Though she lives every day like itâs 4/20, Lil Debbie still celebrated yesterday's holiday in a major way. After taking a weed nap (her words), last night she brought an energetic and cannabis-fueled performance to Portlandâs Bossanova Ballroom.
I had high expectations (pun not intended) for this show, as I have been low-key obsessed with Lil Debbie since she and Kreayshawn dropped the ultimate banger "Gucci Gucci" in 2012. My friend (and fellow Mercury writer) Emma Burke and I even filmed a (fortunately unreleased) version of the track's music video back in high schoolâcomplete with amateurish verses I have since erased from memory.
Lil Debbie was hesitant to start rapping, choosing to focus on her career as a fashion designer, but finally gave in after Riff Raff insisted she feature on his 2012 song "Michelle Obama." Since then, she's released four full-length albums and a bunch of EPs and singles. In 2015 she released Homegrown, a record entirely dedicated to marijuana.
Lil Debbieâs show promised to be a â4/20 partyâ but the signs around the Bossanova that read âWeed may be legal in Portland, but you canât smoke it in hereâ gave off a different vibe. The few who dared smoke inside the venue had their shit confiscated and a few were asked to leave. (However, the gravel lot adjacent to the Bossanova was a different story.)
Lil Debbie performed a mix of old and new songs, including some off the EDM/house/experimental EP XXIII that she dropped in March with the Barong Family, a record label in Amsterdam that was founded by Yellow Claw. Her performance of the song "Today" was a particular highlight due to the intense bass drops and cocky-ass lyricsâthe majority of which are âI donât give a fuck about you.â
What makes Lil Debbie so great is her mix of shameless boasting and adorable self-awareness. For example, after repeating âBiiiitch, you ainât got shit on me, you ainât got shit on meâ about a million times in a song, she laughs and says, âYo, that was a selfish-ass song! Sometimes I listen to music that Iâve made and itâs so selfish!â Itâs okay, Debbie, I love it.