“Growth,” as cliche and overused as the word has become, is the only term that paints an accurate picture of 6lack’s transformation over the years I’ve followed his journey.

On Nov. 25 & 26, concert goers packed the Atlanta Tabernacle to witness their new hometown hero claim his fame. For two consecutive nights, the budding artist and his new haircut took command of the stage for a re-introduction to the city, and we were there to witness the second installment of his homecoming.

6lack began the night the same way he began the Free 6lack album — flaming energy from the verse he spits on the opening track, “Never Know.” Sporadically and in it’s entirety (minus the new bonus tracks), he performed his debut project to an audience of family and friends who saw him through his struggles.

A post shared by Jamil “Aries” Purnell (@iamaries) on Nov 26, 2017 at 11:01pm PST

As expected, the crowd raved at beat drops for hits like “Ex Calling,” “That Far” and “PRBLMS,” but the night was also full of surprises. 6lack brought fellow Atlanta native YFN Lucci to the stage for a short and sweet delivery of “Everyday We Lit,” then later impressed the crowd with a solo performance of he and Jhene’s “First F*ck” collab and a special rendition of Omarion’s “Ice Box.”

A veteran musician to ATLiens but a newcomer to most, 6lack tells quite the impressive story — both in his music and in transition on stage. The lights rose with a self-created intermission from the artist, who took a moment to stare at all the familiar faces in the crowd, noting that he “could see everyone he knew” from the stage, including peers from elementary school, middle school, high school, college and even his fellow drop-outs.

As the night came to a close, opening act Sabrina Claudio returned for a live duet of their “Belong To You” remix, featured on the singers About Time album which was released last month. She left the stage with gratitude, saying “Thank you, Atlanta, for having me. And a huge thank you to 6lack for bringing me on tour, it’s been amazing so far!”

Living in ATL and having witnessed Love Renaissance build their own platform from the ground up, I had a front row seat to an unfolding legacy. Between the music, maturity and mastermind marketing, 6lack and LVRN don’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. If you’d like to witness a true story be told from a stage, then the ‘Free 6lack Tour” is for you.

(Photos by Jordan Perez)