Live Review: Schoolboy Q, Isaiah Rashad

Support act Isaiah Rashad begins his set around the 9pm mark and the artist is nothing but tight raps and high energy. Performing from his debut EP Cilvia Demo, the young rapper sounds as good live as he does recorded. His biggest hit to date I Shot You Down is a clear standout and has the mostly teenage male crowd members singing along and, more than likely, questioning whether or not if Schoolboy Q will come out to perform his featured appearance on the track.

This does not happen, but shortly after Rashad finishes, Q rushes the stage and, as DJs change over, the duo jump around to some Kanye before Q begins his set. As the air fills with illicit smells, Q shouts to his audience with sincerity: “Thank y'all for supporting me, none of this would be possible without you.” Stopping between tracks to invite audience members on stage, Q's banter with them is hilarious. His humour is a welcome surprise element to this show, as is his need to make his fans happy by shaking hands with, and even signing CDs for, those in the front rows. As this is the Oxymoron tour, we mostly hear material from the artist's album of the same name over the course of his hour-and-a-half-long set. Standouts include Studio, Gangsta, Fuck LA and (of course) crowd favourites Collard Greens and Man Of The Year. As the enigmatic rapper pauses between tracks to ask audience members what they want to hear, he genuinely listens and gives us what we want. He even visits his previous album Habits & Contradictions as well as a few features including A$AP Rocky's PMW (All I Really Need).

As the night comes to a close, Q's DJ calls out from behind the decks: “Get home safe. Why drink and drive when you can smoke and fly?”