Jul 10 2014

Rav Report Live: GoldLink @ Westway.

I’ve been a fan of GoldLink’s for a few months now. I pushed him onto my Twitter followers, albeit cautiously. I tend to be an early adopter on artists but I thought I saw something in him that perhaps other’s didn’t. I was wrong, as every song of his that I posted (or reposted on my Soundcloud) someone asked me about him. I was put on by the writer of this interview (I know her, does this count as a flex??? Probably.) His first widely released project “The God Complex” is where I began listening. From there, I knew I had to catch him live at some point soon. As per USUAL, cool ass DJ Toy threw me info about him performing in NYC yesterday…so I had to go.

So I made my way to the Westway (REDUNDANT SENTENCE!) from a birthday happy hour in Midtown. Now, I’ve never been to the Westway. The Westway is DEEEEEP. I felt like I was sneaking off to Shredder’s lair for some raps. Seeing as how I’ve been to a good amount of events in SoHo/TriBeCa etc., I am almost used to this feeling. Regardless, I just walked towards the water and kept my eyes peeled for people who were dressed like they stepped out of Tumblr. This strategy will never fail you if you’re trying to find a show.

I get to the front door and I’m a LIL’ antsy; just hype to see GoldLink. I get in smoothly (and the bouncer dude laughed at the stupid abbreviation on my ID), and the first person I see is Rob aka Octavion, who I’ve known since undergrad and was def in my friend circle at ODU. From there I bump into more of my friends/peers from VA and its just a snuggly little reunion. Yaaaaayyyy. Shoutout to Serge and Mike too. I also slid to the bar and got rum and coke number 1. I took it easy because I’ve already had enough alcohol in my body to dissolve myself from the inside this week.

Another reason why I came to this vent was to check out Gianni Lee(link). I’ve seen him DJ at Trillectro (what up, DC), but I wanted to see him nearly a year later, in a more intimate venue. I was thoroughly impressed, as he dabbled in his own mixes and even played reworks from his peers. Overall, I appreciated what he did, as he definitely kept the energy up.

Next, DJ Kidd Marvel came on the set. He’s GoldLink’s DJ, so he dove right into shit that would push the crowd into a frenzy. I was pretty amazed at how this crowd reacted so positively to Threatz and Awwsome, by Yung Simmie and Shy Glizzy, respectively. I’m kind of a Glizzy stan at this point, so I was definitely happy to see NYC appreciate that.

While he’s doing this, Toy walks by for the second time that night and says loudly…”ITS SO HOT IN HERE….I HAD TO BRING MY …

….FAN!”

Now when I tell you, she whipped this fan out of her pocket (or pulled the shit out of the shadows) and opened it one smooth motion before she finished the sentence….son. I think she rehearsed it. ANYWAY, Marvel caught me off guard when he bought GoldLink out. I was totally unprepared. Or still stunned by Toy’s fan based sorcery.

GoldLink comes out with a leopard print hat on, a black tee (that we would later find out was ALEXANDER WANG..yes HE TOLD US!), and some tiny ass cut off shorts. Definitely above the knee. Troy Ave is DEFINITELY not doing any songs with him, lets take that off the table now. I personally thought his fit was perfectly normal; would blend in perfectly with people from around the nearby area. Actually, if he was your typical SoHo street runner, he’d have on some silly ass Power Ranger intergalactic SNEAKER BOOTS. But he didn’t. Thank you, GoldLink. Another interesting thing about this is he usually performs while hiding his identity. He’s starting to warm up to the idea of showing his face; very cool that he chose to do so here.

The guy is a ball of energy. He’s just cruising through songs from his (fantastic) Soundcloud page and “The God Complex”. He does “Creep” which he asks before he starts “HOW MANY CREEPY NIGGAS IN HERE??”. I stayed silent, because I am the ULTIMATE GENTLEMAN and know nothing about those things. Still, I rocked, cause I liked the song. He did “On & On”, which is just smooth and worked the crowd over. As I keep watching him rap, it’s hitting me how HARD it is to actually rap these songs with such dexterity and stay on cue. He did this for the duration of his roughly 30 min set, with no slip ups. He even calmly rapped through some mic volume issues, restarted the song, and most importantly… he wasn’t rude about it. I hate seeing rappers flip out on the sound guy; he just swam through it. As you can see, I was standing in the sexy bordello section; my phone wasn’t ready for all that. Speaking of sexy, there were SOME baes present. One of which came with her dude and as soon as GoldLink came out, her jaw hung agape the rest of the show. So hopefully, he didn’t MISPLACE her.

As his set comes to a close, he goes into “Ay Ay” aka “the video that had all the titties and butts in it and is NSFW“. The first time I saw the video, I actually was at work. I saw the first 15 secs or so and had to scramble for an escape like I forgot my homework in high school. The song slaps; he did it justice live. Another one of the later songs he performed was “Wassup“, which flips “Indian Flute”. Don’t you dare ask me what Indian Flute is either!!! I really dug that he closed with these songs. he also did a song from his upcoming EP, with Chaz French. Chaz is linked to my friends and he did his thing, so I’m all about that.

While I must admit, I was disappointed by some song omissions (namely “CTRL”, “How Its Done”). However, it was his first headlining show in NYC. His job was to complete a condensed set and impress; he did that. I really think he has something and will be a big deal, very soon. He has talent, energy, thinks outside of the box and really loves to make music.

Also, Kevin Liles wasn’t too far away from us. TAKE THAT AS YOU WILL. No, I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say….I mean…he’s Kevin Liles. I was too busy trying to be cool and not play myself. I was also lucky enough to meet Rome Fortune in the venue. I’m a fan of his and very proud of his progress. I stopped, showed my appreciation, and that was that. Very cool guy and I’m really glad we got to chop it up for that limited time.

Overall, it was a good night. I finally got to catch GoldLink, I managed to not get drunk, and I made it home without disintegrating from exhaustion. WIN WIN WIN.

To wrap it all up….

Drunk Levels: Low (2 Rum and Cokes). I barely wanted to drink. If they had orange juice straight, ida had that.

Bae Levels : There was some work in there! I think one who looked at me a lil strangely…so clearly…..she wanted me(or I’m just ugly). I’m not gonna factor in the girls I knew who were already there cause that would juke the #BaePowerRankings stats. So uh let’s say somewhere between 6.5/7 out of 10? Yeah.

Show quality : 7/10 -8/10. Only real complaints are that it was short/song omissions. As a performer, he did great. He’s a real showman, too.

Venue : I’ve never been to Westway before but its nice. It’s a little tight inside but I never really felt uncomfortable. It also used to be a strip club…so center stage is a catwalk. Yes, GoldLink threatened to strip on it while Ginuwine played.

Until next show! As always, if theres a show in NYC, hit me on Twitter. Always open to suggestions for the next Rav Report Live.

Apr 8 2014

Rav Report Live: Kelela @ Rough Trade.

If you know me, or follow me on Twitter *points to sidebar*, you know that I am a Kelela stan on the low.

I listened to her album , CUT 4 ME on a whim sometime last year and I was SUPER impressed. For an alleged music snob who hates everything (I don’t!), this was big. I ran this album into the ground for months until I got tired, didn’t think about it, then bought it back to life.

I was lucky enough to catch her in October at the CMJ edition of Fader Fort out in Brooklyn. The Internet was also on that bill. Needless to say, crazy show. I also wanna put this out here, I was pretty drunk off of Captain Morgan Black by the end of this, so that was probably why I was in the front row, turned into pure putty while Kelela was singing. Yeah. The drinks. It’s not because I’m soft and partial to women who sing. Nope.

Fast forward to last week, and I remember that Kelela is doing 2 shows in Brooklyn. I HAD to attend at least one. I kinda had a lot going on that weekend (COOL GUY ALERT!!!!) so I saw that there were still tickets on Friday and took the plunge. I was flip flopping between this and the Natural History Museum party with Machinedrum , but an industry buddy (who I actually met at CMJ, and is a pretty nifty DJ) told me “IM GOING TO KELELA!”. I go to plenty shows alone, but if you have the chance to go with other people…you should take that. Plus she’s is also a stan, so it works out.

So that was that. I set out into a semi crappy weathered night and head to Williamsburg for the show. I step in and my first thought is “wow, there are a lot of bad, weird black girls in here, right now”. I move around a lil’ bit and hit the bar and get a rum and Coke, because I’m a cool guy who drinks boring shit. I’m drinking and watching the stage, which has a DJ duo just going to WORK. I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the transitions but they seemed to get better as the night went on. It’s a guy and a girl, who I later recognized were Shayne and Venus X of GHE20G0TH1K fame (if you know, you know). They were really playing some daring stuff (BMore club) and songs that will at least make you smile if you arent a lame (Aaliyah – One In A Million). Everything was working. The people were beautiful, the energy was good, I was starting to get into it (AND INTO MY RUM!).

A little later, she texts me that she’s in Rough Trade, so I set out to find her and her friends. I start to walk over and I look up and see…Dev Hynes. Now as someone who loves Solange and pretty much followed Dev from his work on “True”, this was kind of a big deal. Dude’s a real talent and I had basically a few seconds to decide “Am I gonna walk over and say what up or am I just gonna drift over to my destination.” I opt to not be a bitch and quickly show my appreciation to Dev (very gracious and humble guy) and head over. FULL DISCLOSURE: I was guzzling Rum and Coke number 2 so I’d bet money I shook his hand too quickly and was probably talking too loud. SO WHAT. Also, someone on Twitter linked me to this. Dev is wild, son.

I get to her and her friends, introduce myself, and Kelela takes the stage immediately.

Let me be frank.

Kelela is fine.

Anyways, here’s some footage cause I’m tired of typing.

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I hate when people post show footage but…#100happydays Day 82 #roughtrade #roughtradenyc @kelelam

A post shared by Robby. (@robbyrav) on Apr 5, 2014 at 4:57pm PDT

When I go to shows to see singers, I’m specifically trying to see can they recreate records live. If I found out Kelela was CB4, I might not have recovered. LUCKILY FOR US, she is not. Not at all. Her song “Send Me Out” is one of those test your vocal chops tunes, and she killed it. There were actually a group of girls next to us were just standing there dissing Kelela the whole show. While that shit is kinda weird, Send Me Out shut them the fuck up. So thanks Kelela, good lookin’. She’s powering through basically all of the songs you’d want to hear off of her album, including reworking a few with different edits (such as “Keep it Cool”).

While doing this song, the j appears. Now mind you, this is an alt r&B show, of COURSE there’s weed right? But I’m gonna tell you something about me.

I am a rookie smoker. Possibly less than rookie. I could count on my hands the amount of times I’ve burned and still have enough fingers left to shoot a jumper. Or toss a frisbee, for our shoes off in the grass buddies. I’ve never really put time into learning the intricacies of smoking, because its just too ill. It literally feels too good; I feel like if I learn to roll, smoke in any situation and light roaches etc, I’m going to become Redman. I’m just gonna keep doing it. So, I stick to rare recreational settings where I don’t have to do too much but pull.

Anyone who’s been in the presence of weed will tell you, you got about a split second to decide are you gonna hit or not. I hastily said yes.

“Yo, you gotta relight it.”

I don’t know how to relight this shit, man. I’m in the dark, cant even see my fingers, trying to open the lighter, light the j, and pull in one smooth ass motion. I failed, almost burnt my upper lip off, and inhaled wild weed flakes into my mouth. Was like chewing mesquite wood chips. I’m so fucking wack. I got away with this with only one person peeping me PLAYING myself. I’m now in the dark, watching Kelela, constantly touching my possibly singed lip. If I fuck my lip up, my sex appeal gon’ be on E, and I can’t afford that. Luckily I was ok.

A little after this, Kelela walks into the crowd.

This is how close I was.

I did not walk over there, because…well I don’t know. Seeing her up close confirmed my “Kelela is bad” thought, word to dude who was less than 5 feet away who refused to make eye contact. SHOOK!!!!! (As I notice this 10 feet away.) She thanks us, goes backstage for few, and comes back to encore a bit then close with “Do It Again” , which is a favorite of mine.

Show ends, I linger a lil bit, say my goodbyes, and skate up outta there.

It was a good night, Shayne and Venus did their thing and Kelela was very crisp and has a good feel for the stage. Most fun I’ve EVER had while trying to burn my face off with a lighter.

To summarize it all:

Drunk Levels: Low to Moderate (2 Rum and Cokes)

Bae Levels : A lot of weird brown/black baes who definitely talk about the eco system and co-washing in the same breath…..and thats my type of scene

Show quality: 8/10 -9/10

Venue : First time being at Rough Trade, and I loved it. I’ll be back.

If you guys like, I’ll keep doing Rav Report Live for events I go to. Any shows in NYC you think I’d like (even ones I wouldn’t), let me know!

Feb 26 2014

Progression (aka Yeezus).

So earlier last week, a friend of mine shot me a flurry of texts that basically ended in “I have Yeezus tickets, I wanna go with someone who actually likes it….” I originally had plans with my DOG, KWAME but I got his blessing. He already saw Yeezus, knows how I feel about Ye’ and knew I needed to go. So I squared that away and I was on board.

Now mind you, I’ve been to Glow In the Dark. GITD changed my life. This was my first big concert and I was maybe 21-22. I paid damn near 300 for my seats (as if I had that, who was I fooling) cringed, and went after my spring semester ended. I vividly remember watching the whole thing thinking “Holy shit, why can’t I feel like this every day?” GITD was a culmination of Ye’s ego, imagination, and talent, all in one cohesive story that felt like a child’s well developed day dream. He has an IMAGINATION. Around this time I noticed that my own imagination was dying, and so was everyone else’s. He was “free” more or less. Kanye’s energy that whole show told me he wanted to be there, and there’s nothing else he’d rather do with his time. That was deep to me. At that age, I had only begun to understand passion and how it fuels you. Ye was operating off of passion and love, and I wanted that. The technology at the show was also out of this world, and directly affected what I wanted to do with my life.

So needless to say, seeing Kanye’ perform is kind of a different thing for me. I saw him at Watch The Throne but that’s a different type of experience from a Kanye’ solo show. I had to take part in this.

I get to Nassau Coliseum , we get the tickets (just happened to be GA floor, YES!), we linger a little bit, then we go in. First off, to get to the floor in NC, you have to go down like 6 -7 ramps, deep into the basement of the building. It’s basically like a bomb shelter, with tight ass hallways. We get down there, give in our tickets and walk in. (sidenote: My ticket number was “143” aka shorthand for “I Love You”. I wanted to keep it but they wouldn’t let me. I’m just into symbolism, from little things like that to the more grandiose.)

The show starts about 40 minutes later and I’m pretty into it from the get go. I’m really not the wild out at a show type unless its just that kinda night. I like to digest what I’m seeing, rap/sing along, and just enjoy the show. New Slaves/Clique/Black Skinhead….I’m engaged. Then something happened.

When it come’s to Kanye songs, Coldest Winter (and Streetlights) are somewhere in my top 10. These two songs are just honest, poignant, the kind of things anyone who’s ever had to deal with loss or feelings of inadequacy can relate to. He walks out to the edge of the mountain built onto the stage. It raises into the air, and he lays flat on his back and goes into Coldest Winter.

Right before he starts singing it, he tells us it’s about his mother (which I’ve heard before and always wondered if it was true). My heart sank a little, because I could never imagine losing my mother and feel for everyone who has had to deal with that. I only have one living grandparent, so, it’s affected those amongst me.

During this whole performance I’m staring up there, thinking how lucky we are to have someone willing to make music like this. We’ve had Kanye for too long; it’s to the point where we write off what he does. If we’re gonna be honest, from the gate, he was a talented guy making honest music. He was so self confident that we couldn’t tell if it was arrogance or someone willing themselves to the top (which he did). He has Grammy’s, sales, notoriety, fame, but I don’t totally really think that’s enough. His…”talent” for falling in and out of public favor has somewhat affected how people view him. He’s said shit I found corny (ie his reactions to Kris Humphries/ lyrics about Amber Rose post break up), but I’ve kinda got over it all. Sometimes he loses himself in interviews, but I’ve never felt that he meant any harm. He’s been coming off to me as someone trying to find themselves, and last night made me feel like he’s progressing.Once he took his mask off, he was….happy. Last hour of the show was pure glee; you could feel how positive the energy was from every in the house that night. He was at ease; anyone who has lost that knows how vital it is to have.

With all of that said, Kanye always makes me feel motivated when I see him perform. Kanye gives his all, every time. A lot of things have happened to me fairly recently that make me feel like I should try harder …with everything. I’ve become somewhat concerned about not using what I have to the best of my abilities. I don’t really feel like I lacked talent (you can be modest if you want), but I do know I lack drive and motivation, sometimes. My life did not improve until I continuously pushed myself to the edge, and I think that’s the “secret”. I’m uncomfortable; shit is weird….but that’s fine. I’m becoming better and I see and feel it. If you don’t squeeze every drop out of what you have, can you really complain about your results?

Life isn’t something you just stumble through. YOU control your reality. Just try to grow daily and keep stretching as far as you can. I get that in order to reach a point that you can only imagine, you have to prepare yourself for that and be disciplined. Kanye always worked, no matter what went on around him. He saw who he wanted to become, and he believed it enough for all of us. Is that not what success is?

Jan 21 2014

Washed!

For those unfamiliar, when two rappers are on a song and one’s verse(s) happens to be glaringly better than the other rapper, we say they got “washed”. This is a regional thing; I’m from NYC, you probably say something different in your hut in Des Moines, Iowa. “He got cornhusked/irrigated” whatever you bumpkins prefer. Moving onward.

But what happens when you’re a singer and you are washing other singers, or even WORSE, rappers? I take mental notes of when this happens, and I’m going to show you a few of my favorites. This happens more often than it should, actually. *begins lecture*

HOW MANY DRINKS.

Now, I am teetering on a Miguel stan. BUT. BUT! He didn’t have to add Kendrick to this. “How Many Drinks” is a wonderfully catchy song about Mig inquiring as to how many watery Cran and Vodkas does he need to purchase for you to come home with him and get UOENO’d. I wouldve preferred the original album version with him harmonizing and hitting mad wild notes as you don’t notice he’s singing about getting hoes loose off Peach Ciroc. Did Kendrick get “washed” per se? No. Could he have just stayed home? Sure. Never did I hear this song and think “You know what this smooth tune needs??? Kendrick Lamar rapping about eating the love box.” Kendrick is still the man though. Please don’t tell security to grab me by my lengthy tank top and Jazzy Jeff me out of your show.

Remember You.

The first time I saw this online, I thought “Yes! Wiz and The Weeknd!” I hit play and listened to a rapper get ran off of his own song. Wiz had 0 business on this (yes, I’m aware it was his single). Abel drug-yodeled Wiz right up outta here. From the moment Abel said…

Girl, take pride in what you wanna do
Even if that means a new man every night inside of yoOoOoOoOoWhoOoOoOoO (OH!!!!)

….I became concerned for Wizard Khalifa. Very concerned. Just got uglier from there. Abel also said he’ll “smoke anything thats handed” to him but let’s overlook a famous singer possibly smoking wet/sherm/The Shenanigans and lets focus on him cooking Wiz. Wiz’s verses were cheeks so I’m not gonna quote em. Just know: The Weeknd ate the first verse and you can cut it off after he does the hook.

Sex Room

Ok. This song is terrible. Sex Room, as I will tell anyone who will listen, is in my top 20 favorite songs ever. That explosion you’re hearing sound is my credibility disintegrating, but so what? Every time this shit comes on, I am Richmond goon yodeling Trey’s every word, cause he killed it. The whole premise of the song is corny and Luda’s bars are super forgettable but soon as I hear that “OOOOOOO OOOOOO OOOO OOOOOOOOOO” I’m going in. Trey Songz ate FOOD on the last part. Son was just yelling “OHHHH OHHHH” mad loud in the background while dropping gems such as “Lemme get a vowel I.O.U./I.E.U. MEANS I EAT U”. Flames. This was at a time when Trey was still the RnB filth lord (that spot has been usurped by this guy).

sidenote: Sex Room finished and it started to play the rest of the album…this shit was a trainwreck. If only it was actually the Shawnna/Luda collab album it was supposed to be.

double sidenote: I googled “Shawnna” and there was an image tab that just said “Ass”. Props to Google for being just as scummy as me and knowing what I was here for. *exclusive footage of me when the page loaded*

And now, for the star of the show.

UPGRADE U.

YEAH. YEAH SON. I was playing this stupid loud in my freshman dorm, being a stereotypical #Black and making the walls shake(not via sex, because Robby at 18? Getting girls? #LOL!). Everyone was prolly like “oh he jamming that cause of that beat and that Jay verse”…….

NOPE.

I was listening to Beyonce get BARS OFF. Don’t get me wrong, Upgrade U is possibly a top 5 Jay feature verse. He did work….but he stood NO chance against….

Audemars Piguet watch
Dimples in ya necktie
Hermes BRIEFcase
Cartier top clips
Silk lined BLAYYYYYZZZUUUUHHHHSSSSS

Beyonce singing her ass off about being the ultimate equal to her man in love AND business? Touching. Then she gave him wild high fashion bars back when I had 0 idea wtf an Audemars was (a 19 year old Meek Mill heard this and then spent 2 years straight telling us about his watch. There were more RAPS but you listen to the whole song and you’ll see what I mean. She bounced back nicely after Hov Knowles went off. Unlike that one time he hopped on that Kendrick song and got put in the dumpster.

Listen. Enjoy. Appreciate singers washing people and be great.

Jun 19 2013

the light in the darkness.

You never know when the words will touch you. Or what those words will be.

A long time ago, I was listening to “Murder to Excellence” and heard the ensuing lines.

What up, Blood? What up, cuz? It’s all black, I love us

– Jay – Z

“I love us.”

The line always stuck with me. As a black man, I’ve always felt passionately about my racial identity. I was a 4 year old kid on the floor; in my draws and my little Hanes white tee…thumbing through books about African kids learning Swahili.A bunch of brown faces that looked just like me and my sister and my parents. Different skin tones. Braids. Big smiles. I felt pride then and I really didn’t know what it meant. I just knew that there was something important about my people. I always had this feeling in my chest that my race was a big deal and something to hold onto tightly.

I happened to be on UnKut.Com and saw this….

When BDK(Big Daddy Kane) came out….I felt the same way I did when I read those books about black children. I was proud. Look at that park full of people with the same skin, ancestry and culture as me. Everyone peacefully gathered in the park , simply desiring a good time. It doesn’t even feel like 2013; everything about the scene looks like what I’d imagine the 80s to be. I’m not one of those “YO RAP WAS THE BEST BACK THEN EVEN THOUGH I WAS BARELY ALIVE” people but certain things can’t be denied. This video is beautiful. In addition to BDK still having stage presence and the same talent that won crowds over when I wasn’t even a thought yet , the energy strikes me. The energy. From us.

I love US. US.

Black people. My brothers and sisters(black women changed my life.) and uncles and aunts and friends. Not just “black” in the typical sense , ethnic people. I think we all have some aspect of black culture or ideologies within us.

I can’t do certain things because of the presence of this….love. I can’t really fuck with WorldStar; I feel silly and embarrassed. I think we are far too beautiful and talented and strong to have a website thats 80 percent dedicated to us making a fool of ourselves. I can’t laugh at some of those jokes pointed towards black women; they’ve been around me all of my life (and instrumental in who I became over time). I can’t dig certain TV shows because they dont accurately reflect the black experience that I know and live daily.

In that same breath , the love makes me smile. I see a black person doing well and striving , I commend them because I know the shit is tough. The people who really pushed the hardest for what they desire all too often go thankless. I don’t ever let myself hold back credit when its due; but if its a person of color its even MORE important to me. I LOVE to see a black man or woman touching destiny and impacting people with their gifts. It’s vital. That is the real meaning of life. It’s what I really want to do before it’s all over.

Luckily for me , its nowhere near over.

Mar 28 2013

Ten Days to listen to #10Day.

Now , I was pretty late to the party.

I first heard Chance on Childish Gambino’s “They Dont Like Me“. I was impressed by the rhyme scheme he decided to go with and how crazy his voice sounded. He held his own and did what he had to do on there. Didn’t think much past that.

I managed to catch the “Juice” video a few months ago late one night (I’m always up late yet fall asleep very easily) and thought “this is sorta interesting.” Admittedly , I wasn’t super impressed but immediately thought dude can rap , I’ll revisit this.

Fast forward a BUNCH of months and its March. I’m getting ready to head to my second annual dose of “SXSW teach me things about life”. I typed in my Notes app “LISTEN TO CHANCE THE RAPPER”. 10 Day is Chance’s debut mix tape, which he recorded after a 10 day suspension from high school. In pure cool guy fashion , I couldnt get to Chance’s tape unless I listened on the plane. As I took that good “middle seat on a 4 hour flight” loss, I settled in and finally hit play.

What a great decision , Robby.

First off , my mind is blown that he’s this young (19 years old as I write this) and this confident. #10Day clearly feels like he did whatever he wanted to. There’s no fear , no sense of holding back his creativity. His beat selection is good , he can actually put coherent words together , he’s descriptive, he sings and most important of all??

He’s happy and serious all in one breath.

Happy ass rap annoys me and makes my skin crawl. Thus if you hand me a B.O.B. cd….just call me Uncle Rico. The thing is , Chance is happy about life and shows hope but is no stranger to the darker parts of life. He makes them both work seamlessly in a world where all the big rappers are extremely moody. I love some moody ass rap….because I’m sort of a dark dude (SKIN JOKES SKIN JOKES!) , but that burns you out. Chance is just…refreshing.

Every time I hear this song I grin. Does this not just sound like a HS crush at a sweaty basement party your mom would probably kill you for attending? It’s just fun. Everything from the catchy bars and the carefree energy to how easily Chicago juke/footwork music is worked into the song. It’s perfect for what it’s supposed to be. Chance is a young kid having fun , which we all are at heart (or what we should try to be.)

Then you have a song like “Acid Rain” off of his upcoming tape Acid Rap.

My big homie died young; just turned older than him
I seen it happen, I seen it happen, I see it always
He still be screaming, I see his demons in empty hallways

Jarring. To hear someone just clearly rap about being haunted by visions of a murdered friend says so much. I immediately knew Chance had quite a personal story of his own to tell. He comes off as somewhat of a tortured soul with lots of talent. Aren’t we all tortured souls? The thing is , we won’t all turn that strain and suffering into art. He spends the duration of Acid Rain rapping about the darker realities of being a Chicago teen , even with his newfound and building stardom. Self doubt , fear of the future; things any 19 year old has come face to face with. Chance chooses to go that route and is never preachy. It’s just…real. He gets vulgar like anyone else but it nothing like the drill music from the likes of a GBE.

Which is another interesting thing about Chance. He has shouted out Chief Keef on multiple occasions , even leading a “SOSA FREE!” chant at SXSW on the day Keef was released from Cook County Juvenile Detention Center. Chance’s music is nothing like Keef’s but he understands the balance needed. Chief Keef needs to exist , even as violent and dark as his music is. Keef and Chance speak for a generation of teens that in reality, aren’t all that different. Being that both hail from the inner city of Chicago , things are tough out there. Chicago is not a scene out of a Wild West film to be ridiculed and ignored; those wonderful children have hopes , goals and dreams like anyone else. Regardless of what side of the tracks the teens fall on , they need outlets. Keef’s music is very angry and aggressive but guess what? So are those kids. They are frustrated, displaced teenagers seeking guidance and answers. Chance like Keef , is a talented kid from Chicago with a lot of painful things going on around him. He just expresses himself differently and didn’t end up so firmly planted in the street. Clearly , teenagers like that exist in Chicago and everywhere else.

I say all of that to say this: Teenagers from Chicago are not inherently bad people. They are putting themselves into music and creating a world for themselves that they could’ve never imagined. Keef is doing it. Chance is doing it. I’m proud of both. Chance is a better rapper in the classical sense and is excellent at relating his personal life and experiences to other people. With that said, I truly believe Chance is next and I’m excited to see what his future holds.

Mar 22 2013

6th Street Sights or , what really happened at SXSW.

SXSW was a pretty ….wild experience. A few thoughts and pictures.

Trinidad James is a star (and I was wrong. For once!)

(pardon that guys fat ass neck!!!)

Trinidad was one of the biggest names at Fader Fort last Thursday. I also caught Katie Got Bandz, who did a pretty good job. KAAAAATTTTIIEEEEEEE!!!!

So, I admittedly thought of frontin’ on seeing Mr James for the 3rd time in my life. Thanks to the endless urging from multiple sources, I decided to stick around Fader Fort and give it a go.

Blew my mind. I’m no fan of “Don’t Be S.A.F.E.” but I could not deny what he was doing on that stage. He got to “One More Molly” early (IMO his best song) and I stuck along for the ride. Shocked by his skill (!!!!!!) and mastery of the stage. Soon enough, I was turning up with everyone else in that crowd. I was legit singing along with songs of his that I HATE! He has a way of forcing you to like what he’s doing. Another thing that really stuck out about Trinidad is he’s VERY humble and thankful to be in his position. Every time he addressed the crowd, it felt “natural”. He deeply appreciated every soul under that sweaty ass tent in the middle of Austin. Also, shoutout to my dirty ass shoes that I acquired here; I’m probably never going to clean them because I don’t care that much.

Thank you, Trinidad James. Sorry for doubting.

Baauer is NOT overrated.

I was lucky enough to catch Baauer at show put on by Night Supply. The bill was Just Blaze/Baauer/Big Sean but that last guy decided not to show for whatever reason. Since I wanted to continue being drunk and touching butts, my soul burned a little bit. Not to worry…Baauer saves the day. He really went to work in the very dark, yet cavernous venue.

Baauer worked the crowd into a froth and he DIDN’T play Harlem Shake. He has a great ability to read the crowd and is well versed in various types of music, including rap in all of its varieties. If you like music, you would’ve enjoyed Baauer. If you expected it to be a Harlem Shake WOOP WOOP WOOP WOOP UNCE UNCE UNCE UNCE LIGHTS FLASHING sorta deal all night, you’d be pleasantly surprised. I was also drunk as shit. Here’s some visual proof of how chopped I was.

Shoutout to Kat for sending me the pic AND tying my based headgear onto my very drunk scalp. No, I don’t know what the hell that lint is in my beard.

Time with your friends from various walks of life is always great.

Time spent with my #NT savages and my friends from back home. Got to introduce them and put those two worlds together for a little while. Far as I’m concerned, it went rather smoothly.

I also bumped into artists who I consider friends that ALSO make music I enjoy.

Noah Caine, The Boy Illinois, Audra The Rapper. All people I’ve known for some time (especially Audra, as we went to school together.) It’s beautiful seeing your friends work towards their dreams and get closer and closer to success so quickly. Situations like these is really what SXSW was built on.

I also stopped Kris Kasanova in the street to express how much I appreciate his music and progress. I don’t know him personally but I met him through a friend. I take time to show love when we cross paths because that’s important. If you’re a fan of someone’s work and get a chance to tell them in real life? Do it. I have 94% of the time. I choked on talking to Kanye but that’s ’cause he was trying to ninja lurk through SoHo.

I told Victor Cruz what up.

Please come back to NYG, Victor.

I saw Earl Sweatshirt over and over. He was at near my gate the day I flew in and the day I flew out. He looked tired….people still bothered the hell out of him lmao. I understand fully….because he is skilled.

Seeing people perform who have dominated your music choices for months is a crazy feeling.

Perfect example of this is Aston Matthews. He’s from Cali so I didnt forsee having a chance to see him perform anytime soon. Thrasher CLEARLY loves me because they put him in a showcase. I came to see him and ASAP Ferg but I was more than satisfied seeing Aston do his thing. He’s confident, his music is quality, and he has very good people around him. I chopped it up with one of the dudes from his crew “Cutthroat” and he said “yo come turn up when Aston gets on stage!” When Aston did “Latino Heat”, the place turned into a madhouse. I had a stupid grin on my face; it was like seeing a friend make it. Good things lie in his future.

I also got to catch GrandeMarshall in Fader Fort. I’ve met Grande a few times and he’s always shown love. Seeing someone who moves around like a regular dude get and maintain the attention of a Fader Fort crowd, far from home? Madness. I also dug how A-Trak holds him down and vouches for him with such conviction. It’s clear that Fool’s Gold believes in Grande and that’s vital. I feel lucky that I got to even be in Austin for such a big moment. Grande went up there and performed like the crowd didn’t affect him at all. Perfect recreations of the songs on his tape 800.

Heartbreak.

I missed Future, who decided to destroy Fader that night.

I missed Inc., who’s album I bought off of the strength of one song. I then commenced to listen to the CD for nearly a week straight.

I missed Waaves, about 3-4 times. I am a loser.

I airballed on Solange because I am an idiot who doesn’t read the fine print and I am impatient.

Chief Keef cancelled on a lineup that was GBE/RL Grime/Baauer/Flatbush Zombies/etc……the line was as long as the Trail of Tears and we were there an hour and a half. I stared to the skies and hoped BasedGod would deliver me from this pain…..did not happen.

This is my second time going to SXSW. Shows get cancelled. You miss stuff. It happens. It just happened A LOT because stuff that would’ve been a cakewalk to get into last year was like trying to sneak into Area 51 this year. But I won’t complain.

I was real god damn drunk. We were real god damn drunk.

We were thoroughly chopped. Don’t think anyone around me was sober after 4 all week.

Me?? I was perpetually destroyed because A)back home I really don’t go out or drink that often B)I enjoy being irresponsible out of town.

Last year, we spent a LOT of time in a bar called Toulouse. This bar has 5 dollar mason jars. Mason jars of what?? Whatever your soon to be straining from this greasy ass Texas food heart desires! We prefer the “Adios” jar because it gets you remixed real quickly and is by far the strongest. I was throwing those shits back like Berry Kool Aid. Predictably, I got a lil wild , bros.

Prolly my worst case of “lord help me , I’m very drunk” was Thursday. I believe (THINGS ARE HAZY) I started off with two Stormy Seas (pls Google) that were free at this event. A Rum and Coke. Another Rum and Coke…..another Rum and Coke. This was before I even touched Toulouse. A few hours later I end up in Toulouse with the ever sweet Patrina. We went to ODU together and I haven’t seen her in years; I had no choice but to get her drunk. So I knocked down 2 Adios. She knocked down 2 Adios. All I remember from there is getting dubbed/twerked to the point I was squished UNDER the bar. I also remember vigorously squeezing A LOT of asses that were literally offered to me. At this point I’m nearly half blind but I can identify a southern ass in my clutches blindfolded. In short , I WAS LIVING.

(screenshot because the actual pic is lost in cyberspace…Patrina unfortunately lost her phone that night)

Patrina intro’d me to these 4 fine YELLABONES from Houston. I was so thrashed that I blew it when I shook one of their hands. She saw me fail and gave my half balled up hand a slap/pound then a handshake. SMH. All was rectified by one of her friends offering me her ass to squeeze. Why me??? ‘Cause real black is back…..fam. Looking like the iPhone dark side of the moon emoji is never a negative.

Every night I entered that bar I definitely said and did shit that would make my mother shake her head. She’s probably going to read this so: Hello , MommyRav.

So yeah go to the Toulouse. Ass will end up in your hand every night. Or maybe that’s just me. LOL!!!!!!!

All in all, Austin was fun. It was tough , it included stress, but I think we still managed to work it and win where we could. If you have a chance to go , do it.