Hyper-Trap Rapper Destroy Lonely to Perform at Bogart's Next Week

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Photo: Jackiefoxwiki, Wikimedia Commons

Hyper-trap rapper Destroy Lonely will perform at Bogart's on Feb. 8.

Many young fans, clad in black and representing the fandom of a distinctly unique Gen Z subculture will line Short Vine Street on Feb. 8 when Destroy Lonely plays Bogart’s for his “No Stylist Tour.”

The 21-year-old rapper is part of a small army of musicians signed to Playboi Carti’s record label, Opium, that champion high-end goth fashion and have become well-known as part of the massively popular kaleidoscopic, hyper-trap music trend.

Destroy Lonely started turning heads in earnest in 2021 after amassing a strong presence in the underground scene and landing his deal with Opium. His rise to mainstream stardom has rocketed since this record label deal, helping him score placement on Most Necessary’s “Artists to Watch in 2023” list and land his debut studio album NO STYLIST at a top 100 position on the Billboard 200 chart. 

Iterating hypnotically gyrating flows that trail off beat and nimbly fall back into place with a delivery coated in wispy, reverbing autotune, Destroy Lonely’s sound toes the line of trance-inducing electronic and punchy trap. 

Destroy Lonely has built an unmistakable image that branches off Playboi Carti’s prima donna, modern-day rockstar braggadocio. His young fanbase has caught flak on this particular tour for their questionable concert etiquette and mimicking the Opium collective’s penchant for all-black designer wear.

Touring off the heels of the release of his LP NO STYLIST, Destroy Lonely is making his stop at Bogart’s after being booked by Weston Herbert, a talent buyer at Live Nation, which operates Bogart’s and Top Cats. Herbert has been working with Cincinnati-based hip-hop multimedia brand Soul Serum to co-promote shows. 

Soul Serum has built a brand locally, working with hip-hop artists to produce music videos and feed their following with hip-hop-related commentary and interviews on YouTube and Instagram. More recently, the brand has begun doing concert promotions alongside Herbert.  

“When you go to this Lonely show, 95% of people are going to be wearing all black, you’re going to see some Rick Owens, you’re going to see a lot of vamp tees,” Soul Serum founder and project manager Tanner Moeves tells CityBeat.

Live Nation books the shows, but Soul Serum’s strong presence in the local hip-hop scene brings a city-specific touch while boosting ticket sales and bolstering the Soul Serum outfit. 

“A lot of the stuff is already taken care of, because they have a team that has been doing this. They’re just bringing us on as co-promoters to bring more of an experience and more of a brand face to these hip-hop shows that’s known in our city,” says Moeves.

The partnership between Soul Serum and Herbert at Live Nation has produced Cincinnati shows from Baby Keem, PGF Nuk and Jack Kays. 

Soul Serum will also be introducing a signature drink at Bogart’s bar this time around to increase the brand’s presence at the show. 

“I would love nothing more than for kids to go out in the crowd and vamp out and drink some Soul Serum,” said Moeves. 

Supporting Destroy Lonely on the lineup is label-mate and hip-hop duo Homixide Gang, who conform to a similar sound peppered by unhinged but kind of infectious adlibs — most notably, the grim “homicide!” adlib. 

Destroy Lonely is performing at Bogart’s on Feb. 8. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. Info: livenation.com.