Darren “Young D” Metz and Quinton “Yung Trybez” Nyce are Indigenous hip hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids; the two brought their sounds to the Capital Ballroom from Kitamaat Village, BC on Friday and Saturday night.
On Friday night, the air was filled with excited anticipation waiting for the show to start. When opener Travis Thompson stepped on the stage, the dance floor began filling up; it was packed by the time Snotty Nose Rez Kids came on stage.
Thompson got the crowd jumping with his fast-paced, melodic rapping and call-and-response-style songs. Encouraging the crowd to get into the night, Thompson’s DJ suggested they loosen up their shoulders. Echoing the sentiment, Thompson said to loosen the shoulders and start dancing.
Snotty Nose Rez Kids were high energy from start to finish, with one sombre pause to recognize the passing of Young D’s father a few days earlier. Stopping the show, Young D asked everyone to pull out their lighters and phone flashlights, then explained the passing of his father. He talked with deep emotion and passion about his father and the past few days trying to process and heal, surrounding himself with family and loved ones. Thompson came back to the stage to perform a song with Yung Trybez as Young D sat on stage getting support from Yung Trybez and Thompson, who provided hugs; it was a touching and endearing moment.
Aside from this one personal moment, they used their music as a platform, bringing attention to Indigenous culture, fashion, and issues such as racism, water advisories, and broken treaties in a thought-provoking and meaningful, but also entertaining, way.
The level of energy that Yung Trybez has while performing is intense, putting his whole body into jumping around as he raps. It’s similar to a basketball player trying to dunk a ball the way he spreads out his arms, jumps in the air and brings his arms back in as he comes down. To security’s displeasure he came out into the crowd by walking on a tall table.
There were a few hiccups during Snotty Nose Rez Kids’ set. At the beginning, Yung Trybez’ mic became inaudible, leaving only Young D’s voice heard. Other than a little frustration showing on their faces, they kept going without pause. The situation was soon resolved, and by the next song the mic was working again.
Later on, during the show, Yung Trybez’s high energy and somewhat flailing movements caused his prescription sunglasses to go flying. He needed to bring up the house lights so that the crowd could look around to try and find the glasses. Not wanting to be “that guy” when he asked for the house lights brought up, Yung Trybez apologized for having to ask. However, losing prescription glasses halfway through a show does pose a problem. The crowd didn’t seem bothered at all and kept checking the area around them until Yung Trybez said the sunglasses were found. After that,the duo went right back into performing as if nothing had happened.
Snotty Nose Rez Kids brings a strong show from start to finish. It’s admirable that Young D would be back on the stage so quickly after the loss of his father. The way he spoke and how he sat during the one song showed how much he was truly hurting despite the spectacular performance he had given. His strength and resolve to bring his music to his fans is incredible, and the love and support demonstrated by Yung Trybez and Thompson on stage goes to show the level of friendship and respect these men share.