Gardner Lounge played host to a night of performances last Friday, April 29. Ric Wilson, Damon Williams ’14 and Noname, all artists affiliated with the influential Young Chicago Authors collective, offered an exciting mix of empowering hip-hop and spoken word poetry. Wilson’s performance integrated audience participation with a rambunctious call-and-response to hype up his DJ, while Williams, serving as emcee for the night, freely flowed between acts with his own slam poetry. Noname offered a fun and talkative stage presence between her compelling mix of new and old material, with highlights like her verse on Chance the Rapper’s “Lost” demonstrating her mellifluous rap flow. One unfortunate incident occurred when the loud audience interrupted a heartfelt spoken word performance, leading Noname to rightfully scold the disrespectful students. Not content to let this mar her night, the audience fell silent, enraptured by her deft performance.
