Stockbridge knocked it out of the park with another free concert on July 4th, with Mykko Montana and Pastor Troy opening for headliner Boosie Badazz. It seemed like the entire city was inside the venue or encamped around it for the show and the post-concert fireworks.
The free concert turned into a sing-along dance fest beginning with Mykko Montanta. Montana opened his set with a new unreleased project he’s working on with producer/songwriter Dun Deal. The audience certainly liked it, dancing and singing the hook before the song was over. After the appetizer, Mykko rapped the intro to his smash single “Do It” acapella. When the beat dropped, the audience went nuts.
Radio personality Lightfoot entertained the audience until it was time for an Atlanta icon to take the stage. Micah LeVar Troy, like many of his Atlanta-born contemporaries, took stardom by storm with a string of smash hits. His debut album, “We Ready I Declare War” under his stage name Pastor Troy, included the anthem “No Mo’ Play in GA” that was as much a battle cry as it was a club banger.
The College Park native graduated from Creekside HS in Fairburn, GA, and attended Paine College in Augusta. His association with the Tribe runs deep as sister Dr. Mekia Troy is the school’s athletic director.
Despite his celebrity, Troy has always been a man of the people. In 2001, riding high off the hit “Vice Versa,” Troy was in the tunnel of the Georgia Dome celebrating with the Americus High football team. Former UGA and Arizona Cardinals star Leonard Pope was on that team that went on to win the state title.
Troy can still be found mingling with the people. He has been a fixture at Atlanta Falcons home games with his trademark “championship” belt and Falcons jersey. Before he took the stage Saturday, he walked around the amphitheater taking selfies with fans and passing out posters.
His fondness for the audience didn’t stop with the pre-show walk-through. Troy went into the audience twice during his set. It was WILD! The pastor’s son handed the mic off to another son of a pastor. That piece of trivia wasn’t on my card.
Boosie hitting the stage sent the night into overdrive. The Baton Rouge star wasted no time performing his lyrics on Wipe Me Down, a massive hit by Foxx that he was featured on alongside Webbie. The audience sang letter for letter as he spelled “B-o-o-s-i-e B-a-d-a-z-z”. Before he could say the tag line, every able-bodied fan with working knees was out of their seats.
“I love the sh*t out of Stockbridge”, shouted Boosie. “I might have to get me a house out here in Stockbridge.”
Boosie, at 43 years young and showing no signs of slowing down, zipped back and forth across the stage, sharing songs from his catalog that meant the most to him. Midway through his set, like Mykko before him, the star took a moment to pay homage to deceased rapper Rich Homie Quan.
He credited the Atlanta rapper with talking him down from arguing with people on social media. So is social media good or nah? Put a pin in that.
Boosie kept the heat on high taking off the Rhude Clothing baseball shirt in the process. The harder he went, the harder the audience went – bar for bar. The love the audience gave back to the performers throughout the night was incredible!
The next show is in two weeks, when Grammy Award-winning Spelman alumna singer/pianist Avery Sunshine is joined on stage by smooth jazz saxophonist Gerald Albright, guitarist Jubu, and bassist Julian Vaughn for Guitars and Sax. Get your tickets now for this date night extravaganza.