What starts out as a typical stormy February night in Washington, turned into a hip hop event that I wont soon forget. Rain pouring sideways with huge gusts of wind have everyone running for cover to the inside of the Northern. Nights like this I am thankful we discovered the two small space heaters. They adorn opposite corners of the big garage-like building; putting out just enough heat to keep us from hypothermia.
Dj Pasquan once again on deck, is spinning local music to get everyone turned up. Looking around, everyone is feeling it on some level. From dancing to rapping along, everyone can feel the vibe Paquan is putting out. With the energy high, I'm able to make my rounds, say hello to those I know and introduce myself to those I dont. With Patron as the host, we get things going. There are several acts on this bill I haven't yet become familiar with.
The first artist to preform is a man I had not yet met in person, who goes by StressFreeWorldWide. Born in the Virgin Islands, he has moved frequently, living up the name "world wide". He now hails from the Olympia/Lacey area. I'm impressed with his performance; his energy is high and his delivery is crisp. Visit StressFreeWorldWide to hear his music.
Once again Q.P blesses the stage with his high energy and feverish delivery. He preforms a song with Lega'C Jones ... a duo I had not heard together. It should come as no surprise the duo vibe well together and put on a preformance that has the ladies swooning and the men rockin. Check out this song from the two of them. Also representing #Hk3 and preforming with Q.P, ThreeSixty took the stage. Having only met him a few weeks prior, I am still unfamiliar with his music. However, within minutes of his first verse, everything fades away and I'm left in hip hop serenity. Which leads me to Elena Palmas. She recorded a song with Q.P called "Gotta", which is on my daily playlist. I was surprised to see her but I couldn't help but make a large amount of noise when she grabbed a microphone. Elena has such an angelic voice that I can't even sing along to a song I've memorized. Listen to it here.
I couldn't contain my excitement when I heard from Lega'C Jones, a week prior to the show, that he would be preforming as well. I met Lega'C Jones two years ago (Club MIDAS) but had not seen him preform in close to a year. I wasnt the only person excited, as people were pushing me out of the front row to get a better view. I had to fight to stay long enough to get a few decent pictures and then slowly migrated to the back. As soon as I did, I instantly regretted it. I suddenly remembered why these people were about to go crazy. Lega'C Jones doesn't just rap, he sings. And as a soulful sound eminates from him, I'm once again lost in the art of hip hop.
Also on the bill this evening was Black Magic Noize who came down from Seattle. Unfamiliar with this group, I find myself excited to hear something new. And new is just what I got. 4 men address the crowd. They couldn't be more different from each other but they make it work and quite effortlessly. Check out their facebook page here.
Throughout the evening there are three battles. Not only were artists representing Olympia's For Mcs By Mcs, but also Tacoma's ABL (Alliance Battle League). The first battle of the night brought us Basics (repping the ABL) vs Oly's Krucial Barz. It proved to be an entertaining battle that left me begging to hear more from the winner, Krucial Barz. Next was a battle of wit in two different styles. A.D vs The Truth had the crowd listening intently with many "ooohs" and "oh shit"s erupting. A.D had plenty of jokes and personal jabs while The Truth had bars of wit that had me on my toes. The Truth took the win on this battle. The final battle and preformance of the night was Steez vs Hype. Possibly a close battle; with plenty of personal burns, word play and bars on both sides, Steez took the win.
Once again Heretic and Remex put together an amazing event. I had the chance to listen and socialize with my friends, family and new (to me) artists.
Much love and respect to all
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