You Just Missed SchoolBoy Q

All Photography by Maya Boustany

After a five-year hiatus from performing live, ScHoolboy Q is back on the stage at Mission Ballroom touring his newest album Blue Lips. 

Opener Devin Malik came out hot, getting the crowd riled up and giving the performance his all. Malik was featured twice on the Blue Lips project and recently stepped out of the production scene to rap and sing. The correlation between Malik and Q in style was clear, his experimental beats and heavy off-kilter melodies were deeply reminiscent of Q’s unique energy. 

“MOONLIGHT” and “GEEKERTOWN” kept the energy up as Malik closed his set and thanked Denver for one of his favorite shows on tour so far. Fans called to the stage requesting songs and backflips, but Malik wrapped up quickly to get the man of the year onstage. 

Stirring up the LA pride “Like That” and “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar brought the energy up and lyrics echoed through the crowd. “Alright” by Kendrick Lamar brought a cohesive and positive end to the rowdy interlude and the crowd.

“Who is smoking some weed in here…?” demanded one DJ while the second lit up behind the DJ table.

The spiraling instrumentals of “Funny Guy”, track one on Blue Lips, built and extended as Q entered the dark stage. Echoes of the song’s opening chorus moved through the anxious crowd. As the song closed, Q stood still on the edge of the stage with a wide grin. The final lyric repeated over an extension of the song, “You make me smile.” With each repetition, Q drew a wider smile across his face to emphasize, “you” as he pointed to the crowd, “make me smile.”

“Oh my God Denver what the fuck is up tonight!?” Q asked with cheers from the crowd. “It’s been five years.”

Instrumentals for “THank god 4 Me” filled the room and Q leaned into the calm intro verse before the horns opened up. 

“I feel so good!” Q exclaimed as the instrumentals wove into the calming strings and piano of “Blue Slides.” The soft sample created a smoky backdrop for Q’s poured honesty and somber reality into his verse. Fans listened attentively, taking in each thoughtful word and joining their voices to the chorus. 

Suddenly “Pop” ripped through the crowd with a cathartic scream and heavy headbanging tones. The perfect storm of ScHoolboy Q featuring Rico Nasty formed one of the heaviest songs on the album. This angst is one that many Denver hip hop fans clearly identify with and Rico Nasty fans were easy to find screaming in the dense GA section. 

Q growled “Denver…. Denver…Denver,” over low rumbling bass and terse percussion. 

With a quick switch “Numb Numb Juice” knocked into play taking the crowd back to CrasH Talk era with surprising ease. Q’s presence filled the stage his assertive energy and heavy words. 

“Back to back to back to back! Ain’t no breaks,” Q announced. “Collard Greens” and “Dope Dealer” surged energy through the crowd and the nostalgia of an older rap era was tangible. 

Finally taking a pause from the heavy-hitting and uptempo classics Q acknowledged his tour through the albums. “This is the Blue Lips tour… but we are going all the way back,” he called to the crowd.  

As promised, “THat Part” and “By Any Means” brought the crowd back to their passionate chanting. Taking things a step further into the past Q performed one of his most popular hits,  “Man Of The Year.” 

This essential track in the Q discography showcased a subset of his more experimental side. Moving away from the more grimy classic Q sound, some of his work leans into a club and house genre that not many rappers can transition into so smoothly. Percussion is a huge piece of this, and Q is known for his incredible rhythm with words and any instrument you can think of. Another piece is surely the ability to lean into electronic sounds, which Q is also known for. 

A smooth transition into “Studio” leaned further into the clubbing vibe and got fans excited to watch Q dance across the stage and croon, “Sittin’ in the studio tryna get to you, babe.”

Elated fans screamed over the track and Q caught one bra flung from an anonymous admirer.

Yet another aspect of Q is his unavoidable appreciation for sex. Q is open about his desires, appreciations and realities of his avid sex life. This is a fine line to walk and Q does it with surprising grace. The classic line, “All my bitches independent bitches,” echoed through the crowd with confidence and gusto. 

Q’s life in the music industry tells an important story. His rise to fame coincides with massive changes in his life. Involvement in gangs was essential to his survival as a young person and led to many hardships. Throughout his career, Q was open about struggling with various drugs and with the realities of prison taking him away from his daughter. 

These days, Q is thrilled to admit that his life has settled into a much better place. After years of working and seeking stability for himself, it seems that Q has truly found a new peace. 

Ominous layers build the rich soundscapes of Q’s music. This experimental and detail-oriented side sets Q apart from many other rap acts. In the form of vocal layering, unique instrumentation and dark effects, his sound creates an experience for listeners that hangs over your ears like a layer of humidity. The grime of city life, the edge of involvement with drugs and stress around money ooze out of the tracks. 

“Some of y’all have been listening to me since age 13, and y’all still here. I love you back. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Q emphasized.

In an exciting turn of events, and a true proof of his love for the fans, Q brought out an unreleased song from recent sessions. 

“This song didn’t make the album because I didn’t like this long-ass piano part. It’s like wait, wait, it gets good,” laughed Q over the melodic piano. 

“Pig feet” and “Floatin” brought the energy back up and the cathartic rage was released for a final time. 

Just as he opened the set, Q’s smile shone on his face, hands emphasizing his joy on either cheek. You make me “smile.”