UCSB students excitedly sang the lyrics of the British rapper’s songs. Pablo Van Dyck / Daily Nexus

Just two days after appearing on stage at Playboi Carti’s Antagonist 2.0 Tour in Los Angeles, 20-year-old rapper Fakemink journeyed up to UC Santa Barbara to perform at the University Center Hub. The rapidly rising star from the United Kingdom’s underground music scene brought the Union Jack to the student union with a massive setlist and a night of intense energy, sweat and British accents.

The show was completely sold out, with a line encroaching on the bike roundabout by Storke Tower. Several people attempted to buy tickets via the comments section of the Associated Students Program Board’s (ASPB) Instagram post and off of those in line for around $50. All tickets were sold in advance online at $12 for students or $15 for non-students, with none left to purchase at the door. Without a UCSB student attendance restriction, the Hub welcomed an influx of college-age visitors from nearby schools including UC Los Angeles and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. 

As the eager crowd streamed into the Hub, they were greeted by Los Angeles-based producer Djavan Santos, better known as D33J, who spun a lengthy set that mixed everything from Charli XCX’s “360” to Chief Keef’s “Faneto” and Bladee’s “Be Nice 2 Me.” Despite producing tracks for big-name artists including A$AP Rocky, Lil Yachty and Joji, some ASPB concert staff and most attendees had no clue who the red hoodie-clad man behind the booth was. 

“This DJ is lowkey old as fuck,” first-year film and media studies and communication double major Willow Pimada-Ly said. “I don’t think he actually listens to any of [the] music [he’s playing], which is pretty funny.” 

Toward the end of his opening set, D33J threw in another left-field pull, obscuring the vibe of the Hub with a sudden switch to Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over.” This seemed to snap the room out of a trance as people suddenly realized it had been an hour and a half since the doors opened. The audience suddenly became restless and began chanting, demanding to see Fakemink. 

A few minutes later, the king of the UK underground himself emerged through the gap in the curtains behind D33J, casually fitted in a black Chateau Marmont hotel T-shirt and black jeans, with a plush Pokémon Mew backpack on one shoulder. He started the night off strong with popular track “Easter Pink,” which was met with roars of excitement as the crowd surged forward against the barricade, suddenly sounding very British as they screamed along to the euphoric electronic beat: “They stealin’ my flow and they stealin’ my drip.”

With a plush Pokémon Mew backpack on one shoulder, Fakemink engaged with the crowd during his performance. Pablo Van Dyck / Daily Nexus

Fakemink floated through the first half of his set, which included a mix of short singles and tracks from his only album, 2023’s “London’s Saviour,” all containing his unique flow over cloud rap, jerk-esque electronic beats that filled the room. While his stage presence felt small compared to the magnitude of his sound, Fakemink made use of the full length of the stage, performing to the corners and holding hands with several attendees, even recording videos off of phones held out for him.

“My favorite part of the show is that he would come around [to the side of the stage] and I’d actually get a glimpse of him. Overall, his stage performance was a little …” third-year communication major Nicole Aguirre trailed off, unimpressed. “[But] he’s such a cute guy, he’s like, starting up.”

Fakemink continued moving around the stage, delivering a surreal and atmospheric sound to the Hub with “Shampoodle” and “Just Kitten.” Following the latter track, he randomly shouted “Fuck UCLA!” to which the crowd — maybe excluding the few UCLA students present — erupted with a newfound zeal and sense of pride. 

He also performed “Fidelio,” which very few people seemed to know the words to — probably because it had been officially released just several hours prior to his appearance at UCSB. The new single, an unexpected nod to Stanley Kubrick’s 1999 film “Eyes Wide Shut” with a sharp and utterly tumultuous beat, reinforced the special, thrilling feeling surrounding the night. 

The rousing buzz around “Fidelio” transitioned well into the fan-favorite “Kill Everything,” which, like many great cloud rap songs — Lil B’s “B.O.R. (Birth of Rap)” and A$AP Rocky’s “Angels” for some examples — includes an Imogen Heap sample.

An out-of-place crowdsurf attempt and failed moshpit later, the Hub had officially completed its one-night-only transformation into a true concert venue, impressive for a space that operates as a food court during the day. Students noted how surprising it was to attend a Fakemink show at UCSB, let alone in the Hub, given his recent popularity. The young rapper has notably caught the artistic eyes of Frank Ocean and Timothée Chalamet, and even joined Drake at Wireless Festival this summer to perform the explosive hit “LV Sandals.” 

“It’s actually insane that [ASPB] got him to play here,” first-year economics major Kye Reyes said. “Me and my friends tried to get tickets to his tour in LA but it sold out in, you know, 2o seconds.” 

Only the second concert put on this year by the ASPB, Fakemink in the Hub proved to be a raging success — although potentially a little too forward with the “rage” element. As Fakemink and ASPB staff reminded concertgoers throughout the night, it’s important to be respectful of the people around you, especially in such a small and packed venue. Despite a quite frankly disrespectful crowd — it was appalling to hear multiple “fuck no!” responses to ASPB Concerts Coordinator Nate Dolan’s request for everyone to take a couple steps back from the barricade prior to Fakemink’s appearance — this fall quarter concert earned the approval of many first-time ASPB concert attendees. 

“They gotta keep doing what they’re doing here; it’s great,” Reyes said. 

ASPB’s next event, their annual Delirium concert, is set for Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. with two more talented artists: Freddie Gibbs and YG.

A version of this article appeared on p. 9 of the Oct. 23 print edition of the Daily Nexus.