Hopsin, a West Coast rapper with a taste for eccentricity, brought his cult following of fans out at The Westcott Theater Wednesday night for a performance in front of a packed audience.

The Los Angeles native, whose recent album “Knock Madness” was released in November, filled the venue with mostly white teenagers and the occasional twenty-something. In spite of his recent pleas on Twitter for his fans to stop coming to his shows because they will get an “auto pilot performance,” Hopsin had the crowd’s energy elevated for most of the show.

Hopsin took the stage after his subpar opening act finally finished his set, and he kicked the show off on a positive note by opening with his album’s intro “The Fiends Are Knocking.”

The rapper’s hyped up energy came somewhat as a surprise. Earlier this week Hopsin took to his Twitter account and had a social media meltdown, and in addition to the vitriol he spewed about the state of the hip hop industry, he voiced his disdain for continuing his “Knock Madness” tour.

“Just know that the only reason I’m doing these shows is because I’m being pressured and conditioned to believe money is before health,” Hopsin tweeted earlier this week.

The tweets were definitely a red flag for the rapper, and even though Hopsin is known for being controversial and abrasive, his cries for help on Twitter were alarming, to say the least.

For the most part, Hopsin kept his cool on stage and had the audience at The Westcott rapping along to some of his most popular songs. His recent public meltdown felt like the elephant in the room at times though, and he addressed the topic appropriately before transitioning into his hit song “I Need Help.”

“I need help, man, when I’m up here doing this shit,” Hopsin vented to the crowd. “I need a lot of help, I need support from y’all.”

Hopsin took the time to air out his grievances with his performance of “I Need Help,” and he swiftly switched up the vibe in the theater right after with his energetic “Rip Your Heart Out.”

Perhaps best known for wearing white colored contacts in his music videos and interviews, Hopsin is a polarizing figure in the hip hop industry. He has fans — and a decent amount of them, too — but he has failed to gain traction with a broader audience. His style is in-your-face and unapologetic, and while some may find this unbearable, others can’t get enough of the 28-year-old artist.

Given Hopsin’s status as a rapper with a cult following, maybe it shouldn’t be so surprising that he drew such a homogenous crowd to the Westcott. I’ve been to several shows at the famous locale and each has been better than the last with a diverse group of attendees. Hopsin, on the other hand, seems to appeal mostly to a white teenage audience.

Regardless of his fans’ diversity, or lack thereof, Hopsin was engaging and even gratuitous at times. There was a sense that, like he publicly stated a few days ago, he would have rather been somewhere else, but for the most part he seemed totally present on the stage.

Hopsin took time to ask fans if they had purchased his “Knock Madness” album, and he seemed genuinely gracious when the crowd roared with affirmation. He continued the show with a number of songs from the album, and he had the crowd especially energetic with his performance of “Nollie Tre Flip” before ending the show on a high note with his biggest single “Hop Is Back.”

Whether Hopsin has the austerity to achieve longevity in his career is yet to be seen. His recent public meltdown and knack for controversy are definitely cause for concern, but he may just know how to tap into his fan base to find success in the music industry.

Time will tell if Hopsin can balance his “Knock Madness” out with a touch of sanity, but in the meantime he is proving his ability to put on an entertaining show, albeit only for his closest fans.

Published on February 20, 2014 at 12:47 am

Contact Tom: tsharkey@syr.edu