Medhane, Lerado, and MAVI at the Whole Music Club

By Kinga Mozes

Earl Sweatshirt’s influence was evident in all of the artists at The Whole on January 31, yet they were able to craft their own distinct sounds. Before MAVI performed, Medhane hypnotized the audience with his raw, deep voice and unflinching eye contact. His skin glowed blue as he paced between bodies, rapping about his struggles with mental health on tracks like “Affirmation #1.” It was refreshing to witness someone focused not only on telling his story but also on truly connecting with those listening, unafraid of any darkness that lingered between the bars. 

Local rapper Lerado was more playful, characterized by his monotone and glasses. He jumped into the audience to crowd surf. 

At its core, rap is poetry. Few demonstrate this better than MAVI, whose performance transported the crowd to a sun-scattered spot in the grass. Trickling piano loops set the tone for the track “Eye/I and I/Nation,” in which he philosophically reflected on black pride. Despite the absence of hooks in his songs, he kept the audience entranced. 

A biology student at Howard University, his intellectual lyricism was on display during the track “Self Love,” with lines like, “Clasp the windows to my soul/smoke thicken grab my mental by the throat.” Although his music is somber and meditative, he turned up the energy for “EL TORO COMBO MEAL,” and no one could resist nodding along to the beat. 

It’ll be challenging for the Whole to book artists as bold as these in the future.