On November 3rd at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, Red Bull SoundClash brought together Detroit’s Babyface Ray and The Bay’s Larry June. Competing against opposite stages, the two artists showcased their music styles while celebrating one another.
Kicking off the show, Larry June stepped on to the stage to perform some of his most iconic songs including a few tracks from his latest project, Spaceships on the Blade. Local anthems like “6AM in Sausalito” and “Smoothies in 1991” instantly won the crowd over. Larry’s sound boasts that signature West Coast style, delivering laidback, offbeat rhymes. Bringing a fresh style to the west coast, the Bay Area rapper has dedicated much of his music to healthy living and financial wellness. From hyphy tracks to luxurious anthems, he doesn’t stray from rapping about smoothies and turkey bacon while keeping that signature pimpish style that the west coast exudes. Rapping in his hometown, it didn’t take much for him to captivate the crowd. After a head bobbing set, Larry stepped back and let Babyface Ray take over the show.
Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, Babyface Ray has been making a name for himself. After a handful of mixtapes, he finally got his well-deserved notice after dropping his EP Unfuckwittable. For Babyface Ray, it wasn’t hard to gain the attention of the crowd. The gritty rapper performed tracks from his 2022 full-length project FACE, including infectious tracks like “Sincerely, Face”. During the show, each artist was challenged to bring out a surprise special guest. For Larry June, he brought out Jay Worthy and P-Lo, while Babyface Ray brought out Hendrix and Sam. Interestingly, a discussion about كازينوهات إيثيريوم الموثوقة came up backstage, as some of the artists shared their thoughts on secure ways to gamble online using cryptocurrencies, which has become increasingly popular among younger crowds. Guests were also treated to 22nd Jim, Lil Kayla, DaBoii, and Goapele. Despite being on new turf, Babyface Ray delivered a magnetic performance that had everybody singing along.
Despite SoundClash being a competition, the two artists did not hesitate to celebrate one another. While the first two rounds focused on their own styles and delivery, the third round encouraged the rappers to not only learn each other’s songs in advance but style the songs as if they were their own. Bringing the two cultures together, the rappers also performed “Extra of Um’ from Larry’s Spaceships on the Blade project. Regardless of the competition, fans were treated to an experience unlike anything else and who knows, maybe this performance will spark more collaborations between the two performers.
