Rap Night: Live at Supermarket
Writing, and editing by Kian Gannon. Photography by Kian Gannon & Kai Burton
This past Thursday was one of many memorable Zed Nights. The lineup consisted of some of Toronto’s heavy hitters: Calvin Moon, OwG, Christopher Jose, Remsen, Spacejxm, Tommy Belmont, Sunny Addams, and Dee1. Supermarket in the heart of Kensington was once again transformed for a night of memorable performances. With a Halloween theme present throughout the whole venue, a massive crowd from all sides of the GTA, and some of the highest energy seen at recent rap shows, this was one to remember.
Starting off the night was Dee1, Sunny Addams, and Calvin Moon. Dee1 had his first Zed Night appearance and showed to many that he deserved to be on stage with so many Zed Night veterans. Next was Sunny Addams, a constant supporter and reoccurring act on the Zed Night platform. Sunny’s last performance took place at First Class Fest and it was inspiring to see him continue to amaze the crowds he steps in front of. Following Sunny was Calvin Moon, another Zed Night veteran that brings some of the most aggressive energy to the stage. Calvin opened up for Afroman’s recent show in Toronto and just a week later was back on stage for ‘Rap Night’!
The next section of the show saw Christopher Jose, OwG and Remsen hit the stage. Christopher Jose and DJ Surrup delivered another immaculate set full of new music and some fan favorites. Next up was OwG with one of his most aggressive sets yet, performing his newest single ‘Optcl’ was a moment to remember. At around 9:45 Remsen came on for his second performance ever, despite this being his second live show he had the crowd moving the whole time. Just like the first performance Remsen truly showed us what makes him so special, Remsen at Zed Night will definitely go down as one of my favorite collaborations of all time.
To end off the night, Tommy Belmont hit the Supermarket stage once again but this time for his own set and not in the collective format he last appeared in. Tommy delivered some of the grimiest bars all night, combined with some of the most surprising vocals I’ve seen. To transition from rapping to singing so well had the whole place cheering. Joining him on stage throughout his set was OwG and Blue Rivers to perform a few cult classics. Finally, as the last act of the night Spacejxm came on at approx. 10:30pm. Another Zed Night veteran that brought his entire crew with him and kept the already tired crowd going till the very end. Spacejxm once again reminded all of us why he’s the perfect closing act.
Overall ‘Rap Night’ will be remembered by everyone in attendance as one of the craziest lineups and most exciting shows to happen in the past year. It was truly an amazing experience to have so many creative minds and friends in the same room for even a few hours. Huge shoutout to Henry from Zed Nights for organizing such a great event, and to Supermarket for consistently providing a place for creatives around the city to display their craft!
