New York City's SOB's played host to the new school last night (March 4), as Philly rapper Tunji Ige and Chi-town MCs Kembe X and Alex Wiley brought out a mixed crowd of hip-hop lovers, impending snow storm be damned.

Tunji warmed up the impressionable audience with songs from his latest EP, The Love Project.

“We just going to groove tonight,” the West Chester University student-turned-festival-hopping-MC announced as he debuted a new, unnamed track. Darting back and forth on the stage, Ige described the labor of putting together The Love Project, saying, “It was like I was just stuck in four walls... Like many of you, we just tryna get our dreams off the ground.”

As the crowd grew, fans began to bump to “Ball Is Life” and even assisted on the choruses of “Red Light” and Tunji’s last song, the Philly bounce-inspired “Day2Day” when he put the mic out.

“We’re just trying to get better and spread The Love Project more and more,” Tunji said backstage after he finished his set at SOB’s. “The crowd’s response was pretty tight. I’m happy about it.”

After Tunji finished up, it seemed the wavelengths of the room changed immediately in anticipation for the night’s headliner, Chicago's Alex Wiley. From the moment he strolled on stage, Wiley and his four-piece band infused the venue with his signature, goofy yet soulful energy.

“We are all invited to stay,” he told to the crowd before going into fan favorites off his latest mixtape, Village Party. As onlookers bounced to “See The Day” and “Ideas (Adderall),” an unexpected technical difficulty brought the show to a halt.

“So I guess the bass drum at SOB’s is broken,” Wiley said when the music cut out. To combat his anxiety about the situation, Wiley asked members of the first few rows for a little assistance. “This is kinda my worst nightmare. Does anybody have any weed in here?”

To the dismay of SOB’s staff who enforce a ‘no smoking’ policy, the Chicago MC proceeded to spark up, drink and shoot the shit with fans until the bass was fixed. While he was chatting it up, Wiley made the announcement about upcoming work.

“I’m saying this for the first time anywhere but... My new mixtape, it's dropping March 10,” Wiley said to the cheers of the crowd. Getting back to the show, Wiley brought the crowd right back into his world with a guitar-heavy version of “Ova” and called Kembe X on stage for “Takeoff” and “Know Normal.”

Finishing up his time with the current banger, “Vibrations,” Wiley proceeded to head over to the merchandise table by the back bar to talk to every fan in the place.

Taking time for not only photos but brief conversations with everyone who wanted a moment, Wiley listened to the stories of longtime fans and hungry MC’s alike.

Though this was his first show at SOB’s, Wiley is gearing up to hit even more legendary venues this spring; everywhere from SXSW in Austin to his European stretch in April. And although his popularity keeps growing by the minute, as proven last night, Alex Wiley still remains a man of the people.

Related: Alex Wiley Displays Chicago’s Diversity On ‘Village Party’ Mixtape
Alex Wiley Gets Trippy In His New “Takeoff” Video Featuring Kembe X
Stream Tunji Ige’s Debut Album ‘The Love Project’
Listen to Alex Wiley, "Ready"
Alex Wiley “Top Of The World”

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