Photos by Ralph Bristout

Of all the words in the book, last night's (June 25) Chief Keef show at NYC’s S.O.B.’s could best be described as, intriguing. Within the past couple months, the 17-year-old wunderkind coming out of Chicago’s notorious Southside, has gone from neighborhood known—following reports that he pointed a gun at law enforcement, among other hardened activities—to one of rap's newest sensation. In fact, this past May, fellow Chi-town native Kanye West blessed the young MC’s rumbling anthem, "I Don't Like," for a remix, further increasing his seemingly glowing limelight and also streamlining recognition and praise from the likes of Birdman, 50 Cent, Young Jeezy, T.I. and more.

Fast-forward to June 25th, 2012 and inside his packed out concert at the S.O.B.’s venue, where Keef showed that all the buzz and hype surrounding his name may be no façade after all. Jumping on the stage close to midnight, the dread-rocking young’n—clad in signature True Religion gear, Fendi belt and a vibrant pair of white Louis Vuitton shades—delivered an amped-up performance that appeased fans—including a few Keef look-a-likes seen sporting Gucci goggles, True attire and all. Despite the anticipation that steadily grew all night prior to him hitting the stage, Keef’s set was also short, lasting merely 15 minutes.

Albeit however, Keef delivered on the legendary stage and as many put it, he also ‘turnt things up’ in the process, performing several of his menacing cuts, including “Understand Me,” “Everyday,” “3Hunna” and more, all resulting in rowdy reactions from the crowd. In one occasion, a cameraman decided to jump from the stage and into the crowd, crowd surfing to Keef’s “I Don’t Like” banger—one of many rather turbulent moments during the showcase.

Though Keef still seems coy and, in a certain degree surprised of all this hype and popularity his name has generated, last night he was able to close one chapter in the book of his growing career. However, time will tell when he’ll fully embrace this moment and exercises it to his full potential. After all, moments like these come and go.—Ralph Bristout

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