ScHoolboy Q is currently on tour in Australia and New Zealand in support his his brilliant new album Blank Face. Earlier this week, he performed in Melbourne on the night of Donald Trump’s victorious election to President of the United States.
Q delivered a powerful and energetic performance, delivering the catchy singles and heavy-hitting deep cuts that came out on one of the best albums of 2016, while keeping OG fans happy with standouts from Oxymoron and even earlier.
ScHoolboy Q has never been one of the more politically vocal rappers, but even here in Australia, the atmosphere was rife with tension, fear, and for many – at least for ScHoolboy Q fans – devastation and fear about what the next four to eight years might hold. With that in mind, he delivered an incredibly intense cover of Fuck Donald Trump by YG. Watch the footage here:
ScHoolboy Q’s tour has been an immense success, delivering powerful, memorable shows to huge crowds across the country. He noted how his first tour to Australia, two years ago, only drew a thousand people, and how many more have flocked to see him this time around.
He is undoubtedly one of the most vital and important rappers today, with his album, and its subsequent live performances, an on-the-pulse analysis of gang life and emerging from it. You can read our album review here.
We were lucky enough to catch ScHoolboy Q over in New York earlier this year, and again in Australia this month. Check out our photos below of the Melbourne concert at the Festival Hall on Wednesday, November 9.
All images copyright Juan Castro / Howl & Echoes