Near the end of the night, sexyyred cuts the music off mid-song: she wants us all to sing along acapella. The entire arena seems to take a breath, and then we all go, “I said, OOOOOHHHHHEEEEEEUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHH / BAYYYYYBEEEEEEEEEEEEE.” ⁠ ⁠ This is probably how monks feel belting Gregorian chants in stone churches: the concrete around us seems to bounce our wails to the heavens. “BAE I LUH YOU, YOU MY EVERYTHING…”⁠ ⁠ This is the "Sexyy Red 4 President" campaign promise in a nutshell: an effusive riot of communal joy. She’s a consummate star, of course — able to turn the crowd up on demand, playing all the hits and none of the skips — but the true appeal is in the stands and on the floor, that deliriously concentrated energy hanging thick in the air like so much smoke.⁠ ⁠ Read perlucidum's Rap Column at the link in bio, or head to TheFADER.com.⁠ ⁠ #SexyyRed #RapColumn