REVIEW: Lil Mosey Seizes, Dominates the Stage (Skyway Theatre)

A promotional image of Lil Mosey.

A Sunday evening was unseasonably pleasant outdoors, but the Skyway Theatre filled quickly. The draw? The 17-year-old rapper Lathan Moses Echols, better known as Lil Mosey. Mosey dominated the stage like a seasoned veteran, turning what could have been an average Sunday night into a party to remember.

Lil Mosey’s concert at the Skyway Theatre was one of fifty stops on a world tour following the release of his debut album, Northsbest. The artist’s rapid rise to fame began in 2017, when the Seattle-based high school student’s song “Pull Up” became a national hit on Soundcloud, racking up over 270,000 listens. “Pull Up” was quickly released as his first commercial single, and its music video now has over 25 million views. Its success led Mosey to decide to drop out of high school and pursue music full-time.

Another single, “Noticed”, was noticed by the world to the tune of 100 million views on YouTube. Mosey was picked up by Interscope Records, which offered the teenager over $1 million upon signing – and putting him in the company of Interscope’s roster of music A-listers like Zedd, U2, and Eminem, and recent stars like Juice WRLD.

Northsbest (2018), Mosey’s 11-song project, was the basis for much of Sunday’s concert. The material illustrates his versatility and growing confidence as an artist. ITs songs capture much of what makes Mosey great, spanning from the melodic, introspective “Burberry Headband”, where Mosey reflects on his newfound success, humorously singing “Put on all my ice [jewelry] now I feel so cool,” all the way to the lively and energetic “Kamikaze”, which he uses to remind all listeners of the advantages of becoming famous. With only one guest artist on the whole project (Memphis rapper, BlocBoy JB), Mosey surprised the music world with the cohesiveness and impressive production of his first album.

If the studio album was a mostly solo show, Mosey’s concert appearances seem to stress the importance of helping other young, up-and-coming artists. Concertgoers were treated to a series of creative and unique opening artists, the most famous of which was Lil Tjay, who performed his recent hit “Pop Out”. Finally, at around 9:45, Mosey came on stage, opening with his major hit, Boof Pack. While mostly sticking with the album, Mosey still covered all of his major hits, including his most recent, self-produced single, “Bust Down Cartier”. Early in his set, Mosey also played homage to late rapper XXXTentacion with the latter’s mosh pit essential, “Take a Step Back”. Moving quickly from one song to the next, Mosey commanded the stage and the audience through his clear passion for his craft. The packed house enjoyed every moment.

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David Bix

David Bix is a music reviewer.