Monaleo Conquers Technical Difficulties, Delivers Electric ‘Monaleo Like Monalisa’ Show: 5 Best Moments

After polling the crowd’s birthdays and zodiac signs (Libras, Scorpios, Saggitariuses and Taurses got special shout-outs), Monaleo launched into a performance of her most recent single, “Crying On Your Birthday.” With that track, she flips the classic “Happy Birthday” melody into a song lambasting no-good men, and promising retaliation of even greater proportions. Despite having to restart the whole sequence because of sound issues, the song still made for a standout moment.

According to the crowd, we are, in fact, humping. The beloved Flo Milli-featuring banger got a deafening crowd response filled with so much excitement that the screams threw Monaleo off the track. The crowd came in about four bars too early, but that didn’t stop Leo from delivering a room-rocking rendition of the hit single. When the lyrics, “Wake up Mr. I need a break after the first fuckin’ round / Y’all be weak in the knees, stand up / Stand up!” reverberated across the venue, there was no mistaking Monaleo’s genuine star quality.

“If you were to leave this world today, I’ll miss you,” Monaleo gushed as she closed out the show. “I love you!” The Houstonian has been vocal about her mental health struggles and past suicide attempts, so this message didn’t land as boilerplate as it might have been from another artist. There was genuine conviction in her voice, her chords trembling slightly as she fought through the torrent of emotions the night gifted her.

Monaleo may have spent the night professing her love for New York, but she made sure to keep her hometown front and center with a fantastic rendition of “Ridgemont Baby.” The penultimate track on Where the Flowers Don’t Die, “Ridgemont Baby” made for the night’s most moving moment, with Monaleo channeling the whirlwind journey of the past three years into every bar she spit.

The female rap renaissance is still raging, and New York is the heart of the movement. Monaleo recognized those hallowed grounds by bringing out three of the city’s buzziest new female rappers to perform each of their biggest hits. Connie Diiamond lit up the stage with a captivating rendition of her fast-rising “Ghetto & Ratchet,” and Cleotrapa followed soon after with a vivacious performance of “Main Character.” Philly rapper Lay Bankz held it down for her hometown with a hip-rocking performance of “Ick,” while Maiya The Don drew the loudest crowd response with her hit single “Telfy.” The whole section was a joy to watch, and a testament to how healthy the female rap scene is right now.