Riverside Studios Presents ThunderWof. and dj noname.
Tulsa Spotlight Theater
February 20, 2026
Any time you can get artists from Tulsa and Oklahoma City together on the same stage, you know each will bring their best. That’s what happened on Riverside recently, when ThunderWof. and dj noname. brought the friendly rivalry between the two cities into one historic place: the Tulsa Spotlight Theater.
Built in 1928 by the innovative, radically creative, constantly evolving architect Bruce Goff, the Spotlight is home to the longest-running theatre production in the country, The Drunkard, as well as Tulsa’s annual Goff Fest, comedy nights, and community productions. (It’s also prime real estate for watching the Tulsa Tough race.) The Spotlight is a historic landmark that operates through the work of volunteers, meaning the cast and crew do it for the love of the art—an art that includes theatre by and for children, creating a space for the next generation to learn the creative work that has made so many memories here.
Walking up to the theater I was immediately greeted by the grand dual staircases and the large unique glass circle window—this exterior is the definition of drama. By the time I entered the actual auditorium, I quickly realized that while theatre often uses music, music doesn’t necessarily use theatre. With the seats aligned in more of a theatrical arrangement than a typical music show, an aisle in the middle, and me questioning if I was sitting Stage Left or Stage Right, the setting was a little disorienting. But then again, this was a ThunderWof. show, so anything was on the table. Speaking of tables, there were merch tables at the event with neatly arranged tapes and airbrushed hoodies. For a fan to buy your merch is all the social proof you need, and rapper Auntie Ace made the most of the moment by taking photographs with these patrons.
Hosted by Oklahoma City’s Rayvin, the night opened with Cappachino, who, just like the drink, woke up the crowd with a high-energy performance that effortlessly blended English and Spanish. The East Tulsa rapper has changed his name from Young Chino in honor of Wu-Tang affiliate/member Cappadona, and his rapping between the two languages represents a music and a culture that is now securely a part of pop music, confirmed by the all-Spanish Benito Bowl and its ripple effect throughout the industry. Cappachino is showing that his music has the power to connect, and he’s having fun doing it.
Next up was Oklahoma City’s King Scott, the only artist on the bill whose discipline is DJing. His style is very electric, with a music selection that was more vibes over lyricism, which was true to the origins of hip-hop, where the first star was the DJ. I noticed people doing dance moves from the waist up, enjoying the music but not actually dancing. One contributing factor may be that the theater’s old sound system couldn’t translate the new age sounds and bass coming from the DJ’s controller; there were crackles, there were pops, but just like in theatre, the show went on. It might have been that—or have we just become too cool to be whimsical? We have to bring back the freedom that comes with dancing, because we all can’t be streamers looking out into a sea of other people waiting to have fun.
Auntie Ace was the only female performer of the night; she performed like she was the only one on the flyer. Ace has a comfort level with her performance that only comes with experience, and she brings out a group of fans every time she performs. When an artist gets to a point where they have songs that are considered “OG,” you know she’s heading in the right direction. Her performance sometimes featured distinct vocal inflections that sounded more like a kid—a no-fucks-given persona that only comes with evolution and confidence as an unabashed artist. Ace was smart to capitalize on the opportunity by having her own videographer; in an age where content is king, this made her set a win-win—some might even call it having an Ace up your sleeve.
And finally, the pièce de résistance: the headliners dj noname. and ThunderWof.. The periods in their names are as intentional as the music they’ve created together, which has culminated in a new mixtape called Birds & The Beats. The uniqueness of the tape is that every song incorporates a bird in a singular and descriptive way—this is musical ornithology, a word only the clever ThunderWof. could incorporate into his raps. Meanwhile, dj noname. proved that he’s not just spinning records as he grabbed the mic and performed ad-libbed vocal backings that reminded me of the great MC and DJ duos of hip-hop like Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff or DJ Premier and Guru. Like them, these artists can move a crowd; by the time ThunderWof. and dj noname. took the stage, the audience had made its way to actually standing in the middle of the floor and enjoying themselves. The Wolves were out and ThunderWof. was leading the pack.
Before you get to the big stage, you must cut your teeth, and the Spotlight Theater provided a perfect space for these artists to do just that. This show was a test—not just in having a polished 20-minute set, but in having the endurance to perform a 20-minute set. Individually, the artists had their own tests that night. For Cappachino, that meant working on stage presence and performing songs that were newer. For King Scott, that meant being able to adapt to different sound equipment. Auntie Ace learned that you should always have merch at every show. Even more experienced performers like ThunderWof. and dj noname. learned something (namely, that just because you have something loaded onto your laptop doesn’t mean it will always play the first time). Each artist passed the Goff test: they succeeded in being themselves, being present, and not being afraid to color outside the lines.
