Massachusetts Daily Collegian

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A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Moufy gets Northampton bumping to his beat

Flickr/Weeklydig

In front of a packed house Friday night at The Iron Horse, Boston rapper Moufy had a message about dreams for his fans in attendance.     

“Raise your hand up high if you’ve ever had a dream,” he requested to the crowd during an interlude.

“It doesn’t matter whether it was a dream to become a doctor or a porn star or whatever. And if you’ve ever had haters who told you you can’t achieve that dream, there’s just one thing you’ve got to do,” he said, turning his raised fist into a middle finger.

“I’m doing what I love. I’m living my dream,” he finished, bursting into an energized rendition of “One Day,” the first single from his upcoming album, “Humble Season.”

And his words reflected his performance, during which he seemed to be immensely enjoying all the support from his fan base, which is growing by the day.

The dominantly college-aged crowd came flocking to support him, many donning t-shirts that read “Star Gang,” which is the name Moufy’s crew goes by.

Matt Maratea and Chris Lombardi, two young rappers new to the underground scene, got the night off to a frenzied start. Their skills on the mic were up to par and they even showed off some freestyling ability.

Maratea recently dropped the music video for his new track “Bruce Wayne” on YouTube and the banging orchestral beat of the tune made its way into his set. Unfortunately, the studio recording is much better, as Maratea’s live vocals were jumbled and hard to hear.

Lombardi has a mixtape called “Real Talk” available on DatPiff.com, which includes some good songs like “Chin Up,” “Run and Hide” and “Ruckus.” He showed pride for his origins in western Massachusetts during the show, with chants of the “413” area code. 

Moufy took his time coming out on stage for the first time, and when he finally did, the audience’s anticipation was rewarded with “Drop it Low,” a crowd pleaser that got everybody on their feet.

Wearing shades, a backward yellow snapback and a black “Star Gang” hoodie, Moufy was in no mood to release the energy started by Maratea and Lombardi. His backup emcees did not have to work too hard, as he rapped his songs with clarity and rhythm.

All of his most popular songs popped up as the night progressed. “Throw My 3’s” was as loud and catchy as it has ever been, and “Pick It Up” got the crowd singing along to the one-line chorus.

Of course, the night had to be capped off with “Boston Lights,” the song that Moufy is most well known for., Based on the reaction of the crowd, it seemed like it was the track people had been waiting for all night.

The Iron Horse, which usually features predominantly indie rock musicians, provided a different environment than the typical rap show. Taking into account the strong showing at Moufy’s concert, The Iron Horse should strive to keep booking hip-hop acts.

Besides the music itself, Moufy knew how to keep his fans involved by tossing out t-shirts, and getting the DJ to play electronic dance music while he caught his breath. Everybody got loud when he got three girls from the audience on-stage to participate in a twerking competition.

Another highlight of the night was when Moufy premiered a new track from his upcoming album, and it seemed very promising.

 If the rest of the album turns out to be anything like it, it could turn out to be even bigger than his previous effort, “Boston Lights.”

Ayush Kumar can be reached at [email protected].

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