Mediocre white guys are trying to become stars. Have you been getting cringeworthy videos of a dude called sombr pushed onto your feed for some reason? Have you been hearing about a guy called Role Model, wondering who the fuck he is? You almost don’t even need to listen to the music to know it’s bland algorithm fodder; it’s so inoffensive that it’s offensive. sombr treats his shows like opportunities to clip-farm. Role Model has a gimmick of inviting a celebrity to be his "Sally" onstage for his unremarkable viral song "Sally, When The Wine Runs Out"; he’s had Olivia Rodrigo, Conan Gray, and many more. There’s an increasing amount of "artists" who seem more interested in being influencers.
And then there’s 2hollis. At first glance, the 21-year-old hyperpop rapper and producer could be written off as a nepo baby — his mom founded a prestigious PR firm and his dad plays drums in the famous post-rock band Tortoise — or just another viral sensation. You’ve probably seen footage of him — roughly six-foot-five, long blond hair, vaguely androgynous — flinging his body around onstage while his beats blare into a crowd as energetic as him. As someone who hates when shows consist only of an artist singing and a crowd standing with arms crossed, I was addicted to these videos in which everyone in the room surrendered to collective catharsis in unspoken agreement that live music is not just about the sound, it’s about full-body experience. I’ve never been to a rave or a club, preferring mosh pits at emo shows. But 2hollis’ gigs are something in between.
You know them phones not going down 💀💀✌🏽
byu/Faygose in2hollis
On Wednesday, I did something I’d told myself I would never do: I went to Terminal 5 for the first time in a decade, despite it notoriously being one of the worst venues in the city. It’s an all general admission venue, and for some reason the crowds there are always cesspools of pushing bodies on a floor sticky with beer. I was there to see 2hollis on his tour for his latest album star, which got me into him. Back in July, I’d thought his Lollapalooza set would be like Chappell Roan’s. I thought his electric stage presence would go viral into oblivion and turn him into a household name. It didn’t. Though he’s always going viral, he remains a God-like figure to a cult following, much like Swedish rap figurehead and Drain Gang CEO Bladee, one of his obvious idols. 2hollis’ Instagram profile picture is of Mick Jagger. He has asked his fans to put their phones down during shows and live in the moment. He builds lore with the symbolism of a white tiger and the number 2. He’s not interested in taking over the world; he wants to be an icon. And he is.
The openers were his friends, rommulas and nate sib. Much like the late emo rapper Lil Peep, 2hollis is bringing his pals with him to the top. I arrived after their sets and was overcome by probably the worst smell I’d ever experienced at a show (aside from a couple years ago when I ironically saw MGK for some reason; it smelled like dead bodies). When 2hollis took the stage, my view was a panorama of screens, despite his repeated request to stop filming so much. Still, even if hundreds of phones were in the air, everyone was losing their shit. He opened with the flickering star cut "flash," a cinematic call for fame, operating almost as a manifestation: "Holli wanna be a star," he declares.
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The crowd was full of rave girls and men I can only describe as frat boy types, which is interesting considering 2hollis' refusal to adhere to traditional masculinity. In an interview with GQ, he was asked about what he was worried about regarding the younger generation of men. "There is a massive dilemma with young men getting such a terrible perception of women and masculinity and sex, and having really shitty desire thrown into their face, especially so young. It’s just very destructive," he answered, also mentioning porn and "the death of romanticism, and the death of chivalry and real connection."
It's rare for an artist to speak about these topics, and it's important when the music itself veers toward the sexual. His songs are full of suggestive quips, seductive whispers, even moans, filling the current void of erotic music. When the Dare released his notorious hit "Girls" in 2022, I was almost furious, wondering why everyone was obsessed with this irony-poisoned sex anthem that served as an empty parody of itself. The girls need an unironic heartthrob — one who makes music that invigorates them, who stands up for his female fans, who acknowledges the problem with men today. 2hollis is the obvious answer.
Onstage, he was clad in an all white suit before taking his shirt off. Someone in the crowd was holding a laptop up in the air, to which 2hollis said something along the lines of, "Is that a fucking computer? I love you." The adrenaline only seemed to intensify as the show went on; there was an endless stream of people from the pit pushing by to exit the crowd, looking like they were escaping war. I was the sweatiest I'd ever been at a show, and I wasn't even in the pit. A fellow concertgoer next to me held a folding fan and supplied me and my friend with much-needed breezes. At one point I poured water down my shirt for relief. I lost my breath jumping up and down to abrasive bangers "trauma" and "gold" and hit my vape anyway. When the sparkling beats of "poster boy" commenced, everyone was jumping. The track surpassed his beloved hit "jeans" after going viral due to its inclusion in the EA Sports FC 24 soundtrack. It's no wonder why. Finneas recently praised 2hollis and said that, in a visit to his studio, he was charmed by 2hollis' his beat-making process: "He played this crazy sound and he goes, 'I want it to sound like a crystal with a face on it and the face is smiling.’" Even if you hate 2hollis, his beats are undeniable — unforgettable and alive. He's a visionary before he's anything else.
The beat of "jeans," which became my most listened to song of all time within a couple months of my first time hearing it, are like shooting stars in succession. It's immediate, and the bass is like a fist through a wall. "jeans" is a perfect song, and 2hollis knows it. It's the encore for every show, and in Toronto he did it seven times. On Wednesday, he did it five times, and the crowd was crazy every time. By the fifth time, his friends joined him onstage and he wasn't even singing anymore, just letting the song play and the crowd have fun, like an artist admiring his own work. 2hollis is in a good place. He can do whatever he wants; he can sell out 3,000-cap venues and have his friends as the only openers. He can play his favorite song of his as many times as he want and the fans will revel with him. Even if he remains in this cult-followed status, he's already a star.
