An emcee who often chooses to stay away from the spotlight, D-Sisive seems to be making a comeback in 2023. After being nominated for multiple Juno awards over the course of his career, he’s been relatively quiet since the mid-2010s, taking some time to get his mental health back on track, overcome an addiction, and work on improving his family life. He’s since made a triumphant return to performing live on stage, opening for Smif-N-Wessun at The Rivoli back in April as part of a new group called Low-U, which is the duo consisting of himself and Adam Bomb. The group has gone on to release the single “AYMAGF,” with D-Sisive’s confidence on display at a new high, and he would now be ready to headline his own show for the first time in 8 years, joined by Adam Bomb and other special guests. Many fans have probably seen D-Sisive perform at festivals or open for other artists over the years, but this would be a rare opportunity to see him as the headliner, taking a deep dive into his discography.

This would be an early show at The Rivoli with a quick turnaround time, as doors opened at 7pm and the Hip-Hop crowd had to clear out by 10:30 to make way for a Madonna-themed dance party in the late night. Rather than going the traditional route and having openers come on one at a time, D-Sisive himself came out to get the show started just after 8, with DJ Techtwelve backing him up, and he would perform a handful of songs between bringing out his special guests.

D-Sisive would kick off the show with a performance of his song “If…” off of the 2011 album Jonestown 2: Jimmy Go Bye Bye, which explores the idea of famous rappers like Kanye West and Jay-Z creating similar songs as he does, and whether they would sell the same. Approaching his stage show almost like a stand-up comedian, D-Sisive would take time between songs to crack jokes about his age while also humbly thanking the crowd for being there. Wearing a crisp pair of Jordan 3’s, D-Sisive would perform another Jonestown 2 joint where those same pair of shoes are central to the music video, “No More Words,” and would next perform several songs off of his first Juno-nominated project, The Book. He’d perform classics like “Up” and “Kneecaps” with the crowd joining in on the adlibs and the Simpsons reference in his lyrics cleverly matching his hoodie, and would perform the song “Laundry Room” surprisingly for the very first time, getting heads nodding to that boom-bap beat and the wicked sample flip.

Working double-duty as both a headliner and host, D-Sisive would bring out his first special guest of the evening, Sayzee, who would spit a freestyle while getting the sound man to adjust the monitors up front. He would do a short but sweet performance, getting heads nodding to a track he rapped over the beat from Benny The Butcher’s “Johnny P’s Caddy,” and closed out his set with his Razor Ramon tribute, “Machismo.”

When D-Sisive returned to the stage, he would move quickly through a medley of songs, including a couple 2013 joints off of The D.ark Tape, “One and Only” and “Tito Jackson.” He would slowly move back in time, and the crowd got more hyped with every throwback he pulled out, first getting heads nodding to 2012’s “GG Allin” before going back to 2009. A fan-favourite within his discography, D-Sisive would pull out a couple songs off of his classic Let The Children Die, the fans cheering as soon as he mentioned the album and performed the title track. After enthusiastically playing air piano to the instrumental that closes “Let The Children Die,” he’d follow up with “Nobody With A Notepad” before bringing out another round of special guests.

Some fans might say that D-Sisive is known for his emotional songs about mental health, and the next guest to join him on stage would draw on that type of appeal. Spark Houston came out spitting an accapella freestyle to draw the listeners in before performing a couple mellow, emotional tracks with a Macklemore type of style to them (minimalist drums bringing focus to the words). Understanding that style of rap isn’t exactly party vibes, D-Sisive quickly brought out yet another guest, J.O. Mairs, who was also an opener for Smif-N-Wessun at this same venue back in April. J.O. Mairs brought back that more aggressive style of rap, getting heads nodding again to the boom-bap beat on “Catch A Body Music,” and would be joined by his partner-in-rhyme, Gudini. Together, the duo of Gudini and J.O. Mairs make up the group RunXGun, and they brought that energy to the mic that you’d expect with a name like that, playing on some throwback Jay-Z flows for their hook for “All You Need.”

RunXGun are set to co-headline the 2023 Unity Festival in Underpass Park on July 22nd, fans can RSVP for free here.

While D-Sisive had been enjoying watching his friends perform from backstage, he would actually join the next guest on stage to perform alongside, introducing his latest collaborator, Adam Bomb. Proudly talking about how they’ve been wanting to do an album together for years and how they were finally making it happen, the duo would get right into some new Low-U music, performing their new single “AYMAGF” with a couple braggadocios verses from each emcee. They would follow up with their 2011 collab “#1 Record” before doing a more up-tempo new joint (possibly called “Live Forever”), both emcees nailing the fast flow. They would next do a medley with quick transitions between some of their solo tracks, going from Adam Bomb’s “Furthermore” to D-Sisive’s “Brian Wilson.” Similar to when they opened for Smif-N-Wessun, the emcees would go track-for-track and back each other up, including throwbacks like Adam Bomb’s “Show & Prove,” and D-Sisive’s “West Coast.”

Keeping an eye on the time, D-Sisive would quickly bring out one final guest for the evening, Roshin, who would perform a couple tracks including the Sean Price-assisted “Same Damn ‘Lo Sweater,” the crowd giving an “RIP Sean P!” shoutout afterwards. D-Sisive would then return to perform a final pair of songs to end the show with, first doing another Jonestown 2 throwback that he had never performed live before, the intense, 4-minute verse filled with venting, “If I Live To See Tomorrow.” He would jokingly apologize in advance if he screwed up the first-time performance, but he actually nailed every word in the verse and killed it!

Closing out the show would be the only song of the evening D-Sisive would perform off of his Jonestown 3: The Dream Is Over album, “When We Die We Die Together.” Much of the crowd would join in and rap along to the verses, and everyone sang along to that incredible chorus, fitting the dive-bar sing-along vibes that the music video has. With the sing-along marking a triumphant end to the show, D-Sisive would walk down the front of the stage and join the fans in the crowd, giving props and hugs all around.

Overall, this was a great show that put D-Sisive’s deep discography on display, celebrating both the decade-old classics he’s released as well as building anticipation for what’s to come. In a year where we’re celebrating 50 years of Hip-Hop, D-Sisive proved to have a legacy worth celebrating, putting his underrated repertoire on display and reminding the fans why he’s one of Canada’s greats. For this being his first headlining show in 8 years, it was very well structured and unique, keeping the fans drawn in with the way he brought out his special guests throughout his own prolonged setlist. Even for casual fans who may have been unfamiliar with some of the songs, if you’re a fan of authentic Hip-Hop, dope lyricism and raw raps, you had to appreciate the way D-Sisive and all of his special guests rocked the mic.

It’s great seeing D-Sisive back at it after all these years, and we’re looking forward to seeing how the Low-U project turns out with Adam Bomb – their segment on stage together was definitely a highlight!

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