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Tour Dates
02/19/16 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis
02/20/16 Chesterfield, Sioux City, IA 04/17/16 U Street Music Hall, Washington, DC 04/20/16 Grog Shop, Cleveland Heights, OH 04/23/16 Firebird, St Louis, MO 04/30/16 Gabe's Oasis, Iowa City, IA Read More
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Prof is a Minneapolis rapper who has been rapping for years now, but recently really took off. I've seen him a couple of times now and each time he completely kills it with the amount of energy he gives off. I thought this crazy amount of energy was more of a "hometown" thing because the crows here in the Twin Cities absolutely love Prof. I was a bit worried that going to see him in Wisconsin would leave a bad taste in my mouth. Was he going to be as exciting outside of his home base? Would people even show up to the show? Did anyone care? Does Wisconsin even have music?!
Wisconsin definitely came out and they definitely cared. Even this show had sold out and people were pumped to see some of the best hip hop that the Twin Cities has to offer.
The House of Rock is a tiny, tiny venue on the "main street" of Eau Claire. It's a complete dive bar with sticky floors and holes in the wall. I had been here before for a metal show some friends were playing. There were only about ten people in the crowd that time. Last Friday, the venue was at capacity and the whole feeling of the venue had changed. People were polite as they tried to get through the small passage way into the stage area of the venue. It was freezing outside, like negative 10 freezing, and people were struggling to get winter coats off due to lack of personal space. I noticed multiple people holding the drinks of strangers, just so people could take their coats off. These strangers didn't try and put anything in the drink. They didn't try to steal the drink. They were just trying to be helpful. After seeing this, I instantly felt at home. I was no longer afraid to leave my drink on the bar for a hot minute while I shoved my wallet back in my purse. I felt safe even though I was not at one of my usual venues.
Prof played every song I wanted him to. He had a giant grin across his face the whole time and I never once just saw him standing there rapping. He was constantly moving across the stage and jumping up and down. Watching him was just as much fun as watching the crowd and listening to the music. His lyrics tend to be funny and raunchy at times but also relatable. He sings about "popping PBR", hanging out with friends, and just having a damn good time. I tried to sing along as best as I could but eventually I was just slurring my words so I sipped on my PBR.
The show was opened up by a couple local Eau Claire hip-hop artists like Mac Irv and DJ Fundo along with Minneapolis’ Mike Mictlan from Doomtree. Mike was great, as he always is, but didn't seem to catch the crowd as much as Prof did. His style is a bit rawer sounding than Prof's happy go lucky soundtrack. Mac Irv was another opening act for the show but, unfortunately, I missed it due to some terrible drink Ali and her brother made me try at a bar next door. It took me forever to drink it and by the time we made it to the show, the music had already started. I am a bit bummed that I missed it but Mac is from Minneapolis so I'm sure I'll get another chance.
Wisconsin definitely came out and they definitely cared. Even this show had sold out and people were pumped to see some of the best hip hop that the Twin Cities has to offer.
The House of Rock is a tiny, tiny venue on the "main street" of Eau Claire. It's a complete dive bar with sticky floors and holes in the wall. I had been here before for a metal show some friends were playing. There were only about ten people in the crowd that time. Last Friday, the venue was at capacity and the whole feeling of the venue had changed. People were polite as they tried to get through the small passage way into the stage area of the venue. It was freezing outside, like negative 10 freezing, and people were struggling to get winter coats off due to lack of personal space. I noticed multiple people holding the drinks of strangers, just so people could take their coats off. These strangers didn't try and put anything in the drink. They didn't try to steal the drink. They were just trying to be helpful. After seeing this, I instantly felt at home. I was no longer afraid to leave my drink on the bar for a hot minute while I shoved my wallet back in my purse. I felt safe even though I was not at one of my usual venues.
Prof played every song I wanted him to. He had a giant grin across his face the whole time and I never once just saw him standing there rapping. He was constantly moving across the stage and jumping up and down. Watching him was just as much fun as watching the crowd and listening to the music. His lyrics tend to be funny and raunchy at times but also relatable. He sings about "popping PBR", hanging out with friends, and just having a damn good time. I tried to sing along as best as I could but eventually I was just slurring my words so I sipped on my PBR.
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Mike Mictlan |
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Prof at House Of Rock, Eau Claire, WI (12 Feb 2016) |
