{"id":50434,"date":"2025-10-20T18:57:41","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T22:57:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=50434"},"modified":"2025-10-20T19:04:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T23:04:19","slug":"quadeca-paradise-rock-club-10-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2025\/10\/20\/quadeca-paradise-rock-club-10-17\/","title":{"rendered":"Quadeca @ Paradise Rock Club 10\/17"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photography by Jack Schwed<\/p>\n

Review by James Klein<\/p>\n

Before his sold-out Boston show last Friday, I\u2019d been following Quadeca since his 2018 YouTube days, back when he made his first \u201c20 Styles of Rapping!\u201d video and broke rap song word-count records. Even at 17, his dedication stood out; his precise impressions, versatile production and lyrical creativity hinted at something bigger beyond the clickbait. From the release of 2019\u2019s \u201cVoice Memos\u201d to 2021\u2019s \u201cFrom Me To You,\u201d Quadeca\u2019s sound evolved from the typical YouTube and SoundCloud rap of the time to a more atmospheric and anthemic experimental album, showcasing his potential as a singer and producer. In 2022, with the release of \u201cI Didn\u2019t Mean To Haunt You,\u201d he grew further, honing his storytelling ability with the introspective concept album, evolving his original hip-hop sound to incorporate elements of folktronica and experimental art pop. Now, with last year\u2019s \u201cSCRAPYARD\u201d mixtape and his new masterclass, \u201cVanisher, Horizon Scraper,\u201d Quadeca\u2019s work has become lauded by the internet and the greater alternative music scene. Seeing him live at the Paradise Rock Club felt like watching a prodigy realize his artistic vision.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A line wrapped around the corner of Commonwealth Avenue on Friday night, well before the doors opened. Zealous fans packed the venue, lining up early for merch. The opener, Rozey, started the show with a bang with the song \u201cMob Life\u201d by Doughboyz Cashout, layering shoegaze guitars over gritty Detroit rap. The band came from the Motor City, featuring Rozey on lead vocals, Tommy Fleece on guitar and Anthony Cronk on drums. They played a short set; Rozey\u2019s discography currently only consists of six singles. Rozey was barefoot, toggling guitar pedals with his toes, an eccentric touch that matched the jittery chaos of his set. He paced back and forth, energetically screaming the lyrics. Rozey and Tommy showed off their guitar skills, both performing exhilarating solos. Despite their brief set, they got the crowd moving and excited for Quadeca.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

First, his band appeared\u2014Faheem Erfan in the front, tuning his guitar, Myles Martin sitting at the drum set, Autumn Beviacqua (Oleka) picking up her flute, and Johnny Hall at the keyboard. As Quadeca took the stage, the band layered ethereal sounds over the opening track of \u201cVanisher,\u201d \u201cNO QUESTIONS ASKED.\u201d He sported his jumpsuit from the \u201cVanisher\u201d album movie, where he tells the story of a sailor trying to leave his worries behind at sea. Quadeca pulled a hanging rope to hoist a \u201cVanisher\u201d sail as the band\u2019s contributions to the song built up, singing \u201cI\u2019ll be there when no one is,\u201d and conducting the\u00a0 crowd to join him in repeating the phrase.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Next, Quadeca played another track from \u201cVanisher,\u201d \u201cAT A TIME LIKE THIS.\u201d He danced on stage as he rapped, with the song climaxing at the second bridge.The whole crowd joined him in singing, \u201cCall it, call it, call it what you want, but there’s karma in the current when it’s calm.\u201d He expressed his love for Boston and showed his humorous side, calling the crowd \u201chot-dog shaped\u201d and asking the \u201ccontroversial question\u201d of \u201cWho here likes music?\u201d before performing \u201cGODSTAINED,\u201d \u201cVanisher\u2019s\u201d hit single. Quadeca sang over Oleka\u2019s flute and Martin\u2019s bongos, which drove the jazzy acoustic ballad. The crowd chanted \u201cay, ay\u201d as he danced, hopping around with Erfan before the beat intensified to his rap verse.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The rest of the act displayed his and the band\u2019s versatility as they played some of \u201cSCRAPYARD\u2019s\u201d hits: \u201cPRETTY PRIVILEGE\u201d and \u201cEVEN IF I TRIED.\u201d Martin\u2019s live drums added a powerful sense of rhythm, and Erfan\u2019s guitar solos further deepened the songs\u2019 emotional impact. Quadeca showed love for his band after taking a sip of \u201cthroat coat tea,\u201d appreciating them as an \u201cother voice\u201d if his starts to go.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He then played more from \u201cVanisher,\u201d with breathtaking performances of \u201cMONDAY\u201d and \u201cDANCING WITHOUT MOVING.\u201d Oleka added serene vocals and flute as the crowd clapped along to the songs. Then, the stage was flooded with golden light for \u201cAbandon Me,\u201d his solo song from Kevin Abstract\u2019s \u201cBlush,\u201d giving a heartwrenching performance. He displayed more of his range with \u201cRUIN MY LIFE,\u201d playing acoustic guitar, layering his sound with Erfan\u2019s, as the band accompanied the ballad.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Calling the crowd \u201camazing singers,\u201d Quadeca encouraged them to sing the beats for the next few songs, simulating how he duplicates vocals in-studio for a choral effect. The audience sang the \u201cba-da-da, da-da, ba-da\u201d part of the eerie \u201cNATURAL CAUSES\u201d and the \u201chuh, huh\u201d part of the intense \u201cTHUNDRRR.\u201d The latter was the most energetic point of the concert as the song built up to levels unique to Quadeca\u2019s maximalist production. Announcing one song left, they played \u201cfractions of infinity.\u201d The song\u2019s ghostly lyrics, slow escalation and Sunday Service Choir vocals, created a tear-jerking moment. He left the crowd cheering for more, as chants of \u201cone more song, please\u201d erupted. The band came back on for \u201cDUSTCUTTER,\u201d and Quadeca played acoustic guitar for \u201cTHAT\u2019S WHY\u201d and \u201cGUIDE DOG,\u201d finishing his set with \u201cFrom Me To You\u2019s\u201d hit, \u201cSisyphus,\u201d an epic ending featuring synth arpeggios, crashing cymbals, and angelic vocal riffs from Oleka.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Quadeca proved himself more than ready for his first headlining tour, playing an unforgettable performance that showcased his rich production style and masterful use of live musicians while also highlighting his earlier hits. He demonstrated humility and humor, interacting with the crowd and expressing appreciation. Watching him command a sold-out Boston audience, it was hard not to think back to those early YouTube days. Listening to him perform songs from each album revealed how dramatically he has grown, constantly surpassing all expectations, expanding his fanbase and defying new genres. With the \u201cVanisher, Horizon Scraper\u201d album and tour, Quadeca shows beyond doubt that his journey is far from over.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photography by Jack Schwed Review by James Klein Before his sold-out Boston show last Friday, I\u2019d been following Quadeca since his 2018 YouTube days, back when he made his first \u201c20 Styles of Rapping!\u201d video and broke rap song word-count records. Even at 17, his dedication stood out; his precise impressions, versatile production and lyrical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25371,"featured_media":50439,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1895,1525,1523,15,1530],"tags":[117,2570],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50434"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25371"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50434"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50452,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50434\/revisions\/50452"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}