Chief Keef @ Coda

WRITTEN BY: CAITLIN CHECKETT

I think it’s safe to say that after Feb. 20, Philadelphia will never be the same.

The almighty Sosa, “they do it all for Sosa,” the one and only Chief Keef and his Glo Gang stormed the stage at Coda on Monday Feb. 20th in Philadelphia. The line went out the door and down the block, containing a motley assortment of fans ready to rage to Keef’s latest mixtape, “Two Zero One Seven,” released on Jan. 1st. One lady stopped a group of people in line and asked if they were waiting for “the hottest nightclub in the city.” No ma’am, just a legendary rap god who named his son after his record label, FilmOn Dot Com.

The show opened with a performance by several members of the Glo Gang, also known as Glory Boyz Entertainment. This opening act featured tracks by Ballout, who is most famous for stealing one of Soulja Boy’s chains, Tray Savage, and Chief Keef’s cousin, Tadoe. Each of these artists had an individual mixtape and track that he performed to hype up the crowd. Plenty of other people had the microphone at some point, but I lost count at 16; I believe they were mostly part of the Glo Gang, or at least affiliated with the group in some way. Rapper Hoolie Gu also spit some of his fire as an opening act. These performances lasted from around 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. After this two-hour opening, the entire building was shaking with anticipation to see the beloved Chief.

Just 10 minutes later, it was time for Sosa. He strutted onstage sporting a flashy red and gold fur coat with several thick gold chains around his neck. Chief Keef’s whole crew, comprised of about 20 guys, came out with him. The crowd began to roar, literally shaking the ground. Everyone immediately whipped their phones out in efforts to capture the chaotic atmosphere. Essentially, it went from zero to 100 real quick.

Chief Keef started off with one of his top songs, “Love Sosa,” to get the crowd even more hype than it already was. This single was released from Keef’s second album, “Finally Rich,” in 2012. Even though there were more people on stage than there are grapes on a vine, Keef was still able to maintain a dominant force on stage and absorb the audience with his lyrics.

At one point, the performance came to a complete stop after someone supposedly stepped on a cord, most likely caused by the stampede of rappers on stage. However, Sosa still managed to keep the crowd alive, entertaining his audience by sprinkling water on everyone and then throwing the empty bottles into the crowd (his idea of recycling). Showing no intention to stop the show, Chief Keef repeatedly yelled at the sound guy to “crank up the mic” to keep the bass booming.

Many of Chief Keef’s popular songs were played, including “I Don’t Like” and “Hate Bein’ Sober” from “Finally Rich.” Other tracks played, including “So Tree” and “Fix That” came from “Two Zero One Seven.” All of Keef’s songs are exclusively in the rap/ hip-hop genre, with a loud bass and fast-paced, low-tone lyrics.

Every song played was coupled with a lot of jumping and bumping around, among both the performers and the crowd. There was also a not-so-surprise appearance of a close friend to all the rappers on stage named Mary Jane who made sure the place stayed loud. Evidently, this experience was an unforgettable one. Chief Keef closed out his month-long tour for “Two Zero One Seven” in Cincinnati on Feb. 25.