PNTHN Bring their Texas Sound to the Middle East

by Kyle Bray

PNTHN are the epitome of fun. Whether it’s their booming beats, crazy lyrics, or their zany music videos, the Texas-based group, pronounced “pantheon,” knows how to have fun. The group’s first trip to Massachusetts was no exception, as they brought the heat for their show at Cambridge’s Middle East Upstairs. 

Any show at a venue like the Middle East Upstairs is defined by a unique experience between artist and fan thanks to its small size—the listed capacity for the venue is 192—but this show seemed to have an extra air of intimacy between the two parties. During the two opening acts, members of PNTHN hung out beside the stage and with the crowd. Tony Tone, of the eight members of the group, stood about five feet away from me during opener Mavi’s set and spent most of the time rapping along with him from the floor. Even before the show, my friends and I ran into PNTHN producer and rapper Gulfwey at Chipotle waiting for a burrito and again at the venue’s bar. 

The show opened with a performance from local rapper Whytri who hyped up the crowd with his energetic vocals and beats. His set included a brief a capella rap, thundering bass, and exciting production that had the audience moving often and early. To fit in with the immersive experience, he also spent much of the rest of the night after his set at his merch table talking to fans. 

Following Whytri was up-and-coming Charlotte rapper Mavi, who had a strong 2019 with a feature on Earl Sweatshirt’s project Feet of Clay and a mixtape of his own, titled Let the Sun Talk, which received positive reviews from fans and critics alike. Even though he was an opener, many of the audience members already knew of him and effortlessly rapped along to his songs—funnily enough, the budding star has a larger following on social media and more monthly Spotify listeners than PNTHN. 

In a change of pace from Whytri, Mavi’s chopped up jazz and soul beats along with his spoken word rapping style helped the crowd relax after Whytri’s energetic set. This is no slight against Mavi though, he displayed immense lyrical skill and captivated the crowd. He even celebrated his first trip to Boston by wearing a Jayson Tatum Celtics jersey for the second half of his set, which got him a strong ovation from the crowd. At the conclusion of his set, he hung out by the stage to take selfies and talk to fans while PNTHN set up the stage for their set. 

After the more laid back Mavi set, PNTHN took the stage and immediately turned the energy up to a 10 with a bass-banging rendition of “fooly cooly,” a song from their 2019 album DEATH DIMENSION. The six rappers of the group, TWOHORIZONRA, YD, DC4PREZ, Kenny Cassanova, and the aforementioned Tony Tone and Gulfwey, danced around the stage with an infectious vibe that left the pit in a state of almost nonstop moshing. Since all six rappers had wired mics, their wires were often tangled on the stage, causing frequent mid-song pauses to  snake their mics around the stage. One member described the tangle of chords as “a true Texas tumbleweed.”

Despite the frigid Saturday night, PNTHN brought the Texas heat with their entire set, bringing bangers and bombastic bass over chill production Fans got a chance to hear songs from their latest record, their first-ever SoundCloud only mixtape, and even a new look at their latest single “JULIUS,” though they refrained from performing some of their more popular tracks like “HENNY DREAMS.” The performance of their new single “JULIUS” fully encompassed why PNTHN is a must-see group. They perform with almost an unmatched energy and represent everything that is great about rap music coming out of Texas. 

After the show concluded, members of PNTHN called on fans to stick around and hang out with them before leaving, which many did. Fans chatted with members and got photos while buying merch—I even managed to get almost all of them to sign a tour shirt before leaving. It was this accessibility to the artist that made this a show experience like no other—paired with the great music. This may have been the first time PNTHN performed in Boston, but hopefully, it will not be their last.