Toronto, ON – Ajani Charles hit up a packed Kool Haus recently to cover the live performance by Detroit’s Big Sean – presented by HipHopCanada affiliates I Luv Lola. The show has received some great reviews and Lola is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the world of concert promotions. Be sure to click the jump to check out some dope photos of the concert taken by Ajani as well as some of his thoughts on the event.

A few years ago I was worried about the young generation of hip-hop fans, due to the lack of lyricism in commercial hip-hop. However, artists like Big Sean (along with Odd Future, Kendrick Lamar, B.O.B. and a few others) have renewed my faith in hip-hop music and the importance of lyrical dexterity within the genre (as it’s represented in popular culture).

Big Sean was back in Toronto May 20th for a live performance at Kool Haus. The concert was presented by I Luv Lola. Special thanks to Lola for accommodating our coverage of the event.

2DopeBoyz did a great job of DJing/supporting Sean. The DJ that was performing prior to 2DopeBoyz was far less impressive, and was overshadowed by 2DopeBoyz’ technical capacities — especially in terms of mixing.

Overall, the concert was really good. The energy at the Kool Haus was more than apparent and Sean was greeted by a packed house – eagerly awaiting for him to take the stage. It wasn’t quite as packed as the recent Dirty Money concert at the same venue, but for a 23-year old rapper who essentially lived in poverty about five years ago, Sean should be incredibly proud of himself and of his team.

I would say that Sean’s approach to performing hasn’t changed much since his last time in Toronto (at Revival). I would be interested in covering his live show a year from now, to make a more accurate comparison of his abilities as a performer between now and then.

With that being said, he is most definitely one of the most passionate and energetic “new” hip-hop performers in North America.

He definitely knows how to control a crowd and he certainly knows what his fans want to see, when they are at a Big Sean concert. His live performance goes from pretty good to awesome at the exact moment that he brings out Say It Ain’t Tone to perform “In My Closet” with him. It may be due to his age, but he seemed to perform with far more energy than Kanye presently does. Kool Haus was packed, and the majority of the crowd seemed to be in their late teens to early twenties (around 16-21 years old).

Be sure to check out some of my photography from the show below:

Words and photography by Ajani Charles for HipHopCanada

Photography by Ajani Charles

Be sure to follow @ajaniphoto and @iluvlolanet.

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Posted by @AjaniPhoto

Ajani Charles is a published digital photographer, journalist and filmmaker based in Toronto, Canada. A graduate of the nationally acclaimed Claude Watson Arts Program, Ajani also apprenticed at the Toronto School of Art and the Art Gallery of Ontario. For Ajani the camera is a medium for self-expression and photography the ideal art form for capturing the ineffable beauty of people, objects, and landscapes. His photographs have been exhibited in such venues as the Museum of Canadian Contemporary Art, The New Era Flagship Store and the Koffler Gallery among others. In addition, Ajani has gained considerable notoriety in the Greater Toronto Area through his first photographic documentary, Project T Dot -- a visual chronicle of the city's Hip-Hop culture and community in its entirety through a wide-ranging collection of intimate and dramatic black and white photographs. Ajani counts among his many and varied clients H&M, Canadian Newswire Group, The Torstar Corporation (Eye Weekly, Sway Magazine, etc.), The Hudson’s Bay Company, Universal Music Group, ICON Digital Productions, Christian Dior, Fashion Cares, York University, Holt Renfrew, Gridcast Media, The Manifesto, Triple Threat Entertainment, The Urban Music Association of Canada, etc.

1. 
   Michael CarabiniMay 24, 2011 at 4:53 pm

   Chin Injetis celebrates the release of his new single at Calabash tonight..One of our fave restaurants is hosting a party celebrating the release of local s upbeat new single Fiya Fiya.