A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s ME VS. MYSELF Tour Visits Syracuse

On October 15th, New York City rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie played a thrilling show in Syracuse, performing hits and cover tributes to lost friends.

Words By Ciane Lopez / Photos by Ciane Lopez / Graphic by Griffin Turner

This Sunday, October 15th, New York City native rapper A Boogie Wit a Hoodie brought his ME VS. MYSELF College Tour to Syracuse, NY. He performed at the Upstate Medical University Arena at the Oncenter War Memorial, less than 10 minutes away from SU’s campus. 

The concert stands and floor were chock-full of incredibly eager rap fans. The show united not only students from Syracuse, SUNY ESF, Le Moyne, and other colleges in the area but also saw students and CNY locals alike celebrate their love for rap together.

Tara Doran, a student from Binghamton University stated before the concert, that once she saw A Boogie was coming to Syracuse she absolutely needed to see him. Doran stayed with a friend who goes to SU and described her weekend as getting to “Visit my best friend, sing, and have one of the happiest moments of my life.”

Even though the excitement and energy from the crowd was evident from the second the doors opened, Boogie had an arrangement of openers who came to hype up the crowd before his set. 

The first of the lineup was DJ Sosa, spinning a mix of classic early 2000s-2010s rap and pop hits and current rap chart-toppers. Sosa is the official DJ for the Long Island Nets and accompanies other artists on tours including one for LA hip-hop duo, BlueBucksClan.

Next, was up-and-coming female rapper, Kaliii, who put on a performance filled with a radiant level of hype and dance numbers choreographed down to each hair flip. When she played her biggest hits, “Area Codes” and “Do A B*tch,” the crowd got excited, maybe even a little too much so. 

Kaliii had to pause the performance about three or four times due to fans passing out from the compression and heat of being in a tight space on the floor. Despite the scare, Kaliii and Boogie’s security teams did a great job responding instantly to each medical issue, consistently delivering water to fans who needed it. 

The anticipation for A Boogie was through the roof, and once he stepped on the stage it was prevalent how intensely the crowd was going to engage with his performance. 

At around 10 p.m., A Boogie walked out to one of his most popular songs, “Jungle.” He followed the song with all of his hits, with the crowd singing and rapping along to track after track. Some of the songs that elicited the largest crowd responses included “Look Back at It,” “Startender,” “My Shit,” and “Swervin.”

Throughout the show, A Boogie also performed tribute songs to other rappers who he stated were his friends or at least his musical inspirations. He sang the hit, “Demons and Angels” as a tribute to late rapper Juice WRLD and hits by Pop Smoke and PNB Rock, rappers who passed away in the last few years. 

In addition to his music, A Boogie also delivered on each aspect of the performance. In terms of setting, his stage design was crafted to be a replica of underground New York City. He had graphics of the city playing in the background behind his set and announced to the crowd that this was because he prides himself on paying homage to his city. 

Syracuse freshman Mary Begley said she came to support A Boogie because he’s from her hometown, The Bronx, and she loves to show support. When asked about his music, she stated, “It makes me feel so so so hyped!”

He also made sure to show special recognition to the crew that accompanied him throughout his tour. He gave special thanks to his production staff and gave his background dancers a special number. Each girl got to show off a set of moves and engage with the crowd. 

A Boogie also made sure to leave the Syracuse fans with a special surprise. He told the crowd that he will have an upcoming documentary based on this tour and he’ll be using footage taken at Syracuse. For his last shot, his team sent a drone over the crowd after he told them to make a big mosh pit, as he sang the words to “Drowning” with confetti shooting over the crowd. As the people made their way out of the venue, the commotion was fueled with delight. 

“That was so fire. It was such a great experience. I met new people, I listened to amazing music and that was one of the better concerts I’ve ever been to,” commented SU student Kyle Smith.