Local hop-hop band Sixx opening for the Street Revolution JAM! at Victoria Theatre

Youths were given a taste of the arts as top hip hop artistes from Singapore and around the region got their adrenalines pumping with edgy and refreshing performances at the Victoria Theatre.

Yes, you heard that right. Victoria Theatre. Not in a dance club.

The 3-hour concert was one of the highlights of this year’s Singapore Street Festival, featuring hip hop bands and artistes such as Sixx, Richard J, Yacko, Sleeq, DJ Altimet and Thaitanium.

Opening the concert was Sixx, a homegrown hip-hop band that has expanded from its original 6 to become 9-member strong.

Lead vocalist Aarika Lee teased the crowd with her sweet and bubbly personality, hopping along to the catchy beats of their music.

Main rapper Kevin Lester, who recently released the single Rockstar (with a special music video that featured Singapore’s culture), rapped his way into the hearts of the audience as he asked if they would support local music.

Of course, the 800-strong audience gave a resounding and unanimous “Yeah!” reply after which, Kevin also proclaimed the band’s wish “We wanna become international artistes someday!”

Taking over from them was Singapore’s promising hip hop talent, Richard J, who turns 21 in August.

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The highlight of his performance despite facing some ‘throat problems’ would be how he got the crowd singing along to Justin Bieber’s “Baby”. It was a fresh rendition without the usual kid-like, high-pitched voice of the 16-year-old star.

Local hip-hop artiste Richard J giving audiences a taste of his own rendition of Justin Bieber’s hit song, “Baby”

However, what really got the youthful crowd’s spirits up was Indonesian hip-hop rapping artiste, Yacko, who started off her performance from the middle of the aisle with hip-thrusting moves and non-stop skipping around the stage.

Indonesian rapper, Yacko, showcasing her wealth of stamina with her highly energetic performance

“Majulah Singapura!” Yacko exclaimed as the audience erupted with cheers and thunderous applause for her surprising and powerful appearance.

Having been in the hip-hop rapping scene since she was signed up as an artiste at the age of 16, Yacko definitely showcased her well-seasoned ability to entertain, as she does not seem to run out of stamina throughout her performance.

It’s no wonder the 30-year-old rapper got nominated at the Indonesia Cutting Edge Music Award (ICEMA) for Favourite Solo Artist and Favourite Hip Hop/R&B Song for the song ‘That Girl, Yacko’.

To add on to the already hyped up crowd, local hip-hop/R&B duo Sleeq, came up to the screaming female fans that were already prepared with witty questions to ask their idols during a short but exciting Q&A session after their performance.

Singapore’s hip-hop/R7B duo Sleeq with Syarif (left) and Alyph (right) putting on a mesmerizing show for their zesty fans

A lady who was sitting on the second floor even cheekily asked if Sleeq could “come up here and give me a kiss?”

After finishing their charming performance, the youthful duo also urged their young fans to “not download songs and support local music.”

Malaysian hip-hop artiste, DJ Altimet then took his turn to perform as he asked the crowd “Malayu boleh tak?” (Is Malay alright with you?)

DJ Altimet from across the causeway performing in his Mother Tongue to the Singaporean crowd

Greeted with a warm response from audiences of his neighbouring country, DJ Altimet spoke affectionately to the ladies with the sweet R&B song “Chantek”, which means beautiful.

Not wanting to leave the guys out, he dedicated his next song “Thank You” to “guys who work hard for their families and everything.”

DJ Altimet then ended his performance with a regular but dear “Peace to you!”

Before the final and most-anticipated performance, the emcee called for everyone to leave their seats and move to the front to ‘enjoy the hip hop party’.

The young audience was treated to the awesome performance of Thaitanium, a four-member hip-hop group hailing from the land of smiles, Thailand.

Thaitanium, a four-member hip-hop group from Thailand working up the crowd

Perhaps it was because of the young demographics of the audience, the crowd dispersed as soon as the show ended at after 11pm.

That said, watching a hip-hop concert at a place like Victoria Theatre must have been a first for many of the students that turned up.

More than 800 tickets were sold with some secondary school students from Mayflower Secondary School watching the concert as a part of their school’s aesthetic programme.

Due to a sponsorship by Tan Chin Tuan Foundation, 50 students from Shuqun Secondary School and Pasir Ris Secondary School had a chance to enjoy the concert as well.

Sponsored by Eighth Wave, Street Revolution JAM! is presented by Singapore Arts Festival and proudly supported by the National Arts Council.