Sitting cross-legged on the ground wearing the skinniest of skinnies, cowboy-esque boots and a silk baseball jacket, 19-year-old Raury awaits his grand entrance. Three bars in he bolts on stage, snags the microphone and the crowd erupts. He meets the roar with the opening lines of “Forbidden Knowledge [10]” from his recently dropped album All We Need [11]. The lights drop and the symbols crash with each distinct punctuation, as if Schine Underground was the stage for a slam-poetry contest. His energy radiates, and the crowd is instantly captured.
As a genre-bending artist, Raury mixed his unique style of hip-hop, folk and rock throughout the evening. Following University Union’s special guest and opener, Demo Taped, Raury promised the crowd he would meet their energy level. He danced, jumped, clapped and made his way off stage several times to greet his front-row fans. While performing “Cigarette Song [12],” off his first EP Indigo Child [13], he even serenaded an audience member.
“I’ve known him for years,” African-American studies sophomore Asile Patin said. “We went to summer camp together, so obviously that’s why he grabbed onto me.”
Patin said Raury hasn’t changed a bit since high school and has always been driven. His passion came across in all forms, from his pointed lyrics addressing social issues to his prominent stage presence. Raury said between songs, “Most people think music is just about the entertainment, but music affects lives. What you listen to, what you dive into… that’s it.”
Throughout the night the crowd’s energy fed off the eclectic set list, matching the mood of each individual single. From the high intensity of “Trap Tears [14]” to the whimsical flow of “Woodcrest Manor II [15],” everyone was captivated.
International Relations senior Claudia Garib said, “After UU released the news, I looked him up, listened to a few songs and loved him. The show was great.”
Although the crowd was a mix of old and new fans, everyone left with one thing in common, a smile.
