
Teyana Taylor started the night, backed by a squadron of dancers who all wore red, as did she. With a navy blue Yankee fitted hat, the multitalented performer served “Gonna Love Me,” a highlight from her K.T.S.E. (short for Keep That Same Energy).
Following with short but soulful sets were Patrick Droney, on guitar, and Cautious Clay. Newcomer Arin Ray sped up the tempo with and lightened the mood with his sing-songy raps on “We Ain’t Homies.”
“Y’all ready for a fu--in’ show tonight?” Ray asked the crowd who responded with a hearty “yeah.”
Ray, as many remember, was eliminated from the “X Factor” when he was just 15 years in 2011. Since then, the singer has written songs for Chris Brown and most recently toured with H.E.R.
Ray made way for S.I.R., T.D.E. Record’s latest superstar-in-the-making. The crooner started with a stirring serving of “Something New,” then went into “War.”
“I'm not backing down,” he sang. “I made it too far to say that the war is over now. Somehow I was neglecting the fact. That your heart is what you're protecting. And that makes it special. Which is why I'm here. Standing on this ledge, trying to make it clear.”
Sir’s affection went from a woman to Mary Jane on “D’Evils.” The Inglewood, CA native told the New York crowd that he smokes on that Cali OG and harmonized as the sampled chorus on his song rang throughout Barclays, “One spliff a day, keeps the evil away.”