Kid Ink and Skizzy Mars bring a loud energy to the Underground

From his jerky dance moves and a fog show to face tattoos, Kid Ink provided a packed house with no shortage of things to look at during his performance in The Schine Underground on Monday night.

As soon as he took the stage, it was immediately obvious that the energy that the rest of the show had lacked would be made up for, and then some, by his performance. From the second he began his opening rap, Kid Ink hopped back and forth ceaselessly and energetically.

By the time he reached his third or fourth song, it's a wonder that the audience wasn't sent into sensory shock. Repeated horns and sirens were met with the release of smoke every time the rapper said the words "roll up." 

Kid Ink got serious with the crowd before playing the crowd pleasing "Hell & Back," which caused countless camera phones in record mode to ascend.

"Anybody ever tell you that you couldn't do something?" 

The cheers of fans became more raucous as his set progressed, but Kid Ink gave back more than he received. Aside from his emphatic stage presence, the rapper threw his hat to an audience member and stayed to sign autographs for every single fan who wanted one when the show was over.

Before Kid Ink gave the audience something to dance to, Skizzy Mars’ DJ kicked the show off at 8:15. He played to the small crowd that showed up early enough to catch him. The DJ’s words did not match his intonation and the crowd hardly responded to his unenthusiastic “When I say Skizzy, You say Mars.”

Skizzy Mars took the stage after 10 minutes of electronic drone to a slightly larger but still stagnant crowd. His stage presence was a step up from that of his DJ, but it became quickly apparent that much of the crowd was there for Kid Ink.

An audience member who offered her opinion of the rapper confirmed the overall vibe that the rest of the crowd gave off- "He's alright."

Perhaps the fact that Syracuse University has been treated to some of the most talented rappers in the game, from Childish Gambino to Ludacris, made for an unusually high bar to be reached by the up-and-comer.

His second song, "Torches," elicited a slightly more enthusiastic response from the crowd but the highlight of his set was easily his mashup of Grouplove’s “Colours,” the most easily recognizable track that he performed.

Despite Mars seeming more concerned with dropping F-bombs and the name of his record label than engaging the audience, a fair amount of fans sang along to the obscene lyrics of his hit song, "D—bag." The crowd's sing-along became loud enough to hear when the DJ cut the music out mid-chorus.

Anyone who may have been bothered by Mars’ self declaration of “D—bag” would find consolation in the final track of his set, which clarified that he is only a “D—bag by day but by night I’m a lover.”

His final track was the smoothest and most danceable, and was met with a sultry light show to match it. Despite the slow start, the crowd, which had finally reached capacity, was warmed up for Kid Ink.