MSQ Review: Sneeze - "River City Demos"

Before 2020 freed me from my office prison and made life feel just a little more precious and finite... I was living under a rock. My excuses included, “I’m in my 30’s,” “I have kids,” “I’m too busy at work,” etc. I was also parroting the age-old narrative of “Richmond is for haters” (if you’re from here or spent any time around the scene, you’ve heard some version of this a million times) “Even if someone is crazy hot, he/she won’t have the unified support in the 804 to make it happen.” I was living under a rock in Richmond-Rap darkness.

Even when I was living under a rock, the sunshine that is Sneeze shined through.

It was sometime in 2018-- I obligatorily attended a friend’s gig. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see my boy Corb the Don perform, he’s a great artist –and he’s my boy! But I was not looking forward to sitting through other acts I was sure I would not care about. You know how a “showcase” can be if you’re not fully into it. That night was the first time I saw Sneeze.

As the first couple acts did their thing, was simultaneously supporting the artists performing while building new or nurturing already existing relationships with everyone in the room. That takes finesse, especially for someone not yet out of high school. I wondered “Who is this dude?” I didn’t have to wait long to find out; he hit the stage early in the show.

Sneeze had plenty of energy that night, but he