My third time hosting the Mad Records Showcase, on March 28, 2017 was the charm; it was ladies’ night after all. Figga Face, creator of the showcase, has managed to compile amazing talent once again this week. Our sponsors were Trust No One, who had thongs on deck, as well as our photographer, Un-Rated Ebony, who captured the entire evening with her lens; two pairs of Yankee tickets were also given away. DJ Guttah was on the turntables and had a flawless set; I was very impressed with his 90’s rotation that featured all of the classics. The evening’s judges were King Luke, Johnny Dutch and HD of Desert Storm Radio. Oswald Williams of My Block TV was in the building covering the event and interviewing talent; exclusive behind the scenes footage to follow independently.
Deebo Gwollah kicked off the set; amazing energy which is a requirement when setting the tone. He hails from New Rochelle and came with an entourage. He started rapping in 2008 and was an engineer prior to that; you could tell by the quality of his music. Great stage prescience and energy, Deebo Gwollah is someone that I will be following to see what else he has in store. Now, Peppa had my attention prior to the showcase even starting. I received the email with her music and promo pics and could not help but notice her name was the same as my daughters; Kai Anne. She lived up to her moniker because she lit the stage on fire. She came across as soft spoken during the interview, and was extremely humble during her performance. I am confident this will change as she assumes the role of MC and owns her rightful place on the stage. Great lyrics paired with fierce style; she is going to be the perfect new addition to the rap scene. Choppo Troublez hails from Queens and has been featured at the last three showcases. His newest song, “I Be Leanin” has been highlighted as well as “Pretty Gang”; both can be purchased on iTunes. His sets have been consistent and I look forward to seeing more of him outside of New York; he anticipates going to A3C this year to expand his brand. Loopy Los and Ruger Red were new names for me, so I was looking forward to their individual sets. Loopy Los, style wise, already got my attention. He performed his set alone, kept the attention of the audience and he scored well with the judges. His production was summer-time ready. Ruger Red, commanded the stage with his statuesque physique and an entourage. His lyrics were on par with what I have come to expect from the new era of Hip-Hop. He is one individual who I was unable to interview, but plan on reaching out to him to find out more about his story and inspiration. King Luke and Figga Face took the stage and delivered individual sets. The winner from the last showcase, Mr. Moe, of Young Famous Africans was back in the building for his encore. I have watched his social media blossom since the win last month, and he has stepped it up tremendously; photoshoots, interviews and studio sessions are now are part of his daily repertoire. Dipset’s own V. Casi was the evening’s headliner and boy did she shut things down. Her tone was a strikingly unique; just a beautiful voice. She sang the “Grass Ain’t Greener” which features Chris Brown. Her song was cut short by our DJ in error, yet, she kept going like a true performer does. She was sensual and kept all the attention on her by engaging the audience with her eyes; just stunning. I cannot wait to see what else she has in store this summer; I am hooked to say the least. Calina Ashley came out strong from the gate. Her lyrics were solid and entertaining; witty and clever. The crowd was enthralled with her; she had them singing the hook despite it being the first time some had heard her music. Ultimately, the judges chose her as the winner in the female category; rightfully so in my opinion. She will be back at the next showcase and she promises to bring her son. Talent runs in the family so if he is anything like his mother, it will prove to be a set worth seeing. Splashie already made me a fan before he uttered a word. He tore the stage up in a retro Vince Carter Raptor’s jersey; how apropos because his performance was a slam dunk. Honestly, I just like his delivery; something about his accent just makes me eat every word up. He is full of energy and even filled the roll of hype-man for the opening act, Deebo Gwollah. He gave us two tracks and showed us he can switch up his flow, which is very important in a stale rap game. He was deemed the male winner by our judges and I think they nailed this as well. The next Mad Records Showcase will take place on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at the Prospect Billiards Café. If you would like to preform or attend the next showcase, please get your tickets from Eventbrite. We look forward to seeing some fresh new talent and can’t wait to see you there.
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As I sit in Charlotte for a layover, I have had more and more time to think about why I love travelling so much. In the last year, I have tackled Austin, Atlanta, Miami, New Orleans and Austin again this weekend. I attended SXSW for the second consecutive year, and plan on making the annual trip to SXSW going forward.
My reasons are simple. The minute you land in a new city with a Yankee fitted on, you are embraced immediately; I do not care where you go. The people want to know all about you, they love our style and our accent apparently; who knew? SXSW was no different than last year in this respect. In a radius of roughly six blocks, the streets were lined with live entertainment and revelers of all sorts, each with a game plan in mind. Flyers, CD’s and other promotional goodies are swapped, ideas are discussed and connections are made. My game plan this year, was to formally promote www.senecavillage.net, a virtual marketplace for minority and black owned businesses to progress and prosper; a site co-founded with Mr. Nice Tie, aka Petty Post. The site boasts talent of all sorts on a national and international level and is set up demographically. It is complimentary for up and coming businesses and talent and funded by sponsors. I dusted Texas with about two-thousand flyers; the concept was received well. Petty Post and I look forward to working with new talent and moguls in the making; their stories will be told on www.senecavillage.net and we encourage you to check it out. Another reason I love to travel, is the insight it offers you on your peers in the game. Who takes themselves seriously and who is just talking. This is important to me as it allows me to dismiss people before I invest too much time, energy, effort and money into situations that will ultimately go nowhere. It exposes one’s level of awareness on expanding brands and the value of promotion and marketing on a grander scale. I hate to admit it, but I find New York flooded with talent in an already saturated market; it makes it complicated to stick out. Conversely, out-of-towners are all dying to come to New York with the hopes of making it big. In my opinion, this is why “The New Yorker” is such a coveted visitor in other states. We offer invaluable insight as to what to expect and not expect from New York and the politics that come with the territory. New York was well represented. Some notables from this weekend were Math of the Vandal Hour, featured on DTF Radio Saturday nights at 11pm. He had a staffed table at Peckerhead’s, complete with step and repeat, cameras and marketing goods. He was in prime position to capture key footage of TI’s performance. Jack Thriller, a SXSW staple, held his annual showcase; the house was packed. What I enjoy most about Jack’s showcases is the variety of talent; demographically and creatively speaking. He is able to attract this caliber of talent because of his fan base; an investment worth every penny for the right artist. Torae and K.Fhox have been everywhere lately, so I wasn’t surprised to run into Torae personally; I didn’t catch up with K.Fhox but her marketing was all over the place. Choppa Zoe, of Money & Violence, was there promoting his music; his street team was in full effect. D-Teck of Konvict Music and Success of Atlantic Records were there to judge the Coast 2 Coast Showcases back to back on Friday and Saturday night; there was a great turn out of talent there as well. I ran into Kwan Lee of Kwan Lee TV; it has been a minute since our last encounter and I can see why. He literally had his hands full; one with a camera, the other with business cards. I follow his social media and see him working on quite a bit; consistently. I highly recommend him for your photography and videography needs. He takes himself and the people he works with very seriously; it is clear in his work ethic. In his company, we ran into Cortez, another New York native on a mission. Yannie, a personal favorite of mine for some time now, was in the mix like no other. She is an absolute powerhouse. I first met her through my work with Money & Violence; she is their publicist and a woman who wears many hats. Yannie is always surrounded by talent who are invested in their careers. This weekend she was with Phresher Dygz, a break-out artist from New York I’m also partial to. He tore the stage down with his hit “Wait A Minute”. I would be remiss if I did not mention Malcom X. He is also an artist, but filled the roll of hype-man in such a way, Spliff Star and Flavor Flav would tip their hats to. Chase Baker, D. Chamberz, Bad Girl Cris, the Popular Stranger, Berri Life and Twan Da Dude were also in Austin, however, I did not cover their shows personally. I am privileged to live locally to these artists and am well aware of what they have to offer. What I really went to SXSW for was to scout talent from out of town; I had my pick of genre and venues to say the least. The first act I caught, The Wistful Larks, was a Rock’N Roll Group from Chicago. I had just landed and had to hit up a familiar spot, The Nook, for my first Blue Moon; they were mid performance and their energy kept me in the building. SXSW was one leg of their tour on the West Coast; I look forward to more from them in the future. I happen to love John Legend’s “All of Me”, so when Paul and Julian were doing their rendition of it on the street, I just had to stop. This is part of the beauty of SXSW, literally every corner has its own vibe, complete with its own audience. You never know who you will encounter or impress, so everyone is on their A game. Press and media are key in this industry. I bumpd into longtime acquaintance Gray Rizzy, of Shade 45 and Sirius XM, on Sixth; he was a panelist this year. Essince and Brooks, contributors for Hip Hip Weekly, were there to push their newest medium, Royal Heir Magazine. While there promoting www.senecavillage.net, I made it a point to pick up every CD, flyer and business card I could find. I am currently listening to new music from across the United States; reviews will follow on an independent level. If you are an upcoming artist, looking to break out, this is the perfect opportunity for you. Planning and preparation, as with life, are key here. You should have your hotel booked by the end of the summer and your airfare handled by December 2017 for the best prices and hotel locations. The badges are expensive. I had one last year and opted to go without it this year; in my opinion I saved about $700.00. The key things to bring are business cards, the goods you are marketing, a street team and an amazing attitude. With that said, I look forward to seeing you next year. |
Jenna A. HercheA native New Yorker, Jenna has been in various facets of the entertainment industry for over twenty years. Her newest venture is media. Be sure to stay tuned for her perspective on the industry and the politics that come with the territory. CategoriesArchives
March 2020
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