By Daniel Paiz

Blueprint & Local Denver MCs tear down Bar Red to close out the headliner’s Vessel tour. Bar Red has a reputation for bringing the who’s who of underground emcees nationally and locally, and Saturday night was no exception. Six local acts were scheduled, and those artists included Stoney Bertz, 3Two, Greybeard, NME, Smallboi Funk, and An Hobbes. I arrived in time to see a majority of the acts, but pretty sure I missed NME and An Hobbes.

Local Denver MCs

Stoney Bertz

This artist drove up from Colorado Springs, and his dedication to getting up to Denver explained his skillset. This emcee had the smoothest delivery and a solid storytelling method. His vocals reminded me of a younger Joey Bad@$$ and his music sounded like a similar musical vein. His pacing was also quite good and was the best option when it came to the spot before the headliner.

3Two

A pretty short set, 3Two had a lot of energy and did a good job of reaching out to the crowd. It’s tough to do sometimes when the crowd isn’t very responsive; this crowd waned often with the local support. 3Two had some good bars and complimentary beats to match. A longer set might’ve pulled the crowd in more as it felt a bit rushed.

Greybeard

The first artist I was in time for, this guy has the beard to match the rapid-fire lines. Very syllabic songs that rattled off rhymes almost too quickly, the songs were solid. I can relate to his efforts to want to show off his versatile verbal artillery; however, it can also go over some listener’s heads. Good rhymes and good music, but also slower pacing would’ve added to the set even more.

Smallboi Funk

Apparently, this emcee had just been freestyling for numerous hours, so it was slightly evident that had taken its toll. This guy still pushed through to drop a handful of songs and weaved his words around some interesting beats. The songs were somewhat short, but what was delivered was good and warmed up the crowd for Stoney Bertz.

Blueprint

The Ohio rapper announces to the crowd that this Denver stop is show 53 out of 53 for his 2025 Vessel tour. This emcee has traveled across the country taking stages of all kinds, and this chilly Saturday night in downtown Denver seems a fitting end. The veteran musician interacts with the crowd, introducing songs, asking questions, and regaling everyone with a short tale.

This man had thought his music days were done a couple of years ago, but he got another chance to keep making music and touring, and he acknowledged the crowd for being a reason for that. There were tunes ranging across his discography; from the newest album Vessel all the way back to his two decades-old debut of 1988.

Favorite tracks for this observer were “Forever”, “Start with Gratitude” and “Liberated”, amongst others. Blueprint also broke out the trombone and played a few notes for the chorus of a song I didn’t recognize. He got hype on certain songs, vibed with the crowd on other ones, and appeared to be enjoying his time at Bar Red. One of the more intimate venues in Denver, it was a perfect setting to end the tour.

This crowd knew his music to varying degrees, and one could tell fans from all over his catalog were present; different songs had different people hype. That’s longevity, which is harder and harder to have in the music industry and in Hip-Hop. Props to this schematic sayer of rhymes, well done.