One of the biggest hip-hop stars in the world recently gave thousands of fans an unforgettable experience in downtown Roanoke.
Presented by the Royal Jewelz Social Club, the “Something in the Mountains” concert took place on Aug. 8 at Elmwood Park, the city’s premier outdoor concert venue. With DaBaby, real name Jonathan Kirk, headlining, the other scheduled artists were Natalie Nunn, Yung Joc, TK Kravitz and T-Rell.
Within days of going on sale, more than half of all available tickets were already purchased. Chantel Lewis was there with her family 30 minutes before the gates opened. When DaBaby performed “Rockstar,” her crew of six knew every single word.
“Ever since hearing ‘Suge’ five years ago, I’ve been a huge fan of DaBaby. For my birthday, the love of my life surprised my closest friends and me with tickets.
I don’t know how he is going to top this in the future,” Lewis said. “I didn’t need to familiarize myself with DaBaby’s discography before the concert. I’m that in tune with his art. When I looked out in the crowd, it was super cool to see people of all ages dancing and having a great time.”
Shana Jackson wholeheartedly agrees. She also believes that nothing beats a great live experience with loved ones. Of all the acts that hit the stage, Kravitz was the one she was least familiar with.
“I knew that DaBaby was known for his electrifying performances, but man, TK was just as impressive. You must be in great shape to do what they did. To say I had a great time would be an understatement,” she said.
Ryan Crawford and his girlfriend placed a friendly wager before the concert began. The one who perfectly predicted DaBaby’s set playlist would not have to do the dishes for an entire month.
“We are both competitive, so we took the challenge seriously,” Crawford said. “She missed the cut by three songs. I could not have been more accurate. Did I watch his recent outdoor performances on YouTube to get an idea? Sure. But a win is a win.”
DaBaby has released five studio albums: Baby on Baby (2019), Kirk (2019), Blame It on Baby (2020), Baby on Baby 2 (2022) and Be More Grateful (2026).
With 31 million monthly Spotify listeners, DaBaby is one of the most popular artists in music today. To date, the North Carolina native has won three ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, two iHeartRadio Music Awards and one BET Music Award.
