The ‘Gravy Train’ makes a stop at Miami

On Friday, May 5, Yung Gravy performed in Millett Hall at Miami University in an event run by Miami Activities and Programming (MAP). The event was announced on March 30, and tickets sold for $40.

The rapper, whose real name is Matthew Raymond Hauri, is known for viral hits like “Mr. Clean,” “oops!” and “Betty (Get Money),” as well as for promoting his music via comedic content on platforms like TikTok.

Students trickled into the stadium to a warm welcome from energetic opener Brooke Alexx, who was a contestant representing New Jersey last year on NBC’s “American Song Contest.”

Although the show wasn’t sold out, there was a strong energy in the crowd. Yung Gravy’s DJ Taylor Madrigal — known professionally as DJ Tiiiiiiiiiip — led students in a chant to welcome the rapper to the stage.

“When I say gravy, you say train!” He shouted.

After anticipation had been sufficiently built, Yung Gravy took the Millett Hall stage at 9:25 p.m. Students sang along, danced and recorded videos to his retro-inspired grooves.

Many of the songs sampled “classic” pop, such as Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” on Gravy’s song “Betty (Get Money).”

Many of his songs are less than three minutes long, which benefits their easy, lighthearted tone. However, without a defined bridge, the energy doesn’t build as much as it could in a live setting up to the final chorus of each track.

Gravy and his team were enthusiastic about their visit to Oxford.

“Ohio is one of my favorite states to perform in ’cause y'all always crazy,” he said. He also shared that he had dinner at Gaslight Brewhouse earlier that night.

This casual flow between the rapper and the crowd continued through the night. Gravy and his team passed water bottles, Lunchables and Zebra Cakes to the crowd.

The rapper also frequently checked in with the audience about how they were feeling. He said that if any uncomfortable situation arose, they should flag down his team and they would be taken care of.

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An increased awareness about crowd well-being has taken a heightened importance for artists during live shows, following disasters like the crowd crush at the Astroworld festival in 2021 and again last Halloween in Seoul, South Korea.

In a comical exchange, one fan was seen throwing her bra toward the stage. While this may seem like nothing more than an attempt for attention from the rapper, Yung Gravy has a history of collecting bras thrown on stage by fans and donating them to women’s shelters on his last tour.

Toward the end of the evening, chants began, asking the rapper to take off his shirt. Eventually, he did, stating that he didn’t typically take off his shirt during his sets but that he had felt comfortable enough to do so at Miami.

As the show concluded, Gravy hinted at new music coming soon. Since then, he has released the single “Goodness Gracious.” Then, as a parting gift, he tossed roses to a few fans.

Nya Hodge, a rising sophomore creative writing and history double major, spoke highly of Gravyt after the concert.

“Yung Gravy is probably the top 10 funniest men I’ve ever seen in my life,” she said.

She spoke positively about the experience as a whole, though she had some reservations about the organization of the event.

“I saw people getting turned away because they had bags, because people didn’t know that that was a thing … I would have loved a little more communication,” Hodge said.

The Millett Hall policy on bags is not clearly posted online, and MAP did not clarify that no bags would be allowed in the stadium. They also did not share that Brooke Alexx was opening for Yung Gravy on their Instagram posts, and many concertgoers did not arrive in time for her set.

wahllm@miamioh.edu

@lilymariereads