We all chase highs of one sort or another: some seek to reattain a certain chemical-boosted level, others are chasing ideals that have long disappeared from the rear-view, for some of us we are trying to recapture the magic of seeing a movie or band for the very first time. That is precisely what had me circling July 28th on my concert calendar in 2022, chasing an October evening from 2019 when my mind was blown by Kitamaat, BC’s own Snotty Nose Rez Kids.

It was an overdue return for the hip-hop duo of Darren “Young D ” Metz and Quinton “Yung Trybez” Nyce, who had crossed the continent on a 40-plus-stop tour in support of the duo’s latest release Life After.  The fact that the province was experiencing a heatwave didn’t deter fans from packing the Seahorse Tavern; people were ready to party and revel in the socially conscious and clever rhymes from this fiery duo.  It was a night for the ages, one that managed to top that first Snotty Nose Rez Kids (SNRK) show and then some.

Having Lex Leosis join you as tour support definitely put this show over the top. Leosis was a member of the Toronto-based hip-hop collective The Sorority (alongside other notable members Haviah Mighty and Keysha Freshh) and has been busy crafting her own brand of juicy, big-beat hip-hop gems. It was great to hear bangers like “Pull Up”, “Se Miso” and “Wanted” in person; by the end of her set she had lured folks to the stage and had them grooving right along. It was a definite treat to have Lex Leosis performing out east.

Once the crowd was primed, it was time for the headliners to take to the stage with DJ Kookum (the band’s longtime DJ) who was handling duties on the 1’s and 2’s. For well over the next hour, Young D and Yung Trybez tore up the Seahorse stage, making the most of the space that they were given. The two Polaris-nominated emcees not only regaled the crowd with cuts from their latest album Life After (“Uncle Rico”, “Red Sky at Night”), but their breakthrough album TRAPLINE featured heavily in the set list as well (“Lost Tribe”, “Boujee Natives”).  During one of the song breaks, Yung Trybez shouted out a pair of brothers in the crowd who were repping some early SNRK merch and welcomed them on stage to show off their vintage gear.

It was a set that wasn’t limited to the Seahorse stage, as Yung Trybez headed into the crowd to join the mosh pit at one point, and then a short time later, both members of SNRK headed out to commune with the crowd for a performance of “Aliens vs. Indians”.  It was a great way to put a cap on the evening. Considering this was the final date of their tour, this could have easily been one where the band phoned it in, but they did anything but.  They left it all on the stage and left the crowd sweaty, spent and smiling. I was glad I went chasing the high of that very first SNRK show, as this one easily exceeded the first, not something you can always say. Until the next SNRK show, I’ll be riding high on this one in the meantime.