New Wave
The 26-year-old American rapper and songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia - Malcolm Jamaal Davis, better known by his stage name MadeinTYO, landed in London for the first show of his 2019 "Sincerely, Tokyo" European tour.
The O2 Academy Islington welcomed us with some vibey pre-set music. In the crowd, people began talking to each other, an upbeat atmosphere was in the air. Although on the arrival the stage was empty, shortly after, internationally renowned DJ & Producer Siobhan Bell a.k.a. King Bell rolled up onto the stage and started to warm up the crowd with the big hits like "Sicko Mode" by Travis Scott, that made the crowd go wild, jumping and screaming along. Other bangers included songs like "Drip Too Hard" by Lil Baby x Gunna, and of course "Thotiana" by Blueface, not to mention tons of other trending songs.
It was to my surprise when MRIAMNEXT was on stage. Seshie never fails to bring insane energy with him into the venue, no matter what show it is. You just simply can't have a mad show, if he is not there to prepare the crowd for the headline artist. Personally, for me, MRIAMNEXT is like all your favourite artists combined into one, because he knows how to deliver each song, whether it is the US or the UK one; he makes sure that the crowd is ready to get lit.
Afterward, MadeinTYO's DJ - Jehmahk came on stage and took King Bell's job to take care of the crowd by playing more hits like “Moonlight” by the legend XXXTENTACTION, to which everyone started bopping, including the bartenders and even some of the security, not something you would see often. The tension was building up, in between the songs the crowd would start screaming "TYO, TYO, TYO" and demanding for the headline artists to come on stage.
The main act was introduced and the crowd literally went wild, singing an intro song “Roll In Peace”, dancing and literally going insane... And suddenly, MadeinTYO's song starts playing in the background and this is when the energy in the venue exploded, as everyone realised that he is about to come on stage and started screaming; few seconds after TYO was already jumping in front of hundreds of people to his top songs like "Too Quick", "Outstanding" and other bangers from the album.
What was quite unique for his show, is that he would really engage with the crowd, unlike many other artists I have seen so far. He would go to the sides of the stage and stand on the barrier, making eye contact with people, he would point at people and say things like "I see you", that made people want to get closer to the stage and many started to push their way through to the front. He has done really well in connecting with the crowd, that really reflected how much he loves and respects his fans.
The visuals on screen were sick during the performance, really adding up to the action on the stage, especially for the songs like "2 Flights". On the side note, he did talk a lot in between the songs, which may have been good for some fans that wanted to hear him speak, but definitely not those who wanted to hear more songs.
Everyone in the venue went crazy when he said a “special guest” would be introduced and people started shouting their guesses, ranging from local UK artists to some big names like Big Sean and even Drake?! But the "special guest" wouldn't arrive for a bit of time, and so people almost forgot about it when MadeinTYO decided to unexpectedly put everyone in shock by bringing out the BIG-name guests... A$AP Ferg and A$AP Rocky. Yes, I still can't believe it to this day. Going to a relatively small venue to see MadeinTYO and then suddenly you see how A$AP Rocky & A$AP Ferg performing with him on the same stage. Rocky only jumped on stage for literally a few seconds with the mic and when people noticed him the energy was INSANE, it was such a surreal moment. But, he then stood low-key on the side of the stage, whilst TYO and Ferg have performed their hit "Netflanders" and some other songs; some people didn't even realise that Rocky was there...
As the A$AP crew left the stage, TYO continued to do his thing and performed more of his hits like "Chucky Cheese" that formed crazy moshpits. People on the sides would step out as far as they could, to not get involved or injured, the moshpits were simply insane; you could see people loving them. TYO didn't even have to direct them, people would just do it, which shows how good he connected with the crowd from the beginning with his energy. It continued for songs like "Outstanding".
He then gave a very meaningful motivational speech - “do what you gotta do” and discussed how you should "chase your dreams" and do whatever you love, but always remember to love and support your family. Truly a great artist that has a positive influence on his fans, as he really loves both: his family and his fans. A really good example to people that look up to him, because whilst taking care of his music career, he never forgets about where he came from, his family and especially his child, by finding a great balance. Shortly after everyone felt inspired, everyone was of course, ready to hear his most well-known songs including "I want" where everyone was singing along and obviously "Skateboard P" & "Uber Everywhere", a song that probably put TYO's name on top of the charts at some point.
MadeinTYO said thanks and left for his Paris show, where he surprised the French fans with Joey BadA$$ the next day. He probably never fails to surprise and show appreciation to his supportive fans.
What a crazy, unexpected show. Something you wouldn't want to miss out for sure, even if you aren't the biggest fan of him. He paid respect to his friends and artists like Mac Miller and XXXTENTACION that unfortunately, are not here with us anymore. Definitely exceeded our expectations; everyone from the crowd members, to DJs and artists, had their input that made this night unforgettable. Great kick start to his European tour, we hope it goes as good as the London show.