On Sunday, 31st March, Brooklyn-based rapper Kota The Friend performed at The Garage. The London show was the final stop of the ‘Lyrics To Go’ tour, which saw Kota The Friend perform tracks from his aforenamed series live for the first time. Lyrics To Go, which started as a visual album in 2000, has seen the rapper release a new volume each year since. The latest, Volume 5, was released in January 2024.
Kota The Friend has a loveable stage presence. He effortlessly makes the show feel welcoming as he commands the stage, only pausing to make eye contact and warm gestures towards those packed into the barricade at the front. His affable stage presence then makes it easy to conduct the crowd.
Indeed, he has a magical ability to amp the audiences up, even on some of his more laidback tracks. Kota The Friend quickly established a rapport with the audience, creating an intimate atmosphere despite the venue’s size. At times, the audience became an integral part of the show, such as when Ben and Casey were invited on stage during a heartfelt rendition of “Birdie.”
Kota The Friend’s ability for reflection and introspection is one of the aspects that makes him stand out as a rapper. He can display an honest vulnerability that many rappers struggle with, creating poignant moments throughout the show. Before performing “For Colored Boys,” Kota The Friend shared a touching story about how the song was written just after Nipsy Hussle’s death and as a guide to life for his son.
The setlist featured a mixture of deep cuts from across the rapper’s career. A standout moment was the final section, where Kota The Friend took the audience on a unique (albeit US-centric) “world tour”, which saw the rapper perform a number of the location-titled songs, including: “Colorado,” “Long Beach,” “TULUM,” “Sedona,” and “Vietnam.”
Such is Kota The Friend’s comfort on stage that his quite energetic performance of “PNW” ended with the rapper vowing to find a way to perform it better in the future.
During the show, Kota The Friend shared that Lyrics To Go, Vol. 5, would be the last in the series for some time as he was moving on to a different phase in his life and his music. The London stop on the tour was a fitting way to close one chapter and open another.
Words + photography by Robert Alleyne
