I Saw Tink, Therefore I Am

All photos courtesy of Julien Bowry

If she’s feeling any pressure from the anticipation of her debut full-length album or being hailed as the next big rapper by everybody, Tink has yet to show it. Only a few weeks after she made the cover of XXL’s 2015 Freshman Class issue—only one of two females to do so (the other was DeJ Loaf)—the Chicago native made her Toronto debut at Adelaide Hall last night for a Red Bull-presented NXNE showcase.

After strong opening sets from upcoming hometown rapper Dillan Ponders and R&B singer-songwriter Allie, British emcee and poet Kate Tempest captivated with her ferocious and pointed rhymes, before dexterous 18-year-old New York wordsmith Bishop Nehru proved why he’s drawn praise from Kendrick Lamar, MF Doom, and Nas.

Despite not taking to the stage until 1 AM after a brief warmup from the affable DJ Reese, the recently renovated venue was completely packed for Tink’s set. Wearing a nightdress emblazoned with a U.S. flag (#HilaryTink2016) and a smiley face, the emcee was high-energy from the get-go, sweeping the stage and bantering with the presence of a veteran. While her American festival shows have occasionally featured her mentor Timbaland (a co-sign that’s either a blessing or a curse depending on who you ask), he was thankfully absent, which allowed everybody to focus their attention on the magnetic performer.

Since 2005 the 20-year-old has been remarkably prolific, releasing five mixtapes including last year’s well-received Winter’s Diary 2, which saw her strike a cohesive balance between rapping and singing. During her all-to-brief 30 minutes, she showed her versatility, alternating between tender R&B ballads (the Aaliyah-interpolating “Million”, “Treat Me Like Somebody”) and take-no-prisoners lyrical displays (“Around The Clock”)

After shouting out the women in attendance, she rounded out her set with her assists on L.A.-based production group Future Brown’s “Wanna Party” (the song’s rattling bass and ghostly bells reverberating to the rafters) and U.K. producer Tazer’s “Wet Dollars”. For the closer, the emcee chose the Biggie Smalls-referencing “Ratchet Commandments”, stretching out every last syllable. She plays one more show at NXNE this week, and there’s no question that the next time she performs in Toronto, it’ll be in a much larger room.

Max Mertens is a writer living in Toronto - @Max_Mertens