Jazz Cartier Rages at First Headlining Show in New York

Jazz Cartier, one of Toronto's most promising new acts, had his moment to shine in New York City last night (Feb. 26) and he ran with it -- or rather crowd surfed.

The rapper has drawn early comparisons to Travi$ Scott and Wiz Khalifa thanks to his larger-than-life stage presence and rager mentality. New Yorkers from all around trekked it downtown to classic hip-hop threshold, SOB's, to see if he was worth the buzz. Opening acts G4SHI and Ro Ransom, both from New York, warned the predominantly young crowd early to be prepared to mosh and have water thrown on them.

By 11:15 p.m., the antsy crowd was ready to party. Without much intro, Jacuzzi La Fleur was hoisted up by his crew and carried onto the SOB's stage crowd surf-style while fittingly starting things with "Talk of the Town." Although still a youngin', Jazz ran threw bangers like "100 Roses," "Stick and Move" and "Black and Misguided" off his new album, Hotel Paranoia, with the bravado and breathe control of a seasoned vet. Wielding the mic stand like a Louisville slugger, taking off layers of his outfit throughout the night (from shades and hoodie, to a black tee rose-patch work overalls to shirtless), it was obvious Jazz meant business.

Though the crowd's attention seemed to ebb and flow throughout his hour-long set, Jazz made sure to recapture their attention with call and response, funny adlibs and, in a pinnacle moment of performance, crowd surfing during an older cut, "New Religion." He also kept things fresh by performing one of his newest cuts, "Red Alert" and premiering a new song, "Pinata," before ending his set by moshing in the crowd with fans.

The growth from his last appearance at SOBs, the opening act for Post Malone in October 2015, is evident and hard-earned. With two strong projects under his belt and the buzz beyond his hometown becoming more like a roar, the 22-year-old MC is on track for a strong 2016.

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