LIVE REVIEW // Tony Newbury @ The Sultan Room
A few months after his last album release, Over 21, Tony Newbury took the stage at the Sultan Room in Brooklyn; a small, intimate, club-like venue. Tony Newbury was on last, after DJ Stev, Cino Evil, Kiante Robinson, and Allreal: A true Brooklyn hip hop concert. The rappers were talking beforehand, and after they performed they would join the audience and chat. It’s a great scene and it’s growing, pushing the boundaries of hip hop and club music in general. What is particularly great about Tony and his crew is their vulnerability and approachability. They are extremely easy to talk to, and this is reflected in their music.
It wasn’t a world tour of a huge artist where you feel lost in the crowd, neither was it a stuffy conceited affair. It was music for the joy of music. There were so many people singing along to the lyrics of Tony’s songs. Especially his hit, which he played at the end, ‘Guns’. The refrain goes (from a sample) “I got guns in my head and they won’t go.” That shit was stuck in my head for the next week, it was so catchy. It reflects certain aspects of hip hop culture, such as guns and killing and being ‘hard.’ I didn’t like the song on first listen because it promotes gun use, but when I heard it in the setting of the concert, I realized it could be helping people who feel isolated connect to others and heal from traumatic experiences. It utilizes the common technique of putting this type of lyric on a calmer voice, and then rapping over it, similar to Xxxtentacion. It also explores the psychology of criminals, and what happens in someone’s head to cause them to want to harm others.
While it wasn’t overly pretentious, it also was clearly a sophisticated concert. People by the bar were paying close attention to the rappers. When placed into the historical context of hip hop in New York, you can see how it went from a cultural phenomenon and needed artistic release to a retrospective meditation. How it was once a lifestyle and a popular cultural phenomenon and has now morphed into something different. Sort of like a game you can get into. These artists in particular advertise a new movement of music and cultural change. For example, Cinoevil’s song ‘I can’t believe it's not butter!’, ft. Lil Fentanyl takes some of these concepts pretty seriously. Exemplified by the line: “Bitch this is a movement.”
As an artist, Tony has been through a lot. Growing up in Howell, New Jersey, music was also something that saved him from hard times. In his opinion, what makes a good rapper is how vulnerable you can be with your feelings and your true self. And, “the more that you trust in yourself as an artist.” Most of his concerts are random occurrences, finding a place in different events, such as a festival in Virginia. He tends to find places and events to perform at quite randomly. “Trust in yourself and see where you end up,” he reflects. Currently, his goal is to build a community of rappers in the area so that music can be more accessible and involve more people from around the country. He’s seen some success, and I think this summer we will see a lot more rap concerts around the five boroughs.
I asked Tony Newbury about his influences and he told me he looked up to artists such as Joey Badass, Denzel Curry, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Al Green. This influence can be seen in the laid back style of the beats he chooses for his songs. He enjoys crate digging for vinyl records as a way of finding new music, either for samples or just for fun.
The audience was all ages and was quite diverse. There was both a table of older folks and a group of young girls. Who knows what type of crowd hip hop attracts. There was a coat check and a bar that made it feel a little more formal. In the back, a table was set up with merchandise. Overall, the show was a great experience, and I’m looking forward to what is coming next from Tony Newbury and the gang.
Words: James McGough // Photos: Hannah Roberts
Keep up with Tony Newbury on Instagram and stream on Spotify or Apple Music.
