Blimes and Gab at Brighton Music Hall, 11/11

by Seth GordonOn November 11th, Blimes and Gab finished their “Auntie Up” tour off with a performance at the Brighton Music Hall. The female rap duo hailing from Seattle brought high energy, comic relief, and an emotional side to a bombastic and aggressive rap performance. Using mostly 90s and early 2000s beats and sound to back up their performance, each woman, Blimes Brixton, and Gifted Gab, rapped about money love, money, and their life experiences. The small crowd allowed the show to have an immensely intimate feel, in addition to the duo’s goal of making us feel as though they were our family, hence the name of the tour.The duo started off with “Nasty”, the song that went semi-viral and cemented both their legitimacy as an up-and-coming rap duo as well as the duo’s own partnership. The slow but obtuse bass beat let the two women’s rap talents show as they rapped about their femininity and the power that it has. After that song and an introduction, the two launched into “Feelin it”, one of their most recent releases. Both of them took turns rapping mostly about potential romance. The modern trap beat, in addition to a synth, backed up the performance, which ranged from a sing-songy chorus to rapid-fire verses by both of the performers. Blimes Brixton also performed her earlier work, as did Gab afterwords. Highlights from this part of their set included “Look at Me Now”, Gab’s solo song about her perseverance through her childhood and her newfound success, and Blimes’ “Neon Dreams”, a far more intimate song where she sang about her struggles with mental illness and having a negative outlook on life.The duo broke up each song with banter and personal stories, which made the performance feel far more informal and familiar. And while their talent and lyricism was certainly on display, what truly shown through was their personalities, and how open the two were to letting complete strangers have an intimate look into their lives.