(COVINGTON, La.) — 6LACK performed at the Joy Theater this past weekend and I was fortunate enough to be able to attend. My wonderful girlfriend surprised me with the 6LACK tickets at the Joy Theater. The Joy Theater is in downtown New Orleans on Canal Street. This historic theater opened up in 1947, and was renovated in 2003 after closing down for a time. The new owners kept the original art and architecture from the theaters golden days. This was my first time attending the Joy Theater, but I was skeptical. Having been to the Voodoo Festival and not being able to move in the crowd, I was scared of the general admission labeling on the ticket. We parked in a safe area and took an Uber down to the theater. I entered in and noticed how it was set up as a classical theater. With the lobby and stairs leading up to the balcony, and the floor area with the stage front and center. We went in and got a spot towards the right side in the middle. Even though I was towards the middle, I was still very close. The Joy Theater’s setup is very intimate. You are still close to the stage wherever you are. The venue isn’t the biggest either, but there was a lot of room for everyone to stand comfortably. Typically smaller artists perform at the theater, which means the crowd was filled with die hard fans. The atmosphere in the Theater was electric.

Rapper Deante Hitchcock opened up first at the show. He is a flexible artist who is from Atlanta, Georgia. He came out and performed three songs, along with a lengthy freestyle mixed in-between his first two songs. Prior to the show, I had never heard of Deante. His performance was really upbeat and fun. His songs consist of funny, serious, and emotional lyrics. He came out and payed homage to Lil Wayne for the New Orleans based fans saying, “I had to pay homage to the GOAT tonight since I’m in his city”. Overall, he was very fun opener and set the mood for the night.

Next up was Ari Lennox. Ari is from Washington D.C and is a Dreamville signee. She came out after Deante and performed a wonderful, moody set. She came out and gave her performance simply, but powerfully. Personally I liked Deante better because he did more with his set performance wise. Both the performances led up to the main show very well by setting the stage. 6LACK is a singer/songwriter who is from East Atlanta, Georgia. He is classified in the Trap R&B genre with slow, bass filled instrumentals, along with a dark gloomy voice. 6LACK came out and performed each song with passion and energy. He played songs of both of his albums Free 6LACK and East Atlanta Love Letter. He also played some if his hit singles during the performance. 6LACK gave heartfelt speeches about his love for the fans and thanking them genuinely for supporting his music. He then talked about his love for the city, explaining his love for the food and being on his sixth bowl of gumbo. Overall 6LACK gave me a surreal experience showing his ability to perform live music and the realness behind his songs and life. I really recommend checking out his alternative R&B sound. He truly is a talented artists and has big things coming for his career.

JG’s Music is a series written by senior Paper Wolf staff writer Jordan G. Eberts where he gives a run-down of his best in music right now.