...things as I see them

SxSW 2013: Mass Appeal x Ice Cream Present Kendrick Lamar

Posted on April 12, 2013 by g4mikey

I remember my first trip to SxSW in 2011. Kendrick Lamar was the artist that was buzzing on everybody’s “next up” list… I even shot a video of a quick interview with him for the now defunct milkNsyrup (RIP) blog. He performed at Illroots’ Sunday Swagger showcase to a crowd of a couple hundred people.

Fast forward two years, a critical acclaimed album, and a slew of high profile features, and you have Kendrick Lamar, rap royalty. If you’re in anyway familiar with Kendrick and his music then you can already imagine how dope his live show is. The great thing about a major show like this at a festival like SxSW is there are lots of surprises and special guests that stop through…

K Dot performed tracks from GKMC, Section.80, KL EP, and OD. I was impressed with the tracks he chose to perform and even the way it was done. A lot of artists perform songs, some give a show; this was definitely a show.

Ab-Soul

Schoolboy Q

T.I. came out and rocked a couple tracks too… definitely didn’t see that coming!

If you’re able to catch Kendrick Lamar live, DO IT! If you’re busy that night clear your schedule!

He’ll be performing tomorrow at 11 Fest, and he’s on a tour right now. Dates here.

SxSW 2013: Mass Appeal x Ice Cream Present Pusha T

Posted on April 11, 2013 by g4mikey

One of the biggest things that had me hating the 19 hour road trip down to Austin was the fact that I’d be missing one of my favorite rappers performing in Columbus… right before leaving for the longest ride ever I found out he would be performing in Austin two days after he’d be in Columbus, light at the end of the tunnel!

Fast forward to Friday night… insert King Push! The master of the coke flow took the stage and shut it down. Performing a few of his Clipse classics and his solo street anthems like “Blocka” and “Exodus 23:1″. I kinda had a super fan moment when “Grindin” came on and he spit his verse, I’m sure everybody remembers the first time they heard that minimal beat get ripped to shreds by the pair of brothers from VA.

Be on the look out for Pusha’s debut solo album, “My Name Is My Name”, scheduled to drop this summer!

-G4

SxSW 2013: Mass Appeal x Ice Cream Present ASAP Ferg

Posted on April 10, 2013 by g4mikey

The Mass Appeal x BBC Ice Cream Social was a show that came together and got buzzing a little closer to SxSW than a lot of the other shows did, but that didn’t affect the crowd size at all. There was literally a line that wrapped all the way around the block. Even after the venue was at capacity the line was STILL hundreds of people long.

First act I caught was ASAP Ferg… sheesh! I know Ferg is still on the rise, but judging by the audience’s reaction he’s already established quite a buzz. I honestly thought the roof was gonna come off when he performed “Work”, the energy was THAT high in the building! I’m definitely excited to see how Ferg progresses as an artist, but it’s clear he’s on a strong path.

Follow ASAP Ferg here, and be on the look out for more of his work dropping soon!

-G4

11 Fest

Posted on April 9, 2013 by g4mikey

Yes… after the longest winter ever, we have finally made it to festival season. The first one I’ll be checking out this year is one of my favorites, The Numbers Fest‘s 11 FEST! I’ve been a loyal Fest’er since 8 Fest and I’ve never been disappointed. Following a strong history of amazing acts (MGK, King Chip, Curresy, Krewella, etc) comes Kendrick Lamar and Steve Aoki as co-headliners!

They just announced yesterday that DJ EV will be hosting AND they made an iPhone app (available here)… what more do you need!? Tickets are $30 for general admission and $50 for VIP (that VIP package honestly is worth the extra $20 lol).

I hope to see everybody at the illest college festival in the country!

-G4

SxSW 2013: LFTF Presents Cashmere Cat

Posted on April 9, 2013 by g4mikey

Take a good-sized salon, move everything out of the way, throw a huge party with DJs from all over the world… sounds insane right? Live For The Funk didn’t think so, and after I caught Cashmere Cat’s set I realized how ill the idea was.

Cashmere Cat, a Norwegian DJ and producer, had that room on 10. He brought his special brand of melodic remixes and blended it with music from a spectrum of different genres. This was one of the sets I was looking forward to most when I was planning my schedule for SxSW. I heard it was one of CC’s first times in America, so I knew it would be a rare occurrence to see him live in the States.

Much Love and many thanks to the Live For The Funk crew, I’m definitely a fan!

And if you’re not familiar with Cashmere Cat, give this track a listen… one of my faves!

-G4

DJ Corey Grand: Medium Frequency

Posted on April 9, 2013 by g4mikey

DJ Corey Grand has been putting in some serious work so far this year; spinning at SxSW, becoming one of the newest faces at Cleveland’s Z1079, and putting out this super chill mix, Medium Frequency. MF features tracks from a lot of dope artists like Flying Lotus, The xx, Rustie, Disclosure, and even a remix by Dorian Concept. Every now and then I get my hands on a mix that I vibe out to and lose myself in, this is one of those! Give it a listen and hit that download button…

Grand also rocked a dope set at Get Right this past weekend, you missed a crazy time if you weren’t there! Check out the video recap of the night…

Word to Travis for the Get Right video and Jay G Wallace for the ill artwork for the Medium Frequency project!

-G4

SxSW 2013: Red Bull Sound Select Presents LEP Bogus Boys

Posted on March 31, 2013 by g4mikey

The last act of the Fake Shore Drive/Red Bull Sound Select showcase I was able to catch was L.E.P. Bogus Boys, which was actually just Moonie (apparently Count had some issues he had to get square and missed the show). Unlike the other two acts I saw here, this was my first time seeing LEP live. I had heard of them back at the 2011 SxSW I attended and honestly I tried so hard not to get into their music, but I was blown away after the performance I caught.

I’m not a huge “street music” guy, but damn. I really think that’s an inaccurate description of their music because it’s anything but terrible lyrics over bass heavy beats; this was quality music by a couple guys that can give a first hand account of what goes on in the hood.

They recently signed to Interscope so I’ll be looking for their album to drop!

-G4

SxSW 2013: Red Bull Sound Select Presents The Cool Kids

Posted on March 31, 2013 by g4mikey

The Cool Kids, Chuck English and Sir Michael Rocks, reunited at the Fake Shore Drive sponsored day of Red Bull’s 120 Hours in Austin. It had been a full year before this performance that they had hit the stage together…

It’s been years since I’ve seen The Cool Kids perform, and not much has changed except the catalog is larger and so is the crowd. I’ve always thought Mikey Rocks and Chuck English were a good duo because they contrast each other perfectly… they’re really good independently, but great together. Hopefully they’ll bless us with some new music soon!

-G4

SxSW 2013: Red Bull Sound Select Presents Chance the Rapper

Posted on March 31, 2013 by g4mikey

Thursday of SxSW (yes this is before the weekend even started!!!), Red Bull Sound Select had a Chicago show that really reminded everybody how great the scene in that city is. The first act I was able to check out was one that I’ve seen a couple times already, thanks to animalXhouse. Chance the Rapper’s live show is one of a kind… full of energy, emotion, and dancing straight out of Chicago’s juke scene.

If you’re not familiar with Chance you should definitely do your research. The story behind his first project, 10 Day, is inspiring to say the least. With all the negativity being reported about the youth in Chicago it’s good to see a young man that chased his dream even after his teachers told him how pointless it was…

-G4

SxSW 2013: BitTorrent Presents Just Blaze vs. Young Guru

Posted on March 26, 2013 by g4mikey

The BitTorrent show for me was the epitome of what’s great about SxSW… I had no clue this show was going on at all, I actually only stumbled across the show because I was leaving the Toro Y Moi set and heard some great music across the street and decided to see what was going on… Oh hey, Just Blaze and Young Guru!

I don’t know about anybody else, but that Roc A Fella chain represented everything I wanted to be as a teenager. I would have gladly traded my sister for one! (Sorry Sophia)

I think the whole back to back platform of DJing is a special type of artform in itself, but to have to people that mean so much to hip hop going b2b is even crazier. At one point they were taking turns doing mini sets (celebrating everybody from the Neptunes to J. Dilla to the Diplomats to Just Blaze himself) and they were straight seamless! They also debuted the Kendrick Lamar “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” Remix with Jay-Z!!

Huge thanks to the good people at BitTorrent and especially Matt Mason for putting together a crazy show.

(it was dope top to bottom, I’m salty I missed Rustie)

-G4

...things as I see them

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