Walking into SOB's around 8 p.m. with a gold plastic "Think Tink" chain clutched tightly between my fingers as I begin to type notes in my iPhone, I start to notice Tink stickers, more plastic gold chains, and an empty venue -- I guess that's one of the cons of being early to a show. Nonetheless, I had the perfect view to see who was actually listening to this 19-year-old "it girl" from Chicago.
At first, more men than women began to stroll through for Hot 97's "Who's Next." At the ladies night event with Asia Sparks, Detroit Che and Tink headlining, girl power is in full effect to help find the missing presences of real female rap talent. Women that one day could spit a few bars on tracks with Jay Z or Nas. Could tonight expose the next big rap artist? Another Nicki Minaj or a dead-on Lauryn Hill?
The crowd began to even out gender wise, and all conversations around the bar were about Timbaland's protégé, Tink. As I walked through the venue, I overheard arguments about if she was overrated with several comparisons to hip-hop greats. The talk of the evening continued even into the restroom where three women conversed about only coming to see and support Tink after becoming fans following her Power 105.1 Breakfast Club interview.
As the event commenced, the first two performers graced the stage and killed their performances before Tink finally took the stage to top off the evening. Grateful for the opportunity to perform for such a major outlet like Hot 97, the "Ratchet Commandments" rap star expressed gratitude, "New York is the city that understand hip-hop. A lot of cities don't get it y'all." She said before going into her next song she yelled to the crowd, "That reason. I'm going to give you some real Hip Hop. If you know you can't trust no n*gga in this world let me hear you make some noise." She said before the crowd erupted with cheers, "Let me talk to them real quick."
Who's Next? Tink's NEXT!
Watch the performance here:
