Vlone headlined at Junction last weekend and brought new energy to the Calgary rage scene

Lights, Camera, Action. Calgary rapper, Vlone pictured sitting in a chair performing a slow heartfelt song at Junction on Sat. Jan. 21. (Craig MacDonald/The Press)

Vlone took the stage in front of the packed crowd and immediately brought the energy in the room from a two to a 10. His first song blasted through the speakers with his crew behind him on the stage jumping and dancing.

I love performing,” he said. “Seeing people recite my lyrics or vibe to my music is such a dope feeling.”

Vlone’s rage inspired trap music makes for the perfect vibes to get a crowd off their feet with a similar atmosphere and style like Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely and other creators.

Further into the set, he transitioned into a more vibe-y trap sound on the verge of pop, with softer beats and catchy hooks—comparative to artist like Gunna, Lil Tjay and Lil Baby. With the two contrasting sounds of soft beats and vibe-y trap, the versatility in the genre, along with his rapping, singing and song-making abilities that makes for the ideal Shazam for any hip-hop fan to enjoy.

“Carti, for sure, Yachty, Ken, Lonely, Trav, Lucki—there’s so many to name from that scene,” he replied when asked about the most significant influences in his music. “I’m trying to be among those names one day.”

Born in Ontario and raised in Calgary, Vlone came up through the underground music scene, where he was formerly known as N.U.M Vinnel and released two albums under that name when he first became an artist in 2018.

He decided to fully rebrand into Vlone with his sights set on the rage music scene.

“I want to connect with the youth and tap into the energy that this community has,” said Vlone when asked about his target audience.

He’s now a part of a new music collective by the name Execution that has three other members—Jaba Hill, Omar and YC.

Execution was created in 2022 by manager Aken Dut, and their goal is to put the city of Calgary on the map. They have partnered with a media group by the name of New Church which does all their photoshoots, music videos and content.

Max Storie, a local photographer and event promoter who’s been in the Calgary music scene for over a decade, says, “He’s an amazing talent. You hear some of these songs and they sound like they could’ve came from someone famous. He’s got potential and I need the city to back him.”

Energy. Calgary rapper, Vlone pictured performing at Junction on Sat. Jan. 21st. (Craig MacDonald/The Press)
About Craig Macdonald 2 Articles
As a news reporting and communications major in the journalism program at SAIT, Craig Macdonald is working as a writer for The Press in 2022-23.