Blue and pink lights flash, reflecting off artist Frayne Vibez’s Spider-Man’s jacket as he enters the Brooklyn Steel venue to a crowd cheering his name. As the opening act for Grammy-winning rapper Lupe Fiasco, the 23-year-old is living out his dream — to share his music with the world. WSN spoke to both artists about their music, and the Oct. 3 opening night of their tour. 

Vibez is an emerging indie-pop musician from a musically-inclined family — his grandfather is American jazz pianist and composer Ramsey Lewis. Vibez began pursuing music more seriously during his high school years, creating new tracks and experimenting with sound in his free time. Armed with a finance degree from Loyola University and a mentorship with the producer Kosine — with whom he shared a Lollapalooza set — Vibez created his first EP, “Take It Easy.” Soon after, he was invited to join Fiasco’s tour. 

“This means everything,” Vibez said. “This is what I’ve been working for quite a while — to be on the road, showing people the music, showing the world who I am, and to be doing it with a really big Chicago artist, somebody I was listening to when I was a kid. So it means everything.”

Despite Vibez’s band not joining him on the road, he still delivered a full band experience during his live opening performance. He worked with his band to record their live sessions over backing tracks, allowing audiences to still get the feel of his complete sound on stage. Vibez also collaborated with a graphic designer to create custom visualizations for each song to emphasize engaging with his audience during his performance. 

“I always give them as much of me as I can,” Vibez said about his fans. “Because each song has a story to it, so I want to convey what that story is, what it’s about and then get right into the song and deliver that.” 

He focuses on the feeling that the music gives him, starting with melodies that come naturally before adding lyrics. For him, the process is all about the emotion behind the sound, and when all the melodies are added to complete a full track, he then adds the lyrics to his songs. 

After Vibez performed, the crowd’s energy quickly rose for the main act, Lupe Fiasco. Performing in New York City has always felt special to Fiasco. He gained traction after remixing Kanye West’s song “Diamonds From Sierra Leone” in 2007, and quickly rose through the ranks to become a prominent rapper in the early 2000s. It’s through this lyricism, something that stems from his background in theater, that he stands out from other rappers. Fiasco describes New York City as the home of hip-hop, and how he feels as if he is paying homage when he performs there. He said that it’s an important place for him as he rises through his career, especially as he tries to connect with others through his music. 

A crowd favorite, “The Show Goes On,” created electric energy as everyone danced and chanted back one of Fiasco’s most popular songs. He threw water into the crowd, he bounced around on stage and the classic hits just had a contagious energy stemming from nostalgia.

“[Performing] means the world to me — it’s what I do,” Fiasco said. “It’s giving me a platform to express myself and providing a platform for other people to receive and also express themselves in response in a certain way. So, it’s a beautiful thing.”

Together, Fiasco and Vibez created an energetic and entertaining atmosphere for the show. The flashing colors and light beams throughout the performance entranced concert-goers, giving an otherworldly effect on what would otherwise be a generic venue. 

“I want people to pull from my music that it doesn’t matter, just live your life and just be yourself,” Vibez said. “Be kind, be yourself. That’s it. Just live life. Just be happy, man. There’s too much going on, so much craziness going on in the world. There’s no need for it. Just be kind, be yourself.” 

Contact Julia Smerling at [email protected].