Written by Kevin Bessey
Chief Music Writer
The performance began with a techno riff played by DJ Skwrl. The room was tense. The live televising of the Golden Knights hockey game had delayed this performance by more than an hour. The game had gone into double overtime and then sudden death. All were anxious to see how Dak (pseudonym of Cody McCracken) would perform.
Suddenly, Dak burst onto the stage with the opening line from Cruise Control. “Never catch me with my feet up/When you’re in control that’s when you need to speed up.”
The atmosphere instantly transformed and Dak had captured the crowd’s attention. People were bouncing, the music was pumping, and Dak was spitting some rap flames.
Dak is an up and coming rap master. The show didn’t feel like it was being held in a midsize venue like the Brooklyn Bowl. Dak commanded that stage as if he was at the nearby T Mobile Arena. He got people waving their hands, he got them dancing, and he got them to just vibe to his every word.
He thought through his set so well. I could tell that he had put effort into the organization and presentation of his songs. He contrasted happy go lucky songs like This Moment and Wednesday with deep, sometimes sad songs like Fences and Las Vegas Boulevard.
In between songs he had just the right amount of playful banter, interesting sketches, and even the occasional pun. I may not have seen a ton of rappers perform in my life, but Dak is definitely one of the best.
I have to admit that Cody McCracken (Dak) is a close personal friend. That being said, I was thoroughly impressed. In our day to day interactions, Cody is always kind and humble. It seemed like he was a different person on stage. He wasn’t rude, but he was so confident and seemed to be so in control of the situation that I almost couldn’t believe he was the same person.
His guest features of Vessel and Terra were also incredible. They seemed to feed off of each other so well. His energy was infectious. The Vessel Dak duo seemed to be a match made in heaven.
So, if ever any of you reading this have a chance to see Dak perform live in concert, I highly recommend it. It’s an opportunity that you don’t want to miss.
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Wait, you want MORE?
Check out our Q&A with Dak from last year.
Hit up Dak’s website and his Instagram too.
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