Kehlani, Mick Jenkins and Alex G Cheer Up Charlie (And Many Others) at SXSW Concert

On a night when the legendary Erykah Badu was in town (and playing right next door!), 20-year-old R&B singer Kehlani held her own with an exceptional show at Cheer Up Charlies bar in Austin, Texas. The Oakland native was one of dozens of performers Wednesday evening atthe annual South by Southwest music festival. Taking part in “Bands in a Bonfire Under the Big Sky,” Kehlani was joined by rapper Mick Jenkins and indie rocker Alex G.

Up-and-comers Beach Slang and Day Wave were also in the house, but it was Kehlani who stole the show. Cheer Up Charlies' outdoor yard swelled as she took the stage and started performing an appropriate mix of fan favorites and throwbacks. “I just wanna let you know how much I f*ck with y’all,” she said, before launching into ‘FWU,’ track one from her debut mixtape Cloud 19, which Complex ranked as one of the best 50 albums in 2014.

At one point, Kehlani unexpectedly called Marc E. Bassy onto the stage. The L.A.-based singer joined her to perform ‘Lock it Up,’ their collaborative effort from Bassy’s mixtape Only the Poets Vol. 1. The audience appreciated the pleasant surprise, and though the pair only sang one song together, Bassy remained on the side stage cheering on Kehlani.

He wasn’t the only one, however. SXSW Twitter reported that Future was in attendance at the show. Sure enough, he was amongst the crowd and rumors are growing that the rapper and Kehlani are recording together. Whether that is true remains to be soon, but Future’s presence in the crowd surely legitimizes those claims.

The SXSW music festival runs from March 15-20. Stay tuned to iDigitalTimes for continuing coverage of SXSW 2016.