Red Bull continually promotes the spirited emerging artists across the United States. Thursday night, the monthly Red Bull Sound Select showcase housed a curious collection of characters at the Del Monte Speakeasy in Santa Monica, CA. This month’s heavy hitters were Fat Tony, Ho99o9 and Cerebral Ballzy. The transition from hip hop to hardcore rap and then a garage punk ending was not intended for the faint of heart. With such a rowdy crew of artists on stage, it was a chaotic night that left most guessing what the hell they had just witnessed.

Hip hop artist Fat Tony opens the show with effortless finesse. He spits out lyrics like a Rico Suavé of hip hop and gains a positive rapport from the modest crowd almost instantly. The self-made Houston native proves his worth song after song. The words roll off his tongue – a harmonious coupling with his danceable back beats. It is no wonder that he has been named Houston Press‘s Best Underground Hip Hop Artist four times as his talent shines when he hits the stage.

Ho99o9 come on a short wait later and completely change the game. For the sake of theatrics, these two start out with a dropped projection screen hiding the stage. The mystery screen quickly rises and reveals a shirtless theOGM donning his blue jersey ski mask with a black vinyl claw on one hand and a microphone in the other and a skull-painted face on Eaddy. Their music speaks for itself in all facets from its darker lyrical nature to its experimental hip hop-infused punk roots. This pair packs a punch as they haunt the audience with devilish eye gazes and heart-stopping aggression. Both feverishly yell out each lyric, maintaining a palpable intensity throughout the set. This strong of a performance scares some of the more lighthearted concert goers back upstairs away from the mob like scene at the stage, while it almost magnetizes others toward the stage in a massive frenzied mosh pit.

The majority of the crowd escapes to the upstairs area after the set to collect themselves and process what they just witnessed. Some exclaim how that was the weirdest thing they had ever seen, while others marvel at the wildly entertaining set which just transpired. They are all in awe of Ho99o9’s theatrical and rather intimidating presence. Few of these folks dare to trickle back downstairs to finish off the night with Cerebral Ballzy’s speedy punk rock performance. The band’s fast garage thrashy tempos bring a light buzz back into the audience, but nothing compared to the insanity that transpired earlier. It is just enough to repunctuate the night, luckily.

Though Ho99o9 dropped jaws with their awesomely wild performance, fellow east coasters Cerebral Ballzy gladly carried on the torch til the night’s end. Prior to seeing both live, it was curious how such a pair could end up on the same lineup. However, once brought together, the hardcore fast talking rock and rappers notably feed off each other’s energy and inspire each other’s music. It all comes together in the live experience. Here’s hoping that they scare more and more people into that bewildered trance every chance they get.

More photos from the night

Fat Tony

Ho99o9

Cerebral Ballzy

Photos courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool