Too Many T’s – Rap Year Tour

Event Details

This event took place at Lela Saigon, 138 Lê Lai, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Ho Chi Minh City, from 9 PM on 9 March 2019 until 2 AM on 10 March 2019, with the original address retained for archive accuracy even though the venue has since closed. Scientific Sound Asia presented UK Hip Hop duo Too Many T’s as part of their Rap Year Tour, bringing a high-energy live rap show to central Saigon.

The night was built as a dedicated Hip Hop event rather than a mixed electronic programme. Too Many T’s combined rapid-fire vocals, crowd interaction and bass-heavy production with an obvious affection for the golden era of rap.

The duo consisted of rappers Ross Standaloft and Leon Rhymes, who began working together after meeting at a university house party in 2012. Their shared interest in Hip Hop, particularly the playful and lyrically driven styles associated with the period before gangsta rap became dominant, gave the partnership an immediate musical direction.

Their complementary vocal styles soon developed into a performance format based on quick exchanges, tightly timed flows and humour. That chemistry became one of the defining features of Too Many T’s, both on record and in the live shows that helped establish their reputation.

Their first major project together was the free mixtape The T.P., released in 2013. Two further EPs followed as the pair continued to refine a sound that balanced old-school Hip Hop references with more contemporary production.

Live performance became central to the duo’s development as their audience expanded. Rather than reproducing studio recordings without alteration, Too Many T’s built their shows around movement, interaction and the constant exchange between the two MCs.

That approach helped them earn festival appearances and support slots alongside major names from different generations of Hip Hop. Their performance history included bills with De La Soul, Public Enemy, Snoop Dogg and Big Daddy Kane, placing them alongside artists whose work had directly influenced the culture they drew from.

The duo’s music nevertheless avoided becoming a simple recreation of 1980s or 1990s rap. Modern bass production, electronic elements and a faster live energy gave their material a contemporary edge while the rhyming and humour remained rooted in classic Hip Hop traditions.

In 2017, Too Many T’s released their debut full-length album South City. The record featured production from Flux Pavilion alongside long-time collaborator Odjbox, widening the sonic range around the duo’s vocals and strengthening the connection between rap and bass-heavy electronic production.

South City helped introduce Too Many T’s to a larger international audience and gave their live shows a fuller catalogue of original material. By the period surrounding the Saigon appearance, their videos and music had generated millions of online views and streams across their channels.

Their Too Many T’s YouTube channel became an important part of that growth, carrying music videos, live material and other visual content connected with the duo. The platform also helped communicate the humour and performance style that were difficult to capture through audio alone.

The Rap Year Tour brought that live identity to audiences outside the United Kingdom. The Ho Chi Minh City date placed the pair within a growing series of international underground bookings taking place in Vietnam during this period.

Lela Saigon provided the setting for the event in the Phạm Ngũ Lão area of District 1. Its central location placed the show close to one of the city’s busiest nightlife districts while giving Scientific Sound Asia a venue suitable for an intimate live Hip Hop performance.

The event format also differed from many of the organisation’s House, Techno and Drum and Bass bookings from the same period. Rather than concentrating on DJs and electronic club sets, Too Many T’s brought a fully vocal live show built around MC technique and stage presence.

Their use of classic Hip Hop influence also complemented Scientific Sound Asia’s wider interest in turntablism, Funk and bass culture. Previous bookings around the same era had included scratch DJs and artists whose work crossed Hip Hop with Jungle, Breaks and other underground styles.

That broader musical context made the Too Many T’s show a natural addition to the Scientific Sound Asia events archive. It documented another side of the organisation’s programming beyond electronic club genres and demonstrated its willingness to bring international live rap acts to Ho Chi Minh City.

The musical appeal of Too Many T’s rested heavily on the relationship between the two rappers. Ross Standaloft and Leon Rhymes could switch lines rapidly, finish each other’s phrases and maintain a level of movement that kept the performance closer to a party than a static concert.

Humour was equally important because the duo avoided the overly serious presentation sometimes associated with technically focused rap. Their writing and stage delivery allowed lyrical skill to sit alongside jokes, crowd participation and an emphasis on making the room move.

That balance was particularly suited to a smaller venue such as Lela Saigon. The audience could remain close to the performers, making the call-and-response and conversational aspects of the set more immediate than they would have been on a large festival stage.

Tickets reflected the accessible size of the event, with early-bird entry priced at 100,000 VND. Admission on the door was 150,000 VND, giving advance buyers a lower-cost option while still allowing people to join on the night.

Early-bird tickets were made available online through Eventbrite with a small administration fee. Paper tickets could also be arranged through Scientific Sound Asia messaging or purchased directly from Lela Saigon, with cash-on-delivery offered within Saigon.

The multiple purchasing options reflected the way independent events in Ho Chi Minh City were often promoted at the time. Online ticketing was growing, but direct messaging, physical tickets and venue sales still played an important role in reaching local audiences.

The show also fitted a period when Scientific Sound Asia was increasing its international artist activity while continuing to develop its radio station and DJ agency. Bringing touring performers into the city complemented the organisation’s radio and promotional work by creating opportunities for local audiences to experience the artists directly.

Too Many T’s brought a distinctly British form of contemporary Hip Hop to the event while drawing openly from an earlier era of the genre. Golden-era influence, modern bass production, fast lyrical exchanges and a deliberately lively stage presence gave the Rap Year Tour its own identity within Saigon’s underground music calendar.

Lela Saigon has since closed, but preserving the original address, ticket structure and event details maintains an accurate record of the night. The show remains part of Scientific Sound Asia’s music and event history, documenting a period when international Hip Hop acts were increasingly joining the DJs and electronic artists appearing around Ho Chi Minh City.

For the Saigon audience, the event offered a direct introduction to a duo who had built their reputation through relentless live performance as much as recorded releases. Too Many T’s brought Ross Standaloft and Leon Rhymes to Lela Saigon for a night based on sharp flows, humour, classic Hip Hop influence and enough bass-heavy production to keep the Rap Year Tour moving like a proper party.