Dom Kennedy and Casey Veggies at Tattoo in Toronto

Photographs by Sarah Rix.

Some of the best of the (American) West Coast came through Toronto this week when the By Dom Kennedy tour hit Tattoo Rock Parlour. For a Monday late night, plenty pooled in to see the namesake rapper Dom Kennedy and opener Casey Veggies.

Casey Veggies is one of the names frequently tossed in the conversations surrounding new school kids in hip-hop, which is a great thing given the density of his ambition and achievement. At the age of twenty-two, with five mixtapes, a clothing line and store, work in film, a Puma deal and most notably, his recently released debut album Live & Grow, it seems like there is nothing that Casey Veggies can’t or won’t do. This ethic is reflected in his stage persona as well, which is persistently dedicated to high energy and spit-fire flow. Casey drew from his rather large catalogue of hits for his opening set, only to find some of the best reception for songs “Tied Up”, “Wonderful” and “Backflip”, all from his debut. 

At the stroke of midnight, the audience shifted its mindset to high octane. After all, a rare appearance from rapper Dom Kennedy couldn’t be met with anything less; he doesn’t tour Canada too often, which made his performance at Tattoo a very momentous occasion. With the fans out in full force, Dom Kennedy rolled through track after track from his independently produced eight mixtapes and three-album resume, including “My First Reply (Til’ It’s Over)”, “My Type of Party” and  “Girls On Stage”. It’s no wonder he and Casey are touring together; besides being old friends, they’re also both incredibly dedicated to their craft.  In this rare glimpse, Dom brought the energy to reflect that passion and made a highly exciting show.