Theophilus London Electrifies Crowd at 9:30 Club

In what has been hailed by attendees as one of the hypest concerts they've ever been too, Theophilus London and opening act Phony Ppl showed out for the District at a brimming 9:30 Club on Tuesday night.

London is on his Tour de Roses with Phony Ppl, a new group that is on their first national tour.

An eclectic mix of students from Howard University, George Washington University and University of Maryland, Baltimore County attended the event in addition to a diverse mix of 18-25-year-olds who were dressed in their most thrifty gear for the night's performances.

Phony Ppl – a musical creation comprised of about 10 guys – had the crowd electrified during their segment. Some in the crowd were so enthralled by the performance that they wondered Phony Ppl would top the headliner. The group is a collective composed of rappers, guitar players, saxophonists, dancers and drummers.

Howard University student and fan of the group, Josh Collins, was very impressed by their performance

"Phony Ppl was like a mix between Odd Future and GWN," Collins said. "They were a great opener for Theophilus."

Theophilus is on stop 17 of his 21-city tour. He showcased some of his newest songs fresh from the grind, such as "Lisa" which he unleashed for the first time on Sunday night in San Francisco. The Brooklyn-raised Trinadian- breed rapper also performed several hits from his debut album Timez Are Weird These Days, including "Girls, Girls, $", "Flying Overseas", and popular hit "I Stand Alone".

He also performed "Big Spender", a song he recently recorded with A$AP Rocky and "Last Name London," the biggest hit of the night.

"I've been listening to him for three or four years now, but I've never seen him live," said Donald Hankerson, a University of Maryland, Baltimore County student. "This is my first time here for the experience because I heard his live performances are on point,"

Cheakaity Brown also known as Prince Wierdo of local band ACME has been to five of Theophilus London's shows and loves his versatility between rapping, singing, and playing instruments.

Howard students and big fans of London's groove, David Glover, a senior architecture major, and Jaron White, a senior film major, accompanied some friends to the live show.

"The Theophilus London concert sounded as good live as it did on the CD," Glover said. "I walked into the 9:30 Club when he was performing my favorite song "Why Even Try" and I went off."

The $20 ticket paid for a four-hour performance and artists who were enthusiastic to speak with fans afterwards.