Project Freefall, a new artist promotion platform started by a group of SU students, hosted their first live show featuring NA.V.O Beats, Praise, and headliner Johnny 2 Phones.

Words by Nehilah Grand-Pierre / Graphic by Maxine Moses / Inspiration by Lily Greco and Griffin Turner

When thinking of the Syracuse music scene, students might name Mudpit or Redgate as popular locations, but now there’s a new name looking to be known. Project FreeFall is hoping to broaden the live music world of the 315, but they’d like to be anything but underground.

“[The] end goal is throwing the biggest concerts and festivals in the country,” says co-founder and SU junior, Nick Moscatiello. 

Launched this February, Project FreeFall is a music content and artist promotional platform that quickly gained traction on Instagram and YouTube, making content for SU-based artists like Saint Luke and Malique David Lewis. Though much of their time and resources are placed into shooting music videos, FreeFall also makes trendy reels, post spotlights, and cinematic TikToks for their artists. As they continue to grow and work with new musicians in the greater New York area, they have introduced live shows to their promotional efforts. 

Their first show occurred on Saturday, September 21st. The outdoor venue included food, drinks, and merchandise, giving the show a backyard kickback vibe. 

DJ Champ warmed up the crowd with hip-hop beats before NA.V.O kicked off the set with his hits like “Green Box” and “Money Seduce”, and then passed the mic to Praise. NA.VO’s chill flow complemented Praise’s in-your-face drill drive, as she debuted her newest song, “Tokyo Drift”. 

Johnny 2 Phones, the main act, kept the energy up from start to finish, engaging with the audience on every beat. His more pop-focused style truly shined following Praise’s set as he performed his top songs like “Rescue”,  “Gelato,” and “Piss Me Off”, not hesitating to invite hyped-up fans onto the stage. 2 Phone was heavily interactive with the crowd and the mic was pointed at them almost as much as it was on him. He gave the set his all, evident by his lost voice at the end of the show. Still, there was just enough in him to close with a warm thank you to those who popped out and supported him. 

Going forward, Moscatiello says they continue to seek artists with a drive to create music videos, make content, and organize shows. 

The team is hoping to fund these efforts through their concert-making endeavors. Still, in the early stage of their journey, Moscatiello and the crew are looking forward to it all coming together. 

“FreeFall means whatever you wanna do in life, go all in on it. FreeFall into it” he says.