Zach Zoya and backing vocalist Maky Lavender cannonballed onto the stage and never landed for long. They bounced like their very feet stomped the songs forward (while producer High Klassified managed the beats on a laptop behind them). Zoya's arm thrusts punctuated his fluid movements; his ease on stage and with Lavender meant that every inch was trampled over. And over.
Beyond clenched-teeth rapping, Zoya's voice can warp sleekly around a melody. "Stake" was earnest in its yearning as he gulped from the mic. A sunset behind him glitched along to the buzz of the bass.
Zoya's age — he's newly 20 — shows in only the best ways: His incessant bobbing made him barely break a sweat; when Lavender praise-introduced him, Zoya prompted the audience to cheer for the night's other acts; and finally, he reminded the audience to "drink some more water, man" before, you guessed it, hopping into his last song, "Who Dat?," his feet clapping out the answer.
Beyond clenched-teeth rapping, Zoya's voice can warp sleekly around a melody. "Stake" was earnest in its yearning as he gulped from the mic. A sunset behind him glitched along to the buzz of the bass.
Zoya's age — he's newly 20 — shows in only the best ways: His incessant bobbing made him barely break a sweat; when Lavender praise-introduced him, Zoya prompted the audience to cheer for the night's other acts; and finally, he reminded the audience to "drink some more water, man" before, you guessed it, hopping into his last song, "Who Dat?," his feet clapping out the answer.
