R.A.P. Ferreira Puts Dignity and Pride on the Line at Drkmttr

“The press is telling us lies. We will not tolerate fear. We will not tolerate you.” 

Speaking over the backdrop of his beats during his set Saturday at Drkmttr, Nashville hip-hop champion R.A.P. Ferreira’s voice was almost too soft for the weight of his statement.

The widely traveled MC, producer, co-founder of rap collective and indie label Ruby Yacht and owner of Soulfolks Records and Tapes put down roots in Music City a few years back, and he was wrapping up a run of dates with New Orleans-by-way-of-Brooklyn rapper Cavalier. The pair teamed up on the Dignity & Pride Tour to put a spotlight on the importance of their work as poets in an increasingly foreboding world brimming with misinformation and disinformation, in which it’s harder for artists to make a living. The message echoes the themes of Ferreira's latest album: The First Fist to Make Contact When We Dap, a collaboration with Japanese producer Fumitake Tamura, defiantly challenges monolithic concepts of identity amid reflections on Nashville and Tamura’s home country.

Saturday wasn’t Ferreira’s first visit to the venue, an all-ages spot that has been a boon to Nashville’s underground music scenes with a wide range of shows and community events since it opened its doors at its original location in 2015. The Drkmttr crew recently began the process to become a federally recognized nonprofit and launched a successful fundraiser to help them keep going while the approval process plays out. The independent venue has an intimate atmosphere, with elements like binder-clipped curtains and its signature moon backdrop that convey a DIY spirit; like Ferreira himself, Drkmttr resonates with artists and its diverse, all-ages audience.

Opening the evening was Tulsa, Okla., singer and rapper Johnny Polygon. He’s a good man with some bad habits — or that’s the theme of his discography, anyway. His introspective music, which approaches a fascinating intersection of darkwave and R&B, leans into his journey to sobriety (he recently celebrated one year of being sober) with sweeping falsettos and deeply honest rhymes you can’t help but sway to. The whimsical melody of “Whoa Is Me” seamlessly segued into the narrative introduction of “Bad Habits,” at which point Polygon halted the beat. Only after someone shouted, “Run it back!” did he resume his set with a collected, commanding energy akin to James Blake. 

During the intermission, a remix of Fergie's “Glamorous” filled the air. A few minutes later, sporting a gold grill and ruby-hued cowboy boots, Cavalier drew all eyes to the stage with his undeniable presence. The enigmatic MC's rap style was as lively as his fashion sense, and he effortlessly pulled the crowd toward him. On “Heavy Crown” and “Inna Di Dance,” two songs from his 2015 LP Lemonade, Cav’s rapid-fire flow reminded me of Daveed Diggs’ star turn as the Marquis de Lafayette in Hamilton.

“I rap about this because it’s sustainable,” Cavalier said, rolling through the repetition-heavy single “Pears” to finish his set. “These raps are my past but this right here is my future.” Throughout his catalog, including his most recent LP Different Type Time, his rhymes are a bridge between meditative hip-hop, NOLA jazz and deep Southern blues, with every bass line, saxophone melody and keyboard phrase emphasizing the MC’s emotional intent. 

Ferriera casually took the stage and switched up the vibe entirely. What had been a modest crowd seemed to grow to a throng instantaneously, as if his never-cluttered beats and poignant bars — part of the sonic signature he has crafted from elements of jazz and spoken-word poetry, which ranges widely but he always makes his own — had conjured the audience out of thin air. The lo-fi-inspired “Begonias” and darkly funky “Bending Corners,” two First Fist songs, segued together as the MC held the crowd spellbound, despite occasional tussles with “his nemesis” (as he described technical difficulties with his mic). 

“Diogenes on an Auction Block” commented on racism in America and the South while calling out the effect of commercialism in music on the ability of art to do its job in demanding change, as he rapped passionately: “Very difficult not reacting to things / Especially the ones that aren't happening / If it all becomes description, why does the problem persist? / Political spectrum be ‘Sprite or Sierra Mist,’ it's disgusting.” He closed the show with “47 Rockets Taped to My Chair,” a First Fist standout dedicated to Palestinian professor and activist Refaat Alareer.

Earlier, “East Nashville” — which includes the unstoppable chant “R.A.P. Ferreira / And I will rap forever” — opened a window into the whirlwind that life can be for an MC who spends so much time on the road. (After a few days off, he’ll be in Canada before heading to the U.K.) But it seems like he’s feeling at home in Nashville, making our network of hip-hop scenes even more vibrant while he enriches independent music all over.

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