Near the end of 2014, Seattle rapper Sam Lachow has two of the biggest festivals in the Northwest and a sold-out show in his hometown in his rearview mirror. Lachow said he may have had a big year, but in his eyes he’s only just getting started.

“At the beginning of this summer we planned to take (Seattle) over as much as we could,” Lachow said. “It’s been probably my biggest year but I’m always looking ahead…I ask myself, what’s next?”

Last night, Lachow and Seattle hip-hop group Brothers From Another lit up the CUB Senior Ballroom with styles reminiscent of everything from jazz to trap beats, creating a canvas of the vibrant Seattle hip-hop scene.

“I didn’t think I could headline a college show yet, so this was kind of surprising for me,” Lachow said before the concert. “I still don’t know how many people it’ll bring out.”

The turnout was minimal on a weeknight and with finals around the corner, but after a great warm up courtesy of Brothers From Another, Lachow’s set was welcomed with enthusiastic cheers.

“I came from Seattle to party with you,” Lachow yelled to his fans. “It’s a Tuesday so I didn’t think you would come out, it means so much to me.”

Lachow’s set included selections from his recent EP, “80 Bars,” which is available for free download on his website. The performance featured recorded tracks, but also a full live band, including soulful vocals by Seattle singer Ariana DeBoo.

“This is the first time I’ve brought my whole band to a college show, and I’m really excited,” Lachow said before the performance. “I’ve played shows with only tracks and some with only live band. This is like a perfect balance of both.”

The live band sound was the centerfold of Lachow’s own personal brand of hip hop, and his energy onstage made the relatively small audience seem just as important as the sold-out crowd he played to at the Neptune Theatre in Seattle Saturday night.

“80 Bars Part 2,” the second song off the EP, showcased Lachow and his live band bouncing between jazzy and trap vibes, but it was when the accompaniment fell away that Lachow’s skill in spoken word truly shone through.

“He spit rhymes so fast, his skill was comparable to Eminem. Lachow was like a young Jay Z and an old Mozart,” said senior management and information systems major Jeremy Esmay. “The band sounded really professional. They were all excellent performers.”

Senior marketing major and SEB concerts programmer Liz Lin said booking Lachow to perform at WSU was a reflection of both the students’ taste in music and SEB’s way of bringing that taste directly to them.

“I saw Sam Lachow at Bumbershoot earlier this year. He’s truly a rising artist coming out of Seattle right now,” she said. “Seattle is on the map for sure, especially in the last four years. I think its cool for us to be able to showcase these artists and to support them before they get big.”

For Lachow, the dive into a full-blown music career happened organically.

“For a while I was shooting videos for other people and charging a little bit of money, but not that much,” he said. “I found out that if I made my own videos … I ended up making more money through that and I had more fun doing it, so it seemed like the right move to make.”

He may be a talented musician, but Lachow said his vision goes much further than whatever he may be doing in the moment.

“I still want to tap into (directing and producing) a lot more in the near future,” he said. “I don’t plan on rapping forever, that’s sort of my current thing.”

Cell phones and a lone lighter lit up the crowd as the band led into “Stolen Bikes,” a deeply personal song from Lachow’s album “Huckleberry.”

“Before I go, can we have a dance party real quick?” Lachow prompted before careening into a finale with epic horn samples and funk beat. “We’re supposed to be done, but can we bring it back real quick?”

The enamored audience got their encore before they could even ask for one, complete with an onstage cameo from Brothers From Another and Lachow diving into the crowd. After the music, Lachow made his way into a crow of students eager to compliment and relish his charisma.

“I have so much love for this school,” Lachow said, encouraging students to check out his music. “I feel that I’ve barely done anything yet, follow my career and there’ll be much more to come, and more exciting stuff than I’ve already done. I only think about my future, and I’m only getting better.”