it didn’t feel like a venue that would suit what was to transpire in a couple hours.
I felt as if I’d just walked into an all ages night from my first year, with just over forty people scattered across the venue’s lounge areas.
As Zen Woods wrapped up his opening set with aide from a few smooth moving friends, it was nearly 10:30 p.m. and the unamusing flashbacks of Ramriddlz most recent show at Maxwell’s crept into mind.
If it weren’t for being able to wait backstage and catch glimpses of him and his crew prepping I don’t know how much longer I could have stood in anticipation for Ramz; but maybe this is just what to expect from an up-and-coming hip hop artist.
When Ramriddlz and producer Jaegen finally hit the stage, it seemed as if with the snap of a finger the crowd had doubled. I wasn’t sure what level of energy to expect, however, flying out of the Hawk’s Nest dubbed ‘backstage’, Ramriddlz started the show on a great foot.
If the bralettes tossed on stage were any indication, it was a great first flight.
After what previous venue management had dubbed a risky act to book, Ramriddlz put on a show that gave the crowd exactly what they were looking for.
“The thing with universities is, they definitely have a lot more to look forward to, because they’re just coming out of class … and just want to turn the fuck up — it gets pretty lit,” Jaegen said, who, having met Ramz in university has collaborated with the rapper on all of his projects.
Jaegen has now gone on to rack up a multi-platinum producer credit on French Montana’s “Unforgettable”.
Ramriddlz spent half of his set standing atop the barrier which acted as his own personal high beam — giving more weight as to why male gymnasts do not perform on the apparatus in competition.
Out of all the concerts I’ve been to, Ramriddlz does have the most unique form of fan interaction. From being hoisted on fans’ shoulders and maneuvering through the crowd, to backwashing water straight onto adoring fans, it seemed nothing could deter them from getting up close and personal.
A simple look in their direction led some fans to exclaim “He totally loves you!”, who would soon then be showered with a lukewarm mixture of water and saliva. If the sentiment still remained, that can’t be corroborated.
All the while, Jaegen remained collected and in charge of keeping the flow of the entire set which felt like a perfect teeter between snowballing out of control and coming to a screeching halt.
Ramriddlz, quite ungracefully, glided above fans’ heads using the overhead lighting fixture as monkey bars to the tune of his original “Sweeterman”, which was later co-signed by Drake.
He appeared set to work the security men to the bone, disappearing for seconds within the crowd yet always coming up for air, needing assistance getting back to the stage more times than necessary. But hey, this was his hour.
Without ever knowing what was to come next, Ramriddlz kept the crowd on their toes till the very end of his 45-minute set making sure to play, not so much sing/rap, fan favourites “Habaesha” and “Pop Rocks”, while also teasing some new material.
Narrowly making it back stage, I was optimistic for the opportunity to speak with Ramz before he left for an unofficial after-party at Brixton.
However, the photo ops and one liners with female fans seemed to keep him busy till the time his crew almost got removed for bringing along a hookah set up — of which he wanted no apparent part of and promptly exited the venue.