On any Saturday night at Thalia Hall, you expect a show to be going on, in addition, you expect a great show to be going on, and that’s what was delivered. The artist known as “Chicago’s most explicit rapper”, Cupcakke, headlined the vintage venue with support from DJ Funk and DJ King Marie. The 1,300-capacity venue filled up quickly, as the support DJs got the sold-out crowd up and dancing with excitement as we all waited for Cupcakke to take the stage. For those who don’t know, Cupcakke (Elizabeth Eden Harris), got her start in a church choir when she was a child. How she came to be the most explicit rapper Chicago has seen? I’m sure there’s a story there.

Having covered her show at Mamby earlier this year, there was a big difference from that performance to this one. For one, being at an inside venue with controlled sound made a huge difference. In addition, everyone at the show was here for Cupcakke, as opposed to festival goers who were just there to see someone on the bill. And the crowd was insanely fun to be a part of. Singing along to about every song performed, dancing, jumping around, and having a ton of fun would be an understatement of their interactions. Any chance to be a part of the crowd at a Cupcakke show is a must, even if you don’t really know much of her music.

Coming out on stage with one of her most popular tracks, “Vagina”, Cupcakke started the set off with an energetic vibe that would last for the entirety of the set. She just released her second record of 2018 the night before her Thalia Hall performance titled “Eden”, and I sure was surprised to see the crowd light up and singalong to objectively the best track on the album “Prenup”. Given the Latin flavor of the track, I thought it was fitting to have her close out her set with that track at the Pilsen venue. In fact, of the new songs she performed, it was really surprising of how many fans knew all the words to the new songs she performed. This left me to believe that Chicago has the best fans for Chicago artists.