Who would ever expect a stout bearded fellow of Albanian descent from Queens, New York to be one of the freshest, most exciting faces in hip-hop today? Sure, stranger things have happened, but nonetheless, the cannonball that is Action Bronson is one of the more interesting characters in the scene today. The fans recognize this and are fiercely loyal to him, as was clear when he came through Austin on Saturday night. Between his unabashed Twitter rants, his popular food webseries Fuck, That’s Delicious, and his music, Action Bronson is a prime example of the kind of self-branding that makes artists stars in the era of social media. But – even with his near celebrity status – what can’t be overlooked is his massive talent behind the mike.
At the Moody Theater, Bronson hit the stage like a championship fighter ready to give his devotees a performance like no other. There were no dancers or elaborate lightshows, just a DJ and the man himself. Plumes of weed smoke rose from a crowd eager to savor Action Bronson’s clever lyrical wordplay as if each word was a delicious bite of food. Though his appearance is that of a cuddly, jovial stoner, Bronson’s delivery is aggressive and cocksure. For the most part, he stuck to songs off his recently released album and Warner Bros debut Mr. Wonderful, pushing the audience to sing along on every verse, which they stonily indulged in.
It was entertaining to see this sweaty, bearded ball of intensity spit into the mike, yet, despite his tendency to act out on stage, an Action Bronson performance is a listening experience. Anyone who’s listened to Action Bronson more than once – or rap music for that matter – knows that lyrics tend to be embellished if not completely fictional much of the time. Bronson was recently cut from a performance in Toronto as the result of a petition saying he “glorifies gang-raping and murdering women.” Bronson’s lyrics may strike some as misogynistic or violent, but his stage presence and persona immediately show you that his lyrics are as part of the act as a heavy metal band singing about dismembering corpses. It’s tongue in cheek storytelling that isn’t meant to be taken as serious as some people would like to believe. After all, how upset can you get towards a rapper who will mix rhymes about having a “shotty in his leather jacket” with his love of gourmet food and pooping in chamber pots?
In Austin, Action Bronson proved to be an artist on top of his game, championing real hip-hop that strikes anyone who follows the mainstream as remarkably down to earth and authentic. His performance was hard-hitting and touched on enough material to keep the most die-hard fans satiated – one of the highlights came towards the end of the night when he sang and rapped his way through “Contemporary Man”, an older mash-up of 80’s hits that feels almost like a freestyle when performed live. By the time he closed out the night with “Amadu Diablo” – a quick rap over a beat sampling Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason” – the only thing missing was perhaps another twenty minutes. Nobody left disappointed, but for a rapper with so much to give, everyone wished Action Bronson would have played longer than an hour.
All photos by Arthur VanRooy.
