Photos by Cristal Carmargo and The K-Stage ; Written by Cristal Carmargo

“Show Me the Money” winner, Lee Youngji,  brought a new level of energy to The Novo in LA. Her set opened up with ruby and azure lights flooding the venue and after an explosive entrance to the stage, Youngji’s rich vocals immersed the audience in the first song of her “All or Nothing” tour. 

Youngji is packed with self-confidence, knowing her vocals are not just good, they’re two-time-show-winning good. She showed off by stating “I’m a winner of a survival program [which] I deserved. I’m a two time winner, I deserved it.”

The self-assured rapper was determined to give her eager fans an interactive experience when she performed “My Cat” by walking into the crowd and singing beside them. Fans sang along, their words crisp and loud in the venue, something Youngji noted by saying she got goosebumps by hearing the fanchants. 

Youngji performed another song from her recent album “16 Fantasy” and explained the story behind the song “Small Girl” and stated she was not a small girl but that she was a “tall girlie.” In the story she said she had a boyfriend who talked with a short, aka small, girl and seemed to light up when talking with her. The crowd grew upset that the soloist had experienced such an encounter and began booing which Lee Youngji quickly controlled by stating “Stop booing I make money off of that.”

Her vocals continued to ricochet off The Novo’s walls, rapping with an air of self-confidence and bright energy. She bounced across the stage, her vocals steady even when she danced and swayed her hips. To keep the vibe going she began scouting for dancers in the crowd and eventually chose 4 of them and revealed they were going to dance with her on-stage for her performance of “That’s My Girl.” Youngji encouraged the fans to chant that’s my girl! as the four dancers performed free-style moves with the artist. Electricity snapped through the air, overflowing with energy and roaring chants. Friends of the dancers screamed and the words that’s my girl! repeated endlessly until the song finally ended.

The interactions didn’t stop there, in fact Youngji scouted two more fans for a rap part in “Not Sorry.” The song features fellow rapper pH-1 and the fans were to fill that part instead. Youngji had the two fans perform the rap and the audience chose a winner by a booming round of applause. The winner was a natural and seamlessly sang alongside Youngji for a memorable performance.

Lee Youngji continued to perform a mix of songs from her latest album, Show Me the Money, and High School Rapper. The fans sang throughout the length of the concert, sometimes bringing out their phone flashlights to sway and sometimes putting their arms up to jump and dance. No matter which song Youngji sang it seemed her fans knew the songs even better than the last.

Towards the end of the night Youngji began her closing monologue with a glass of wine. She expressed that she did not expect this many fans to come and was proud of herself. The rapper chose to cheer to herself and cheer to her fans.

Of course the night wasn’t finished, she began the encore with two songs she featured in. The first being BSS’s song “Fighting” and the second being “Smoke” which she rapped alongside Dynamic Duo. 

The final part of the night turned out to be just as explosive as the beginning and no matter how many times the crowd chanted her name Lee Youngji!

Youngji is more than just an artist; she is a top-tier entertainer.

READ BELOW : Our Quick Interview With Youngji About Experiences and Inspirations!

Q1: Your latest song, “My Cat,” has been receiving a lot of praise. Can you share the inspiration behind this track considering you don’t have a cat?

A1: Well that’s the point haha I dont have a cat. *translator: I have a history of fostering and taking care of cats. Even if I don’t have a cat I like the experience a cat gives me.

Q2: Do you think your journey through the competitive music scene, particularly on “Show Me the Money,” influenced your songwriting and performance approach?

A2: So you mean High School Rapper 3 vs Show Me the Money difference?

“No, how has that shaped your songwriting and performance approach? Those experiences?”

*translator: from those survival shows I’ve always had an opponent to win over. I did have outspoken opponents. So I always feel like I’m against opponents.

I love my performance especially Witch from SMTM11. That was a super mad performance. Everybody [was] judging me and everybody [was] spreading rumors about me. So I was so mad, I’d be like “I’m gonna be a fucking witch” so you guys can do everything to me and keep throwing shit to me but I will do nothing. I’m just dancing I’m just performance.

Q3: Can you tell us about your favorite performance from your career so far that you feel was particularly impactful or memorable? What made it stand out for you?

It would be Witch from SMTM11. Like I said it was a very impactful performance for me.