On Saturday, October 28th, Rittz fans waited in anticipation under a full moon outside Brick By Brick, eager for the show to start. Being one of the smaller venues in San Diego, Brick By Brick is the perfect place to get up close and personal with your favorite artist. With new music from his MellowLOvation album, Rittz commanded the stage and took advantage of the smaller venue. He personally engaged with his audience from beginning to end. With his unique flow, lightning speed bars, acapella rhymes and comedic banter between songs, Rittz is a solid entertainer.

Opening up for the Southern rapper was local San Diego rapper, Switch. He was followed by special guests Noble Poets and Jehry Robinson. Each artist warmed up the crowd with a surprisingly intimate encounter in their own way. Noble Poets came down onto the floor to perform. Vocalist, Caleb May, belted out powerful, melodic notes in the center of the room - while Rapper, Jevon Barnes AKA Drty, delivered impressive, rapid fire verses face to face with the audience. They were literally so close you could touch them.

Jehry Robinson opened up singing an emotional acoustic set accompanied by Caleb May from Noble Poets on guitar. After a couple songs, Robinson jumped up, producing a fast-paced fusion of hip-hop, reggae and pop that got the crowd moving.  Both note-worthy openers gave the audience an intriguing performance to remember.

Finally, the room filled up in anticipation for the main event, “It’s Rittz, Bitch!”  With a dynamic introduction by DJ Chris Crisis, Rittz appeared on stage through a cloud of smoke. He flashes a heavily studded CNT chain to proudly promote his own record label. Rittz checks the crowd's pulse and immediately brings the energy. His sound is smooth, flawless and incredibly fast. I like how he plays with contrast - moody, mellow tracks complimented by his staccato rap. To prove his mastery of juxtaposition, “In My Zone” started to play. Every tough guy in the room belted out the lyrics, “I’ve got sunshine in my pocket.”  Rittz layered on the rap and crushed it.

In addition to his other talents, Rittz is funny, charismatic and real. He interacted with his fans and made sure everyone had a good time. While he introduced the party anthem, “Crown Royal,” the 40 year old rapper transparently admitted that his drink of choice is much lighter in color these days. One has to wonder, what was in the cup? Was it vodka? Was it water? Who knows. Who cares? He gave the people what they wanted - a live performance they won’t forget!