At Cafe Berlin’s Friday night showcase for True/False, rapper ELUCID headlines with two other featured underground rappers
On the second night of the True/False Film Fest, indie rappers ELUCID, Cavalier, and Semiratruth performed old and new music alike to a packed audience at Cafe Berlin. The artists are based in New York, New Orleans, LA, and Brooklyn, NY respectively, and all performed new music from their most recent albums.
The doors opened at 7 p.m. and attendees slowly started to show up throughout the night. The atmosphere of the cafe was very downtempo and had dim lights that slightly lit up the seating area, while the stage was lit in a red hue. At a table, some volunteers were helping sell Semiratruth’s new album “The Star of The Story.”
Semiratruth was the first to play out of the three acts. A flutist supported Semiratruth’s performance which gave their sound a suspenseful atmosphere. During the performance, Semiratruth often improvised with the beats that were being played which were all sample-based and glitchy. They also interacted with the audience by talking with them and doing calls and responses. Their presence on the microphone was also a standout when they performed the songs “Losemymind” and “Humpty”.
Cavalier started off rapping as soon as he went on stage. He had the crowd bopping their heads with his performance because of his very energetic and charismatic rapping and performance style. This made the performance equally funny and uplifting, bringing everyone together. One of my favorite parts was when Cavalier performed the song “Flourish,” which perfectly represents his performance as a whole. Not only was he funny, but he was also impressive; his delivery and performance on songs like “Custard Spoon” and “Manigaults/I Miss Them” showcased impeccable abstract lyricism.
The final act was New York-based rapper ELUCID, who seemed to be the most well-known rapper from the showcase. ELUCID started his performance with an instrumental intro from his song “Spellling,” giving the performance a slow atmosphere with its altered sampling and psychedelic keys. During this set, the audience seemed to focus more on his performance, with little artist-crowd interaction. However, that didn’t hurt the performance, as his microphone presence and delivery were very impressive. His songs on the aforementioned “Spellling” and the song “Betamax” showed his mesmerizing lyrics along with his punchy delivery, leaving the audience focused on what he was saying.
True/False’s Friday Night Showcase at Cafe Berlin was great, showcasing the talented lyricism of the three underground rappers. ELUCID, Cavalier, and Semiratruth all had different performing styles that resonated with the crowd and with me in different ways.
You can keep up with The Maneater’s 2025 True/False Film Fest coverage here.
Edited by Faith Jacoby | fjacoby@themaneater.com
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com
Edited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com