Action Bronson, SXSW 2013: NPR Music Front Row

Arian Asllani, who records and performs as Action Bronson, is a hulking figure on stage with a flow and fearless showmanship to match his size. The former gourmet chef from Queens often raps about food and fine dining, with equal parts humor and conceit.

For this all-too-short set, presented by Warner Sound at the Belmont in Austin, Texas, Bronson repeatedly heaved himself over the security barricades and disappeared into a crush of frenzied fans, never missing a beat. At one point Bronson grabbed a fan who braved the crowd on crutches, hoisted him onto his shoulders ... and kept rapping, bobbing up and down with the man slung over his back. (Apologies in advance, our cameras weren't rolling.)

In the end, Bronson disappeared into the crowd permanently, ending his set as a disembodied voice coming from somewhere in the club, but not before treating everyone to the track captured in this NPR Front Row video, "Strictly 4 My Jeeps." -- ROBIN HILTON

CREDITS
Producers: Saidah Blount, Mito Habe-Evans, Robin Hilton, Amy Schriefer; Assistant Producer/Editor: Denise DeBelius; Audio Engineers: Garrett Davis, Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Mito Habe-Evans, Katie Hayes Luke; Special Thanks to: South By Southwest, Warner Sound; Executive Producers: Anya Grundmann, Keith Jenkins