NadaButVibes & BAP Pack
Pratt Street Sounds
Hartford
June 20, 2025
Friday was the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. And the sun certainly made its presence felt on Pratt Street as Hartfordites took in the sights of the Pratt Street Night Market and listened to the dynamic duo of NadaButVibes and the BAP Pack performing.
NadaButVibes was the first to perform, and unfortunately the sun made capturing her performance all but impossible. Her style is mellow, in the neo soul vein like a punched up Norah Jones that leans more into hip hop than jazz. Her voice was warm, with a lilt that hooked in everyone who was listening.
The BAP Pack calls itself Hartford’s rap supergroup. It consists of Klokwize, Tangsauce, Hydro 860 and Rapoet. I’ve been a fan of Tangsauce and Rapoet for years; this was my first time hearing the other two.
You would think that four people rapping at the same time would be too much to handle, but the BAP Pack are old pros at this. The chemistry and ease with which they delivered their bars without stepping on each other’s toes, all while constantly hyping up each other and the crowd, was a great feat.
I was in for another treat as the rap group invited a special guest to join in. A. Marquise came onstage for the appropriately titled, “We Outside.” The message was simple — get outside and have a good time.
A friend from the Midwest once called our region’s style of music “depressing Northeast rap.” I honestly can’t say she’s wrong, as hip hop out of New York leaned pretty heavily into the violence and despair of the 1990s urban landscape.
But the BAP Pack came to party. Their songs were about love and feeling the rhythm, and how great of a city Hartford is. Everyone was dancing along, and I even saw the mayor nodding his head along as he took in the sights. It was a refreshing reminder that hip hop is about more than just pain and suffering.
As the sun finally fell behind People’s Bank arena, the streets lit up and the crowds grew in the cooler air. As the BAPPack said, we were indeed outside.
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