The Illharmonic Orchestra rocked Austin in late March. The sold out venue was an unlikely spot for a hip-hop show: Bates Recital Hall at the Butler School of Music, on UT's campus. Led by the hot lyrical duo Thee Phantom & The Phoenix, the small orchestra ensemble featured all the quintessential string instruments, plus a dope pianist and turntablist DJ.
But before Phantom and the Illharmonic Orchestra rocked the stage, they let Austinite Dat Boy Supa shine as the opening act. Supa brought out his newly formed five piece rock band. The rock group fit well with Supa's lyrical style, which was aggressive and emotional. The Austin rapper's 30 minute set mostly was a run through of the hits from his successful debut album Supacabra, although he did perform recent standalone singles "War" and "Day Dream."
One especially poignant moment was during a break between songs, when Supa said he started rapping after his sister died. The real moments like these were coupled with his performance of songs like "Day Dream," where he raps about defying the odds for his artistic dreams. An incredibly human plea came in the form of "Love Unconditional." There's much more aggressiveness and anger in "Let Me In," which is another cry of desire to make it as a full-time artist.
Supa's hip-hop often drips with R&B and jazzy undertones. Lyrically, the rapper takes after some southern influences, but mostly, he has his own unique voice. Many of his songs featuring R&B type vocals, which were sung at the show by his fellow vocalist in the band, Willie B. There's a bluesy soul vibe at times. His new rock band brought a different, louder sound to the songs. They had great chemistry, especially considering they'd done less than a handful of shows before this one. Supa compiled his band through existing connections and relationships, and also through Facebook. His drummer is Jake Rabin, keys are played by Danny Saldivar, and bassist is Marc Martellica. Singer Willie B and guitarist Johnny Storbeck are in another band together called Mama K and the Shades. 
Dat Boy Supa's got a lot of shows lined up for 2017 in big music cities, including LA and Atlanta. He also has a new project on the way, which is great news for people who liked Supacabra and the singles he's released for the last several months. He'll be hanging out performing in Austin, so be sure to catch him soon. Supa got the opening gig after Illharmonic Orchestra's leader rapper and band organizer Phantom heard the hot single "Boss N****" and reached out to him.
Philadelphia's Illharmonic Orchestra brought their classical hip-hop mashup to a sold out Bates Recital Hall - a place that usually hears Mozart played without modern modifications. Phantom looked and sounded a little bit like a preacher with a lot of swag - some formal dress, but not too formal. He rocked the microphone with his wife, the talented vocalist and rapper Phoenix, and together they spit rhyme after rhyme of conscious gritty reality. They referred to a lot of classic hip-hop songs, and even did a cover of Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth's "T.R.O.Y." Those moments were a treat for hip-hop fans. All in all this was a refreshing and different modern take on music, blending hundreds of years together and doing it without losing any swag. Watch for them to come to Austin again - the tickets are a serious bang for your buck at $10 and sell out quickly. 
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