03 Greedo, Armani White & Lola Brooke Heat Up Billboard’s The Stage at SXSW 2023

17 March, 2023

Billboard kicked off its three-day concert series with performances by Lola Brooke, Armani White and 03 Greedo on Thursday (March 16).

Lil Yachty was set to headline — performing songs off his recently released No. 1 album Let’s Start Here — though due to sudden severe weather, never made it on stage.

Opening acts Lola Brooke and Armani White, however, got the energy up before last-minute addition Greedo took to the stage.

Brooke, who performed in a racecar-inspired outfit with long silver hair, fittingly opened her set with 2022 single “Here I Come.” She also pleased the crowd with her breakout hit “Don’t Play With It,” which she released in 2021 and at the top of this year entered Billboard‘s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. The New York rapper also kicked off 2023 with a label deal, signing to Arista Records in collaboration with Team Eighty Productions.

Armani White was up next, who made quite the intro by throwing Fruit Snacks to fans as an early-evening pick-me-up. He then dove right in, opening with the hook of his viral hit “Billie Eilish” to pump up the thickening crowd who happily screamed along. He also treated the audience to “Diamond Dallas” and “Goated,” which he rapped alongside a saxophonist.

And finally, 03 Greedo became the unintentional closer, becoming the last performer of the night before severe weather forced an evacuation minutes before Lil Yachty was scheduled to begin. Ultimately, his set was cancelled.

As for 03 Greedo — who was released from prison in January after serving nearly five years behind bars on gun and drug charges — he delivered a compelling comeback set.

As he wrote on Instagram at the time of his release: “Yes, I am free from prison but I am still not completely out … I am in a halfway house for up to 6 months with a five minute phone call a week … “I honestly just don’t want to talk to alot of people yet … I got a lot I want to clear in my head first.”

Judging by his set, music may be the best way through, as he performed hits from his 2018 Alamo Records debut mixtape The Wolf of Grape Street like “Substance” and “Run For Yo Life,” the latter of which includes the line, “B—h it’s my year.” And with his freedom and a performance like this one under his belt, it very well could be.

Due to inclement weather conditions the March 16 concert was cancelled. All tickets purchased for this concert through the Moody Amphitheater box office or Ticketmaster will be refunded.

Original ticket purchasers will receive communications and refunds directly from Ticketmaster.