Queen Bia Headlines Big Belasco Show: In the space of less than two weeks, this writer attended three hip-hop shows in L.A., in three different types of venues. On October 22, we were at the Novo club to see Flo Milli, with Maiya the Don opening. On November 2, we were at the Crypto.com Arena (we’ll never get used to calling it that, but whatever) to see Doja Cat with Doechii opening. And on November 4, we were at the Belasco Theatre to see Bia on the Really Her Tour, with Lakeyah and Lebra Jolie opening.
That’s three shows — club to arena. Seven amazing, strong and super-talented women. All fire. This really is just a drop in the ocean too, when it comes to the sheer volume of incredible female rap talent that continues to emerge. And yes, “female hip-hop” isn’t a genre any more than “female-fronted band” is. But it feels appropriate to celebrate the fact that women are absolutely ruling this scene.
At the Belasco, the party started early. Lebra Jolie is a Houston artist, clearly delighted to be on her first full tour and determined to make the most of the occasion.
“Now What” is the track that catapulted Jolie into the spotlight, while her latest release is the Pressure Pack four-tracker. We got a lot of that at the Belasco, and more besides. As a lady dancing near us remarked, “Texas really brought it!”
Lakeyah (pronounced La-kay-yah) is a Milwaukee rapper who popped up in our “In Rotation” column during the summer due to the outstanding quality of her “Want Em Hood” single. A press release stated, “the Milwaukee-bred wunderkind has dominated in the media and entertainment space, most recently headlining the 2023 installment of CultureCon L.A.”
At the Belasco, Lakeyah strode out ready for action, and never let up. Her rhymes are tight, her flow magnificent and, even when the sound failed her towards the end of her set, she just said “fuck it” and rapped a cappella. A star in the making.
BIA performs on her headlining “Really Her” Tour at The Belasco on November 04, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Natasha Campos/Getty Images for Epic Records)
That just left Bia to close it out, and she left everything on the L.A. stage. This is the Really Her Tour due to the fact that she released the Really Her EP in the summer. “Bia’s bars are powered by her hard-won self-assurance,” reads a press release for that EP. “The Boston-bred platinum international music star has hustled for years to create her own brand of narratively rich and emotional music, and though she has all eyes on her now, she possessed the same confidence even when nobody was watching,”
All of that self-assurance and emotional music was on display at the Belasco. Tunes such as “I’m That B*tch,” “Besito,” “Chicky Ta” and “Millions” highlight just what an exceptional talent she is, and the L.A. crowd was ready for all of it.
“Let me hear a Bia-Bia on three — 1,2,3…” she demanded multiple times, before receiving the appropriate response:
“BIA BIAAAAAA!”
Bia had this crowd in the palm of her hand, and so relatively early in her career. There’s no telling what she has in store for us next.
Queen Bia Headlines Big Belasco Show: For more info, go to thebelasco.com.
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