4Batz Dazzles on Thank You, Jada Tour: 5 Best Moments

Given the relative coldness of his live performance clips, the innate mystique of his trademark ski mask, and the chilliness of his sound, 4Batz’s onstage charisma may come as a bit of a surprise. He’s only three dates into his very first tour, but he’s fairly comfortable onstage. At multiple points throughout the show — including what appeared to be a failed crowd-surfing attempt — 4Batz left the stage and sang directly in the crowd, dedicating different lines to different fans’ phones and posing for selfies when time allowed.

In addition to the five-person twerk battle — which found two or three ladies seizing the opportunity to throw it back on the R&B star — 4Batz also brought a fan from South Jamaica, Queens, onstage for a “date.” The pair’s chemistry was palpable, with Batz’s laid-back Dallas drawl surging to the front of his voice as he played off of the young lady’s unmistakably New York approach to flirting.

Of course, there’s also the music. Even if it feels like 4Batz emerged out of thin air, people are genuinely connecting with and listening to his songs — as evidenced by the crowd’s unwavering energy throughout the night, as they recited his tracks word for word, especially the entirety of the Drake “Act II: Date @ 8” remix.

Throughout the night, 4Batz teased unreleased music — including an upcoming Sexyy Red collaboration — some of which was notably more uptempo in comparison to the dominant sound of U Made Me a St4r. At one point, he teased new music during the second round of what was originally a five-person twerk battle. Talk about knowing how to keep a snippet lodged in people’s brains!

Because his rise has been so meteoric, the integrity of 4Batz’s success has been routinely questioned. Some have pondered if he’s just a human front for an AI artist, while others have alleged that he is an industry plant.

During a break before the final few songs of the night, Batz spent plenty of time detailing the realities of his come-up. He noted that in the months before he blew up, he lost his father, got kicked out of his house and his now-ex-girlfriend cheated on him. He tried his hands at plenty of things to bring in some money, but he “always kept making music,” he said, even when it was “trash” or “not that good.” Ultimately, he delivered the standard “if you keep the faith and work hard, you’ll see wins just like me!” spiel — but there was actually some true conviction in his voice. “Soon they’ll be calling you AI or an industry plant,” he closed out with an attitude that simply begged for a mic drop moment.

And, for what’s it worth, Batz sang live for his whole set, sprinkling in more than a few completely a cappella moments to showcase the most tender edges of his voice and remind folks that the mic was on. There were a few shaky — and slightly off-key — moments, but no one can call the guy “AI” after this tour. In an era of live shows that have become increasingly dependent on merely lip-syncing to the studio track, Batz deserves his props for singing without a backing track or Auto-Tune — especially in light of how vicious those industry plant allegations continue to be.

Rising Brooklyn rap trio 41 has been making notable strides together and as soloists, but Kyle Richh, Jenn Carter and TaTa prioritized their group endeavors on Thursday night. 4Batz didn’t even need to introduce the three stars by name, all he had to do was tell the DJ to drop the opening notes of their biggest hit, “Bent,” which reached No. 37 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs last year (chart dated Dec. 9, 2023). After all, we were in Brooklyn!

41 effortlessly embodied the boundless of energy of “Bent” as the crowd bellowed every line back to them. While Batz momentarily left the stage for an outfit change, he soon came back to vibe out with the trio as they transitioned from “Bent” to “Beckham,” Kyle Richh’s current viral hit alongside Dee Billz, KJ Swervo and Kai Swervo. Given that Batz initially went viral for his juxtaposition of drill visual aesthetics and tender R&B melodies, it was fitting that his only special guest would be the rap group that’s helping define the current era of New York drill visual and sonic aesthetics.

Contrary to what some may have expected, 4Batz’s staging looks nothing like his live performance music videos, which often feature him clad in a black ski mask and surrounded by a group of goons playing on drill aesthetics. If anything, his staging takes more notes from Usher than, say, Fivio Foreign.

Decorated with a stripper pole on one side of the stage and a couch and a bed on the other, 4Batz used furniture to showcase the different themes of relationship turmoil and temptation. During “Act IV: Fukin U Again (18+)” — he played both the original and the Usher remix — 4Batz turned up the heat with a near-X-rated sequence that found him and a backup dancer simulating sex on the bed after he ripped off his shirt, leaving him in just his sweatpants and ski mask. The increasing dominance of hip-hop aesthetics in male R&B has, in some ways, devalued the power of sex appeal. Amazingly, at just 20 years old and one project into the game, 4Batz has already figured out a way to bridge the sex appeal of past eras of male R&B and his own drill-informed aesthetics. The “Act IV: Fukin U Again (18+)” sequence didn’t keep him confined to the bed, he even left the stage and sang directly in the crowd, basking in the adoration of several feverish female fans who grazed their hands over his bare torso.

As steamy as the show got, 4Batz also made sure to provide a complementary visual showcase for the vulnerability he displays on the mixtape. “Act VII: All We Do Is Argue, Argue” found him and backup dancer using exaggerated stage acting and borderline interpretive dance to convey the song’s tension, while mixtape standout “Act VIII: I Hate to Be Alone” featured him performing under a spotlight with a mic stand, adding a twice-repeated a cappella coda to finish the track.