Killer Mike stopped through Philadelphia on his High & Holy Tour to grace fans with the show hip-hop heads dream of. Currently on tour promoting his new album, Michael, Mike brought along the five-piece choir, The Midnight Revival, to back him while on his eight-week US tour. Having them backing his music added a nice touch of soulfulness and depths to each song, matching the same energy of the album. Songs like “RUN,” “Ready Set Go,” and “Shed Tears” definitely benefited from having professional soul singers on hand. From the singers in the back of the stage to the podium adorned in flowers in the front; it makes sense that they named it the High & Holy Tour, truly creating a church-like environment. Killer Mike took a lot of time to address the crowd about different aspects of life, religion, and the state of the nation, adding to that Sunday morning church feel.
Killer Mike is one of those artists who continues to evolve with the ever changing trends of music. Jumping around from his early work which embraces a more southern hip hop sound, to his new stuff with Run The Jewels, Mike took the crowd through multiple era’s of his career. At times, songs like Bonecrusher’s 2003 hit “Never Scared,” and 2006 “Kryptonite (I’m On It)” by the Purple Ribbon Allstars, reminded fans how long Killer Mike has been in the game.
Originally scheduled to be at Franklin Music Hall (a very large venue), it got moved to the much smaller Underground Arts at the last minute. A venue that like its name states is a tighter, underground venue that has much less space for a show of this scale. Killer Mike took full advantage of the situation and gave everyone a true underground basement show experience. Philly-native and a pioneer in the city’s undergroundrap scene, Reef the Lost Cauze, opened the show with fierce energy, adding to the basement show atmosphere. The venue’s small room style added a much more intimate experience as Mike wasable to shake hands with everyone in the front and alsoget his full unfiltered message to the people in the back.
Stay updated with Killer Mike’s tour dates here.
