Sik-K has been lighting a fire stateside with his North American Pop A Lot Tour. On March 19, the heat from that fire reached the Big Apple, and the crowd gathered in Webster Hall proved that the fire for him was burning as strong in New York City. Some fans of Sik-K, also known by his given name Kwon Minsik, had been waiting since the wee hours of the morning, though a handful of die-hards had staked their spot days prior to get that coveted barricade to be as close as they could to their man.

With DJ SMMT spinning, and with no preamble, Sik-K appeared on stage to a deluge of screams and started off the night with the unreleased “Shawty Wanna Wait.” In signature shades and dressed in off-white, it took no time for the energy to flip to max. Echoes of the chorus there only got louder with the next song as chants of “Melanin Handsome” filled the air. The pumped up sounds filled the room, and the show was on. 

Sik-K took a moment to greet and introduce himself, though really, in this crowd there was no need. Everyone knew who they were there to see. Also introducing and giving props to DJ SMMT, Sik-K said, “When I say 'DJ SMMT,' say 'Let’s go!'” With those words, “UNO GOTTA RUN” started. The song had everyone screaming, “Hell yeah,” and then just screaming. Sik-K’s flow was smooth as silk as the rhymes rolled off his tongue. 

As if he knew everyone needed a moment to breathe, he stopped to say hello again to formally welcome everyone to the tour: “So, first of all, welcome to the Pop A Lot Tour. Well, I didn’t release my album yet, so it’ll be out soon. Like very soon, soon. To your home, it’ll be at your door, really fast. So before that, you know, who’s ready for ALBUM ON THE WAY mixtape?” Having everyone who’s ready yell, “hell yeah!" he jumped into the next song.

With HAON joining him for “Crash Mercedes,” the insanity lifted a notch. Joining in on the shades, the denim-clad rapper’s higher pitched voice balanced out Sik-K's tone as they both fed the song to the crowd. With head-bopping youthful energy, HAON  joined for the next few songs from their upcoming album, starting with “Balaclava Babies.” With “Maybe I’m Crazy,” HAON’s shades were finally shed, exposing not only his eyes but another level of comfort on the stage as he now seemed completely in his element. His flow, as well as his head bops, seemed smoother and stronger. As they moved into “I Can’t See You,” arms were pumping in the venue and you could see Sik-K’s shirt sticking to his body with sweat. As if he wanted to see clearer as well, his shades came down as well as he yelled, “Everybody Pop-A-Lot!” With a hug to HAON, training wheels were off as Sik-K left the stage.

HAON began his solo set with his excerpt from “4eva” as hands with four fingers up filled the room before jumping into “No Rush.” “Bar Code,” from his 2018 High School Rapper 2 days, began and had everyone singing along. Clearly this chart-topping all-kill song from 2018 still resonates with fans everywhere. Next, HAON jumped into “Finish Line Remix” yelling, “To all the ladies in the house!” Charming all the ladies with “BwB,” HAON’s sweet smiles filled the short instances where you’d think he would have to breathe. Despite this, he still had energy to yell, “NYC, let’s go!” As the final song of his set, "Noah" had everyone dancing with its Latin-infused sound to the end.

A change of guards had JMIN running onstage. The next special guest was also well known to this crew. Starting with “Smash” and “Don’t Worry,” the charismatic singer in his tan varsity jacket showed no intention of slowing the fire down. With vocals equal to his rap skills, the songs flowed smoothly into the ears of the crowd. 

“I Swear” was next, feeding into the melodic “Wave” which had everyone singing, “woah woah,” along with JMIN. Asking everyone if he could play some “new s*it,” as he hasn’t toured in two years, JMIN started “ANYMORE.”  Jumping into the next song of the night, “Okay,” JMIN taught everyone the chorus, “Shawty want to be my favorite bae, okay,” and had everyone singing along. Going into “Distant,” the jacket was finally shed as he moved back and forth, engaging with those in the front of the crowd: “You guys had fun with that? Okay, I have one more song.” With that, “Dedication” began to the excitement of everyone there.

It was time for the main star of the night’s return, and Sik-K came back to the stage with the unreleased song “Give Me Lit.” As he introduced himself again, he mentioned that the song would be on his album. Taking a moment to express birthday wishes to a fan, Sik-K moved straight into his next song, “Rendezvous.” As everyone knew the song, their voices sang along, and the fan chants echoed throughout the venue. Carrying a ring pop out, Sik-K asked, “What is up?” then, “Whiskey?” to people screaming that they wanted some too.  

Asking, “Don’t throw anything on the stage…please,” he jumped into “NEW LOVE.” His ability to roll his tongue to the lyrics added another dimension, and hearing it live was even better. Handing out water to thirsty fans, Sik-K did his best to hydrate the thirsty crowd. After “MI CASA ES TU CASA,” Sik-K took more time to chat with everyone, looking at one fan and asking if he was drinking beer. “It’s been four, five years, because of [the] Army and then COVID, so I really wanted to come back.” Giving a fan a high-five, “12:45” was the next song on the agenda, followed by “XANAX” and then “RING RING.” The latter had the whole room singing along again, a clear favorite by fans.

“Habibi” was sung to multiple bras being thrown on stage (fans know that bras don’t count in his request not to throw things). A classic Sik-K occurrence, soon his hands and pants were filled as he hung bras along his waistline. Slowly unbuttoning while singing, the striptease wasn’t enough as he poured water on his too-hot self. Of course he also had to anoint the fans who were all suffering from the heat along with him. With “Wet The Bed,” the shirt was deemed unnecessary altogether and tossed. Baring his impressive torso, every camera was on him as he sang “I know, I know,” and we all knew, just knew.

With two songs left before the encore, it was “Tell Ya!” time. The favorite verse, “I hate your friends and your motherf**king crew,” echoed through the hall. The last song of his solo set was “Darling.”

It wasn’t long before the return of the prodigals. The first of the trio, HAON came on stage, but soon JMIN along with Sik-K were both present. With “Water,” the words flowed between the three of them. Sik-k, with his hooded long jacket hanging off his still-uncovered chest, might have initially drawn all the attention, but all three had infectious energy that only hyped up this heated crowd further. This was all the more apparent in “Giddy Up.”

Putting his hood up for “Giddy Up” and then the popular “iffy,” it was soon time for the night to end. With the final “Achoo” and “The Purge,” the night was done. “You guys are f**king lit,” he proclaimed. And they were, but so were the three flames on stage lighting up the night. Nobody was ready to let them go as they took time to sign, give hugs, and take selfies to those within arms reach. Giving as much love to those there as they had received, it was a memorable night for all with hopes that it all happens again soon.