Badmómzjay gave a concert for the premiere of their second album SURVIVAL MODE and performed older hits to newer bangers.
As part of the release of their second album SURVIVAL MODE, Badmómzjay gave a concert at RSO.Berlin on Thursday (November 23rd). This took place in collaboration with Telekom, with whom the rapper is currently running a joint campaign. A small side fact that must be taken into account for this concert report. At such events there are usually not only fans to be found and unfortunately this was noticeable in the atmosphere here and there. Badmómzjay, on the other hand, rapped flawlessly and cleanly – and without any background support from singers or playback. The 21-year-old’s rap performance was reminiscent of legends from the German scene.
Too small a space for cameras
Even before the concert began, the masses gathered in front of the stage. Everyone tried to stand as far forward as possible to get a good view of the upcoming show. It wasn’t quite that easy. On the one hand, of course, not everyone present can be at the front and on the other hand, because numerous photographers and cameramen/women strolled through the locations in order to later get the best shot with the artist. Accordingly, everything started out pretty cuddly and chaotic.
Mind you, you could also have gone to the back seats, because from the middle of the hall it became a little emptier. However, in the middle of the club-sized room was a small platform with a huge camera. This should broadcast the concert in a live stream. A nice idea for all those who couldn’t get a ticket or perhaps couldn’t afford one – after all, concert tickets have become so expensive that many people can no longer afford them at all. However, the camera/pedestal was disruptive to some further back in the crowd. Accordingly, you can’t blame the spectators for trying to squeeze into the front rows. Then the concert started less with a “Baam”, but initially sentimental.
Badmómzjay lets her fans have their say
Before the rapper took the stage, the start of the show was heralded by voice messages. Various fans were heard thanking Badmómzjay for her hard work and standing up for marginalized groups. Voices that explained why and how important the rapper and her music are to them. Then the woman of the evening entered the stage with big bass and announcements. With the title song of the second album SURVIVAL MODE, Badmómzjay made it clear: I’m here and I’m definitely not leaving anytime soon! And that literally and metaphorically. What was visually disappointing for some was made up for by the sound. This was finely defined and made the beat and rap throughout the room sound like you were standing in the front row. However, this was not only thanks to technology.
Badmómzjay rapped the track cleanly, quickly and emphatically. You were briefly unsettled because her voice and pronunciation were so clear, as if you were listening to the studio recording of the track and not a live performance. But the performance was live through and through. The Berlin native said she had neither playback nor vocals that played quietly in the background. It was just the instrumental and her that could be heard. If you also consider that she only gave her first solo tour at the end of 2022/beginning of 2023 and therefore doesn’t have years of practice, it was really astonishing. She wasn’t the only one who was sure of the lyrics, because the fans didn’t notice any commitment and as soon as the microphone went in their direction, the lyrics were rapped harmoniously as they had practiced. However, this did not apply to everyone present.
The sea of audiences is splitting
It quickly became clear who exactly was a fan and who was probably there for work. Maybe it was the size of the room or the fact that it wasn’t a “normal” concert per se, but a livestream event. But on the one hand we had the dancing and rapping fans who made the atmosphere bubble over and on the other hand many lost souls. People who spent the entire concert talking, talking on the phone or concentrating on filming the entire performance on their cell phones. The latter can be taken less seriously, after all, as I said, many were there for work or were probably invited as influencers.
However, what is not okay at shows – regardless of whether professional or private – is to constantly talk to your companion, so that other people can hardly understand the rapper’s monologues. Likewise, you shouldn’t be annoyed that concertgoers dance. Especially in smaller rooms, it can happen that you bump into the person standing next to you while dancing. However, as long as this is not done intentionally and an apology follows, there should be little outrage about it. After all, you are at a concert and not in the library. Regardless of what you think of the music, you should note that it’s also nice when people can party live to their favorite songs. Many did so, because it wasn’t just Badmómzjay fans who were happy to meet their idol.
Guest appearances upon guest appearances
No matter whether you came to the rapper through her breakthrough single, her debut album or her latest single releases, no one was disappointed. The musician performed tracks like “Move” and “Bounce” from the first years of her career. From titles like “Mal Mehr Mal Weniger” from their debut album BADMÓMZ to the first unreleased tracks from their now released second album. She even rapped songs on which her part is the feature and brought the associated artists on stage. Anyone who has been following Badmómzjay for a long time knows that she has had a small musical family around her since the beginning, consisting of regular producer Jumpa and her songwriter and rapper Takt32. The latter came over for several tracks and performed with her not only all of her songs but also his singles like “Somehow No Matter”.
The musical support that evening was also impressive, as almost every feature partner that Badmómzjay worked with was present and performed their respective parts: Juju, Kool Savas, Vito and Domiziana. A rap party where you hardly knew who served cleaner and faster. In addition to highs, there were also downs — in a more sentimental sense. Badmómzjay also showed her vulnerable side through tracks like “How To Survive” and brought a few tears to the audience through “Supernova.” She had no problems showing her human side as well as her self-confident one. She sheds a few tears herself and explains before her new track “Just for the Stories” that she is afraid of messing up the lyrics.
Even though some were there for work and a lot of emphasis was placed on collecting content for social media or editorial offices, Badmómzjay didn’t give up quality for a second. She paid attention to her fans and performed just as well as if it had been a tour show.