Jid and Smino: the luv is 4ever tour
JID and Smino are respected artists in their own regards, JID for his lyrical wordplay and intricate sound, and Smino for his distinguishable voice, soul-filled beats and heavy inspiration from Afro-Caribbean musical styles. Despite not having much music together, JID and Smino announced a co-headlining tour throughout early 2023, as they were both coming off of successful album releases late last year. The surreal amount of energy from the crowd all night paired with remarkable stage presence and performances from both artists, it was immediately made evident why the Luv is 4Ever Tour was completely sold out across the country.
JID was the first headlining performance of the tour’s second night in New York City, and he was determined to give his fans their money’s worth. After opening his set with, “Galaxy”, the intro on his new album, The Forever Story, the crowd instantly began to bask in the ethereal sounds of the track. JID swiftly moved into a few of his emotionally packed songs, including tracks such as “2007” and “NEVER”, but not without consistently interacting with the audience that was ecstatic to watch him live. He was signing t-shirts, vinyls, fan-made art and even talking to individual members of the crowd in between his songs, making the show feel exceptionally intimate despite the venue being sold out.
JID was the first headlining performance of the tour’s second night in New York City, and he was determined to give his fans their money’s worth. After opening his set with, “Galaxy”, the intro on his new album, The Forever Story, the crowd instantly began to bask in the ethereal sounds of the track. JID swiftly moved into a few of his emotionally packed songs, including tracks such as “2007” and “NEVER”, but not without consistently interacting with the audience that was ecstatic to watch him live. He was signing t-shirts, vinyls, fan-made art and even talking to individual members of the crowd in between his songs, making the show feel exceptionally intimate despite the venue being sold out.
It did not take much longer for JID to bring the intensity that was expected from his music to life with songs like, “Surround Sound”, “Down Bad”, and “Raydar”. The mosh pits formed and the energy radiated as the venue itself began to shake. This level of emotion was maintained throughout the rest of the set, with the final song being “Stick”, a number that JID himself has said was made for rage culture. After an impromptu keytar solo to the song, JID closed off his set and left the crowd shouting for an encore before the second show of the night was to take place.
Smino brought an entirely different atmosphere to the crowd with his music, but started out riding off of the coattails of JID’s energizing performance. His backup singers took the stage for the opening song, “Modennaminute”, but when Smino ran into the spotlight, the crowd roared with excitement.
He played several of his higher energy tracks to keep the audience moving with songs like, “KLINK”, and “SPINZ”, off of his older projects before moving into the genreless, yet soulful styles he brought forth with his newest album, Luv 4 Rent. Smino took several breaks to interact with the crowd and maintain that level of intimacy that was brought forth with the previous set, and fans loved to be able to interact with Smino on that level. Recognizing several people from the previous night, Smino made it clear that no two sets of his are the same and that the fans that came for both nights would be leaving with a different experience than the night prior.
The rapper was in a constant back and forth between his older and newer music, bouncing from the chest-shaking bass of songs like, “PIZANO” and “Pro Freak” to the melodic and soothing pieces in his discography like “Blu Billy'', and “Netflix & Dusse”. However, nearing the end of his set Smino performed numerous new album tracks consecutively before closing New York City out on the song, “No L’s”, his most popular song on Luv 4 Rent that was not a single previous to the album's release. Smino announced his gratitude to the City after the second sold out show at Terminal 5, and as he left the stage the fans cheered their hearts out for what was an astounding show in New York City.
Both artists radiated positivity and the excitement of being able to perform their music live to hundreds of fans was clear from the moment they stepped on stage. Both JID and Smino created a musical environment that was curated to their fanbases, and were comfortable with having all eyes on them for 50 minutes at a time. They thrived under the pressure of providing a warm, stimulating and attention grabbing performance for every individual that came out that night, as their audience grows day by day and they take on their roles of “next up” in the rap game.