Video: Mellowhigh’s Performance at @ClubLosGlobos

So this past Halloween, I had the opportunity to go see Mellowhigh at Club Los Globos. At first I was skeptical because it was an Oddfuture concert. Not that their music is bad…but they don’t have the nicest of fans. The only reason I say that is because I was at the Captain Murphy/Tyler The Creator secret show but I didn’t get in because they shut it down. The fans was too hype but if I was at their level of success, I’d love these same fans. So in the end I can’t complain.

First a little bit about Mellowhigh

Now we all know from the various youtube videos that OF is pretty united and each song that they all work on together is uniquely put together with sounds that are stylistic of Oddfuture. These gritty synths, off beat percussion give off that iconic sound that made everyone fall in love with them. But even though the group as a whole has this sound, each member of OF has their own unique sound when analyzed solo.

Take for example Mellowhype consisting of Left Brain and Hodgy Beats. That duo creates some monstrous records (although I’m not a fan of Left Brain rapping…stick to the boards son) that deserve some critic attention. With Hodgy’s verbal massacre and verbal slaughter combined with Left Brain‘s artistic creativity with his production, Mellowhype can stand as a group on its own, without the backing of the OF brand.

Flip to the other members of the group, specifically Domo Genesis. Domo Genesis is one of the underrated artists of the OF collective. He has a certain style around him that he gives off, giving homage to the chiefers, smokers, drug doers, and gritty hard bars with flow of the old school while having his personality shine on most tracks. On almost every guest feature Domo raps as if he is still grinding and eating, which is good because it comes out as good music.

It seems only right that Mellowhype brought on Domo to create Mellowhigh…

Or did it?

“Mellowhigh” was released on October 31st, 2013. Primarily produced by Left Brain (and one track by Hodgy Beats), Mellowhigh puts together all aspects of what we love of these artists and puts it on sounds that stay true to Left Brain‘s image and the image of OF in general. The features also don’t fall out of place, with features from Remy Banks and Earl Sweatshirt on the record “”Cold World“” and Curren$y and Smoke DZA on the record “”Highlife“” each contributing their style to the collective project while giving bars to the listener. One thing is certain, that Mellowhigh consistently brings out the hype and other emotions from the listener which is why OF fans take their music so serious. It can almost be seen as a drug the way the music evokes emotions (both positive and negative). I approve of the album as a collective (minus a few tracks such as “”Troublesome“” and “”Roofless“”).

Back to the concert though…

This was one of the best concerts I have ever been to. The set up was amazing. Everyone went in costumes and interacted with each other as if they were part of the OF family which is unique to the Oddfuture brand. Of course the venue was full, but thankfully I was able to get a front row view. The performing acts were really good, with Mike G taking the boards with a good set that prepared the crowd for the hype music that was coming next. Different artists performed after including Remy Banks, who laid out dope tracks and enough records to start mosh pits. That’s a big accomplishment for an opening act and made me search for his music as soon as I got home. Afterwards Mike G came back and performed some his best records. The one I enjoyed most was “”Forrest Green“” off “The OF Tape Vol. 2” project. I always was a fan of Mike G and I’m waiting for an album Mike!!!

After Mike G‘s performance the big moment was here: The arrival of Domo and Hodgy. They began the show by performing “Yu“, the single that they pushed a while before (October 11th, 2013).

That definitely got the crowd riled enough to began moshing to each other. I can’t lie and say that I didn’t participate in that mosh pit as well (almost got squished by two big Samoan characters…no bueno). Afterwards, they began talking, saying that they loved the fact that we were there to support their album and considered us “homies”. Immediately after that they played some of their individual records, some from Domo‘s “No Idols” and Hodgy‘s “Untitled 2”, giving a special vibe to the audience. It switched from moshing to head bobbing, a classic hip-hop move.

At this point of the concert, Mellowhigh decided to perform the song “”Rella”” off of “The OF Tape Vol. 2” project as well. Now me being an avid OF listener, I knew that Tyler, The Creator was a guest feature…so I wondered if he would be coming out. And coincidentally (or predictively), Tyler came out during his verse. What was interesting about that part was the way the crowd literally trampled over each other to touch Tyler. After his iconic crowd surfing, he was brought back to the stage, and stayed for the rest of the show. Mellowhigh continued to perform the rest of their album but nothing memorable can be said for that other than the obvious: They kept it cool, hype, and dope throughout the whole performance.

All in all…DOPE CONCERT. The fans were good in creating the OF sound and although they can be rough…that’s what you would expect at an Oddfuture concert. I would highly recommand an OF concert to all the fans and skeptics of Oddfuture. One thing is forsure: Wear a helmet and shin guards because there will be moshing.