The Kid Laroi tributes friend, and late rapper, JuiceWrld. PHOTO CREDIT: Lauren Drapeau | Contributing Reporter
Australian rapper The Kid Laroi and American pop singer Jeremy Zucker performed at the University of Rhode Island on Friday as a stop on their “Bleed For You” U.S. tour.
Laroi, from Sydney, Australia, has already released a full album and produced hit singles featuring the likes of Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus at the age of 19. His single “STAY”, with Justin Bieber, reached the top ten of the U.S. Billboard 100 for seven non-consecutive weeks. His 2020 single “F*ck Love” made him the youngest Australian to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard 200.
Of Australian aboriginal descent and born to a music producer father and talent manager mother, Laroi has been making music since he was 12 years old. At 15, he opened for the late rapper JuiceWrld on his final tour through Sydney and Melbourne, creating a friendship that brought Laroi into the international music industry, according to a Billboard article about JuiceWrld’s death. After signing Laroi to Grade A Productions, JuiceWrld’s record company, the two recorded “Go” in August 2019. When JuiceWrld overdosed on his private jet in December 2019, Laroi was with him on the plane.
Laroi performed a JuiceWrld tribute at the Ryan Center on Friday, rallying the audience to chant “long live Juice” before performing “Go” and “Tell Me Why,” Laroi’s tribute to JuiceWrld that details his experience in processing his close friend’s death.
While Laroi’s style is largely considered rap, his music encompasses a number of genres from rap to pop and rock. Performing without pre-recorded vocals, minimal autotune and a live band rather than backing tracks, Laroi’s performance felt much more like a live rock concert than a rap show. Much of the music theory to Laroi’s songs and his style of performance reflects that of his peer Post Malone, an American rapper known to perform with live bands and acoustic instruments at his shows. Laroi was featured on Malone’s 2022 hit song “Wasting Angels.”
Adding additional depth to Laroi’s performance was Jeremy Zucker’s opening act. Zucker, 27, is a renowned pop artist famous for his hit songs “Comethru” and “You Were Good To Me.” While Zucker’s performance was much shorter and less energetic than Laroi, he was met with fanfare from the crowd and reached a section of the audience that was not interested in Laroi.
“My friends and I drove all the way from Massachusetts to see Jeremy Zucker,” Sarah S., a member of the audience, said. “I’ve never been a big fan of The Kid Laroi but I’ve been waiting for Jeremy Zucker to come to New England forever.”
Zucker’s performance included hit songs “Talk Is Overrated”, “You Were Good To Me”, “All The Kids Are Depressed” and “Comethru,” as well as his February single “Internet Crush”. The duo’s Ryan Center performance is the second stop on their 20-show national “Bleed For You” tour, which will include stops across the U.S. with two summer performances at Coachella. The Kid Laroi and Jeremy Zucker’s performance follows the Ryan Center’s February A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie concert and precedes Don Toliver, who will perform on April 29th.