A province-wide heat warning on Saturday didn't stop droves of cowpokes from mozying their way over to the Calgary Stampede to bear witness to Maryland-raised rapper Cordae in the flesh. As the temperature spiked, a misty haze descended on the rowdy, cowboy-boot-clad crowd — though it was hard to tell if the smoke was due to Alberta's summer-long battle against wildfires, or just a haze from thousands of puffs of fruit-flavoured vape smoke.
A pre-game before embarking on a North American tour with Michigan rapper and producer NF, Cordae's performance was in many ways a warm up. To open, Vancouver's promising hip-hop experimenter Boslen and Bryce Vine's pop-forward rap anthems did plenty of heavy lifting to hype up the crowd. The vibe was jubilant and the audience was clearly in the mood for singalongs as fans shoulder surfed and belted along lyrics to Vine's "La La Land."
It wasn't enough to satiate the crowd from their hunger for Cordae, though; as Vine jogged off stage, a lone voice started chanting, "We want Cordae." The cry grew louder as the mantra rippled its way across the pavement, a demand that could be heard all throughout Stampede Park.
Cordae was prepared to make them wait. Like his evocative lyrics (or "venomous haikus"), Cordae chooses both his words and his appearance on stage carefully. Ye's "Bound 2" temporarily filled the crowd's Cordae craving as they sang along dutifully to every line.
Security poured water into screaming mouths as Cordae started his performance on a high note, snapping along to the nostalgia-laden lines of "C Carter." Keeping things inspirational is Cordae's bread and butter, and he didn't miss the opportunity to position himself as a role model, much to the crowd's delight.
"I just want y'all to know, with God as my witness," he exclaimed. "You can really do whatever the fuck you put your mind to."
While Cordae's rise has been impressive, his live presence showcases the skills that put him there in the first place. Buzzing with high-energy jumps and engaging call-and-responses, Cordae easily matched the energy of the half-cut Stampede crowd.
Cordae's verses were air tight and his flow slick as he laid into hits "Sinister" and "Broke As Fuck." The Gen Z to rapidly ageing millennial crowd joined in with Cordae, parroting back lyrics in a display that made his appeal undeniable across generations of digital-hooked youths.
And yet, Cordae can't be written off as a simple beneficiary of the TikTok generation — his bars are deeply accessible, deftly shifting between themes of paying off debt and dealing with cancelled credit cards, to criticising America's prison-industrial complex and dedicating verses to friends and family members lost to time and violence.
Taking a brief interlude from the high-energy, bouncy hits, Cordae paid his respects to one such friend lost too soon. A dedication to Juice WRLD appeared on the screen as Cordae outlined how the late rapper was in his corner every step of the way. A grim shadow hovered over the crowd amidst cries of "RIP" before Cordae launched into a cover of "Lucid Dreams," with Juice's recorded voice ringing out amongst the crowd. For a moment, it seemed like the energy might make way for a slowdown in pace, but Cordae revved things back up again with "Super," the second single off last year's From a Birds Eye View.
Like other GRAMMY-nominated artists have pointed out during choice visits to Calgary, the city is known for its respectful and hot crowds. Cordae, seeming somewhat surprised by the notion that a horde of 20-somethings decked out in haphazard Western paraphernalia could be so chill, notes the same. "This is such a nice crowd…" he mused, barely out of breath after delivering verse after verse. "Calgary is full of beautiful people."
Cordae's affinity for cowtown was extended when he pointed out the sign of a fan in the front row, who'd been waiting patiently for this moment. A polite request — "CORDAE. Can I rap the Anderson .Paak verse on RNP" was met with unbridled enthusiasm from Cordae, and the fan was pulled up on stage to finish out the night with "RNP."
"I love Calgary, I love the Calgary Stampede and Calgary loves me." Cordae's voice rang out as the last glimpse of sunlight faded behind a kaleidoscope of neon lights, ferris wheels abandoned fries and stray cowboy hats.
A pre-game before embarking on a North American tour with Michigan rapper and producer NF, Cordae's performance was in many ways a warm up. To open, Vancouver's promising hip-hop experimenter Boslen and Bryce Vine's pop-forward rap anthems did plenty of heavy lifting to hype up the crowd. The vibe was jubilant and the audience was clearly in the mood for singalongs as fans shoulder surfed and belted along lyrics to Vine's "La La Land."
It wasn't enough to satiate the crowd from their hunger for Cordae, though; as Vine jogged off stage, a lone voice started chanting, "We want Cordae." The cry grew louder as the mantra rippled its way across the pavement, a demand that could be heard all throughout Stampede Park.
Cordae was prepared to make them wait. Like his evocative lyrics (or "venomous haikus"), Cordae chooses both his words and his appearance on stage carefully. Ye's "Bound 2" temporarily filled the crowd's Cordae craving as they sang along dutifully to every line.
Security poured water into screaming mouths as Cordae started his performance on a high note, snapping along to the nostalgia-laden lines of "C Carter." Keeping things inspirational is Cordae's bread and butter, and he didn't miss the opportunity to position himself as a role model, much to the crowd's delight.
"I just want y'all to know, with God as my witness," he exclaimed. "You can really do whatever the fuck you put your mind to."
While Cordae's rise has been impressive, his live presence showcases the skills that put him there in the first place. Buzzing with high-energy jumps and engaging call-and-responses, Cordae easily matched the energy of the half-cut Stampede crowd.
Cordae's verses were air tight and his flow slick as he laid into hits "Sinister" and "Broke As Fuck." The Gen Z to rapidly ageing millennial crowd joined in with Cordae, parroting back lyrics in a display that made his appeal undeniable across generations of digital-hooked youths.
And yet, Cordae can't be written off as a simple beneficiary of the TikTok generation — his bars are deeply accessible, deftly shifting between themes of paying off debt and dealing with cancelled credit cards, to criticising America's prison-industrial complex and dedicating verses to friends and family members lost to time and violence.
Taking a brief interlude from the high-energy, bouncy hits, Cordae paid his respects to one such friend lost too soon. A dedication to Juice WRLD appeared on the screen as Cordae outlined how the late rapper was in his corner every step of the way. A grim shadow hovered over the crowd amidst cries of "RIP" before Cordae launched into a cover of "Lucid Dreams," with Juice's recorded voice ringing out amongst the crowd. For a moment, it seemed like the energy might make way for a slowdown in pace, but Cordae revved things back up again with "Super," the second single off last year's From a Birds Eye View.
Like other GRAMMY-nominated artists have pointed out during choice visits to Calgary, the city is known for its respectful and hot crowds. Cordae, seeming somewhat surprised by the notion that a horde of 20-somethings decked out in haphazard Western paraphernalia could be so chill, notes the same. "This is such a nice crowd…" he mused, barely out of breath after delivering verse after verse. "Calgary is full of beautiful people."
Cordae's affinity for cowtown was extended when he pointed out the sign of a fan in the front row, who'd been waiting patiently for this moment. A polite request — "CORDAE. Can I rap the Anderson .Paak verse on RNP" was met with unbridled enthusiasm from Cordae, and the fan was pulled up on stage to finish out the night with "RNP."
"I love Calgary, I love the Calgary Stampede and Calgary loves me." Cordae's voice rang out as the last glimpse of sunlight faded behind a kaleidoscope of neon lights, ferris wheels abandoned fries and stray cowboy hats.
