Milwaukee – Do you like to Cha Cha? So does D.R.A.M. and Wisconsin. The Virginia hip hop artist had fans dancing hard in the Eagles Ballroom at the Rave in Milwaukee, to his irresistible single “Cha Cha,” off the mixtape #1EpicSummer.

D.R.A.M. – which stands for “Does Real Ass Music” – was born Shelley Massenburg-Smith in Germany. Though his military mother had been stationed overseas, for the most part he grew up in Hampton, Virginia, just outside Norfolk. There D.R.A.M. sang in the church choir and grew up listening to gospel, soul, and funk, which explains his range and the genre bending on his EP, similar to that of his tour mates Chance, Donnie Trumpet, and Towkio. Later he discovered rap and hip hop and began creating his unique mix of music. Flash forward to 2015: D.R.A.M. found himself an internet sensation thanks to the Queen Bey shaking it to “Cha Cha” on Instagram, and now the twenty-seven year old is on tour with Chance.

D.R.A.M. came running out on stage, whipping his long dreads back and forth, and shaking what his mamma gave him. The crowd screamed and cheered. playing off the tour name, D.R.A.M. sang the Family Matters theme song. Though the show was in Milwaukee, it’s safe to say at least half the crowd was comprised of Chicagoans, who no doubt grew up watching Urkel and his neighbors on Family Matters. (Fun Fact: The Family Matters house is still standing! You should check it out on your next visit to the Windy City, before gentrification brings a bulldozer to it.) The ballroom boomed, with fans singing along. Later D.R.A.M. had fans rapping along word for word. To the side of the stage, guys huddled in groups waving hands to beats, while deep in the crowd, girls sat on guys’ shoulders, bouncing and swaying.

The Virginian performed the R&B tune “Caretaker,” originally released on Surf, the amazing album by Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment. “Caretaker” will also be featured on his latest EP, Gahdamn!,which was produced by Gabe Niles, Nate Fox, Peter CottonTale, and Donnie Trumpet and is set for release on October 23. Though it’s been remade as a duet with SZA. “Caretaker” shows a softer side to D.R.A.M. and showcases his incredible voice. Of course it didn’t take Surf for D.R.A.M. to display his range. While songs like “2$” and “I Luv It” are hip hop heavy, others like “Erything” and the Donnie Trumpet collab “$” are based more in R&B and soul, with “Erything” especially reminiscent of 90s R&B, making it for one of my favorites. The venue went crazy when D.R.A.M. started into “Cha Cha.” The floor shook as people jumped up and down. Between verses, D.R.A.M. smiled that wide, endearing grin of his.

Chicagoan Towkio - who Best New Bands also saw perform a surprise set at Pitchfork this summer – also graced the stage at the Eagles Ballroom. Plenty of fans showed up early to see the rapper and SaveMoney member who is set to be the next big rapper to come out of the Chicago hip hop scene. Towkio frantically jumped around, spitting lyrics as his long braids flew in every direction. Towkio performed material off his 2015 mixtape .wav Theory, including “God In Me,” which brought a roar from the crowd, and “Heaven Only Knows,” the latter of which would have been more complete if Chance had joined him on stage. Missed opportunity guys! The rapper also performed “I Know You,” making concertgoers clap along to the beat.

After a DJ set from Metro Boomin, Chance the Rapper took the stage, pleasing fans who packed in tight at the sold-out ballroom. The Windy City rapper was greeted by plenty of fans, friends, and family – his parents watched from the balcony – for his Family Matters Tour. Aptly so, as just days prior to the show, the rapper, who has been working on another mixtape, dropped a new song, titled “Family Matters.”

Being a Chicagoan, I may be a bit biased when it comes to Chance. Aside from some hometown love, I find it refreshing that Chance’s music often comes with a positive message, especially the song “Paranoia,” which offers solace to kids dealing with the everyday violence common on Chicago streets, and as someone who works within the Chicago Public Library, I commend him for his commitment to Chicago youth through YouMedia and Open Mike Nights. That said, I know I’m not the only one who thought Chance put on a stellar performance. Fans from Illinois and Wisconsin seemed to approve of the twenty-two year old’s set.

Like his Pitchfork set, projections filled the screens on stage with colorful animations, but unlike that amazing headlining summer set, Chance stuck to most of his music, ignoring much of the music off of Surf, even though he was backed by The Social Experiment. Fans didn’t seem to mind. After all, they were to see Chance the Rapper. Though, he did perform “Miracle” and “Sunday Candy.” Fans went crazy for “Favorite Song,” off Acid Rap, and “Wonderful Everyday,” Chance’s take on the Arthur theme song, had people singing along and swaying back and forth. To quote Chance, it was “a good ass show!”

D.R.A.M., Towkio, Metro Boomin, and Chance the Rapper are currently on the Family Matters Tour. A full list of tour dates is available at chanceraps.com. #1EpicEP by D.R.A.M. is available for purchase on iTunes.

Photos by Sarah Hess for BestNewBands.com