When most people think of Pusha T, you know, the rapper, they normally don’t associate him with video games, and especially not League of Legends. But recently, at RiotX “Arcane” Undercity Nights, those two things collided in the weirdest way possible. This past weekend, Rioters and streamers faced off in a charity tournament called The Riot Gauntlet to settle the score once and for all on who’s better: the players or the devs. The tournament was part of the RiotX “Arcane” Undercity Nights event that took place on Nov. 19 and Nov. 20. Content creators from all over the world faced off against various teams of Rioters at the Arcane event, in different Riot Games titles, including VALORANT, League of Legends, Hextech Mayhem and more, with $100,000 on the line for a charity of their choice (Rioters won, by the way).
In classic Riot fashion, there was even a full-on opening ceremony for the grand finals. The show featured multiple musical acts and was headlined by Pusha T and Mako, who performed their new track “Misfit Toys” on stage. It was a fun show, and the music was great, but the whole thing was also pretty weird, to be honest.
The show
While it was probably much easier to catch a glimpse of the action on the official Riot Games stream for the event, the venue wasn’t exactly staged for the live concert experience most are used to.
Outside of the tournament and mini segments from the stream, Undercity Nights was less like a traditional esports event and more like a decked-out carnival for Riot Games enthusiasts. Looking out from the stage during the ceremony, you’d see a small crowd of maybe 20 or 30 people watching at a time, depending on the act. Maybe the numbers aren’t quite right, but it was an incredibly intimate viewing experience regardless; it was like attending a private concert. Beyond the stage was a huge PC bang set up for people to stream and play Riot games. It’s easy to guess where most people were hanging out during the Pusha T And Mako performance.
Now, the song itself actually goes pretty hard, and it’s obvious to anybody watching how much fun they had with it on stage. You can listen to a clip of the live performance here.
Between Mako’s exaggerated arm movements, Pusha giving off the vibe that he’s not 100% sure where he is at the moment (but down to be there anyway) and both artists wearing a look of visible concern about the audio levels of their respective in-ears, the set was as chaotic as it was memorable.
From the music video and lyrics alone, the song is clearly about him and the Firelights. But, can we just take a moment to appreciate how much time in the spotlight Ekko has gotten in recent years as a mascot for Riot, and how so many prominent black artists have gotten the chance to help bring him to life? It’s awesome that recognizable names like Pusha T and Mako got to be a part of that.
It would’ve been great if the whole thing was a bigger deal at the venue, but it’s understandable as there were so many other things going on at the event. Even still, who wouldn’t want to watch two mainstream artists sing an original song that’s tangentially related to League of Legends and Arcane? As odd as it all was, the small crowd made for a viewing experience that anyone present will remember for a long time.
