Highlander
Courtesy of Ralph Arvesen via Wikimedia Commons
A year after its cancellation at the onset of the pandemic, Spring Splash 2021 made an impressive virtual return on Saturday, May 8. Despite being headlined by a prerecorded 21 Savage performance, the ASPB event still delivered dynamic performances by its supporting acts: the R&B sibling duet Chloe x Halle, DJ Madeon and Blxst.
Blxst, who garnered attention after his breakout hit “Hurt,” kicked the night off with a minimalistic set that went well with the raw pleasantness of his music. The Los Angeles native set the tone for the night, producing straightforward, melodic beats accentuated by stirring lyricism like “Heart on my sleeve, but got a problem with wearin’ it.” It’s clear that Blxst is a gifted songwriter, but it’d be easy to overlook the head-bopping fuse he creates between R&B and rap.