Over the weekend of May 15-17, The Current hosted Sounds Like Home: a virtual festival of Minnesota music. You can find all the performances archived on The Current's Facebook page, and we're also sharing the archived sessions one by one on YouTube. Thanks to the Minnesota Legacy Amendment Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, which allowed us to compensate artists for their performances.

From an undisclosed studio location, Sophia Eris danced around the room like she was entertaining a crowd in-person. The rapper, radio DJ, and all-around performer delivered vibrating flows as video including the 1996 cinematic classic Space Jam was projected behind her.

Eris's style is a solid mix of old and new. She has the moxie of a Left-Eye Lopes with the trap charisma of Nicki Minaj. However, unlike her contemporary and collaborator Lizzo, the 32-year-old MC leans less on pop and more on electronic dance music. Eris and her current producers Bionik and Lazerbeak place a strong emphasis on danceability: "I wanted a beat that sounded like Space Jam," she told Sean McPherson. "I wanted something that cheerleaders could dance to. I want basketball teams to run out to it. I wanted it to sound anthemic. Every song just bangs."

Indeed. Eris has an uncanny ability to combine club culture with invigorating hip-hop hooks. Her multifaceted performance proves that even a pandemic won't keep her from putting on a show. Her next album, she announced, will be called Trapper Keeper and released Friday, May 29.

Songs performed

02:48 "Who's Got the Boom"
05:36 "Fanny Pack"
14:04 "Trap House"

Hosted by Sean McPherson
Produced by Jesse Wiza
Engineered by Erik Stromstad
Web feature by Caleb Brennan

External link

Sophia Eris - official site