Beats & Beer: Rice is 'bout that life

By Taylor Britt     10/8/13 7:00pm

KTRU hosted its first "Beats and Beer" event at Willy's Pub last Thursday night. It was not the first rap show I had seen at Willy's Pub (a young Fat Tony played there a couple of years ago), but it was definitely the wildest.

Thanks mostly to the high energy brought by headliner Rai P, who has been turning up Houston's clubs since 2006 with songs like "Ain't Bout That Life," the atmosphere was chaotic, and the event was definitely a success.

DJs and twin brothers Siddiq and Jay Smith started things off with some cool tracks, culminating in Future's new menacing single "Sh!t." Local rapper Quinn took the stage next and played a few jams before being joined by Rai P for their songs "Booty Springs" (produced by  June James) and "Do it like Maliah," which is about the famous Houston stripper, Maliah, who was once Drake's girlfriend. Rai P played a couple of songs solo before finishing his set with "Swagged Up I Be Killin" (also produced by James), which he was joined in rapping by a surprisingly talented Rice student, Martel College junior Danny Connolly, who came out of the crowd.

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Rap shows do not commonly come to Rice, but the event's crowd seemed to enjoy the experience nonetheless. By the end of the night, the initial divides between the normal Pub crowd, non-Rice people who came for the show, and KTRU members experiencing the music on a mobius strip of self-awareness dissolved, and Pub became the dungeon of twerking that Rai P demanded.

"Beats and Beer" offered Rice a great opportunity to witness Houston's underground rap scene, which continues to innovate and create exciting new styles even as demand for the traditional screwed Houston sound has grown dramatically nationwide. None of the performers bothered catering to this expectation: Siddiq and Jay played hits from Atlanta and from Los Angeles producer DJ Mustard, while Rai P sounds a lot more like Dallas' Young Nation than anything one would expect from Houston. 

KTRU has been forced to grapple with redefining its identity in recent years after the deeply unfortunate sale of the 91.7 FM radio frequency, but its ability to throw fun, small shows like this that expose students and Houston residents to the vibrant local music scene is a great indication that the station continues to be a relevant and vital fixture at Rice.

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