This is the first time I’ve blogged anything in a long ass time. The 9-to-5 life had me all but discard of this domain name, but alas, we’re still alive! I came back here to announce that we’re proud to present our next show, featuring DC’s own Fat Trel. Check the flyer out above! Crazy, right!?

I blogged about Trel pretty in-depth a little over a year ago (check that here). While bigger names Wale and Tabi Bonney have worked diligently to put DC hip-hop on the map, Trel has been too, just a little differently. Trel’s been in the trenches (read: the studio), perfecting his craft and killing open mics and murdering shows across the country when time permits. Sure, the noise hasn’t been as loud (although it did garner some attention from Cash Money CEO Bryan “Baby” Williams aka Birdman, some big magazines, and a bunch of labels), but you’re about to hear it.

You may have caught Trel at DC’s Vitamin Water Uncapped show alongside Rye Rye, Wale and X.O. earlier this year (I was in there. It was wild!). If you missed it, here’s some footage:

He’s only 20, but his talent as a musician is unparalleled by most. I wouldn’t have said that before yesterday, when the DC to BC team hit the practice site for Krank Factory, the electrifying band that will be backing Trel on stage. He told us it was his first real time rocking with a band that wasn’t a go-go band, but watching him work, you would think he’s a vet. Adding his input for when the guitar should solo on a track, communicating with the lead keyboardists to figure out how to recreate the synth sounds for the live performance. He was doing all that. They jammed out for like 6 hours straight and didn’t even seem tired. That’s an artist if I ever seen one.

I don’t need to sell you on anything else except his actual music, which is what the compilation that we’ve put together will do. It’s called The Set List, and it’s (give or take a few surprises!) the exact same set list that all 500 fans will experience on Sunday evening. We curated it and finalized it with Trel before we gave it to you guys. We hope to gain Trel some new supporters through this mix; you can download this today and know all the words by Sunday. Lol. But really though, we think this could be a cool new way of experiencing music as a new fan. The old fans already know what’s up, but it’s worth a download because it features a lot of his crazy thumpers on one compilation. The best part for both old and new? It’ll sound completely different (but equally as awesome) with a live band.

The entire point of this blog post was to give you guys an exclusive. So here it is, “Nightmare”, the introduction to his heavily anticipated mixtape Nightmare on E Street, dropping at the top of 2012. Enjoy.

DOWNLOAD: Fat Trel – Nightmare [DC to BC EXCLUSIVE! PLEASE TURN THOSE SPEAKERS UP!]

DOWNLOAD: Fat Trel’s Nightmare Before Christmas – The Set List [Mix Compilation]

I’ll have the streaming version of The Set List shortly for those who can’t download. Gimme like 30 minutes. I gotta find some food. For those in DC, see you guys on Sunday (grab tickets here!). For those who aren’t there, we’ll definitely document that joint for you!

If you know me, if you’ve been in my vehicle or been in my dorm room while I was in college, you’d know that my affinity for A.B. The Pro‘s music is probably unrivaled. I have a lot of confidence in this SE representer’s sound, and he’s my favorite artist on DC’s Studio 43 imprint. I felt like his mixtape he dropped back in ’09 was criminally slept on as far as production and the artists featured. You can tell that he cares a lot about putting DC on the map, and he without a doubt brought out the best in artists that otherwise may not have been able to convince you of their talent. In my eyes, “Stussy on My Back” with Young Marley could have been a local smash if the proper push was behind it (Stussy could have easily jumped on that joint and licensed it out and more money could have been made!), but 43 made the poor decision to push “W On The Fitted” instead, which was by far the worst joint on the entire tape. No offense to any of the artists on that track, but…that joint was so weak.  But hey. I’m not hear to chastise too much. That’s the past. We’re on to the future.

A.B. let me hold an early version of the mixtape to give him some feedback and criticism, and it’s so awesome to see that not only did he take it well, but he actually listened to the majority of what I said! Swapped some songs out, changed the tracklisting, and dropped a lot of freestyles over industry beats. In order to give you A.B. as an artist as opposed to just a producer, I feel like he needs to rap over his own $#!t. The one thing that I wished he did was to start the album with “Young Jimi Hendrix” (which is the first preview I’m gonna give you), or at least make that joint #2! It goes way too hard and kinda introduces you to what the entire album is gonna be like. Besides that, I don’t have too many gripes. The beats are mixed and mastered to thump in the vehicle or through your headphones, he has some club bangers that’ll make you raise an eyebrow and wonder why he doesn’t have stuff on the radio (or with bigger artists outside of DC, to be completely honest), and while he’s not exactly a rapper, you can’t be mad at his lyrics, cuz it’s all stuff people can relate to.

DC is proud of this, but I’m tryna make sure everybody beyond DC hears this product. Featuring a lot of untapped and under appreciated talent that you can read about on the back cover, this is a really good project that I’m proud to have been a fake-me-out A&R on, lol. Nah but really. Jam the previews, and then grab it below.

DOWNLOAD: A.B. The Pro – Crown Vic Music [Mixtape]

Nobody in DC raps better than Fat Trel. Nobody in DC makes a cleaner hood video than 1st Impressions Studio.

Now that you’ve got both of those facts straight, I invite you to see Northeast DC’s most popular fool in his environment. Goodness. If this isn’t gutta gutta, I don’t know what is. I’ve been campaigning for this guy to take over the city for a while now (read my post about him here), and it looks like things are finally starting to look up! I smell a major label situation of some sort coming. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Exactly what the flyer says:

the great progression (“the gee pee”). the movement you’ve heard about, but have yet to see actually move. well, it’s finally upon us; all i need now is funds to make the dream a reality. yeah, you heard me. the moola and the guap, like wiz said on his album. what better way to donate to a good cause than to throw a video game sports tourney / kickback on the eve of sunday, october 10th? NBA 2K11 dropped (with a playable michael jordan, who you can see in the background!), recently; we’ll be playing that on PS3. but while we’re at it, we might as well pay homage to dreamcast, a system so ahead of its time the industry couldn’t handle it. it dropped on 9.9.99, and 2K premiered its first game, NBA 2K, on this console.

we’ll have two screens going all night; one with the newest 2K offering, and the other with vintage dreamcast 2K sports games (NHL, NBA, and NFL. we ain’t playin’!). suck at video games? so what? come to support! we got jenga, connect four, uno, taboo, music, and great people to keep you occupied. $5 to fall through (larger donations welcome). it’s in g-town; e-mail modi[at]DCtoBC.com for the address. complimentary cocktails by belvedere, the best vodka in the biz.

Yeah, you read it. Starts tonight at 8pm. You don’t have work tomorrow, so don’t even fake like you do. Feel free to bring more beverages to spice things up, too. Could be some surprises there, too. You never know…!

Not in town/can’t come out to support, but still wanna donate!? We appreciate that! Check out our donation link below.

Links riiiight to my PayPal account. If you’re curious, the funds you donate will help pay for the beautiful website as well as any fun events like this that we have in the near future. We appreciate you! Do me this favor and tweet about the event via this twitpic link: http://twitpic.com/2wdv0e. Thanks for supporting another DC to BC/The Gee Pee-powered gathering, and hopefully you’ll enjoy it like the last joints we’ve had.

I’ve been rocking with this party pretty much ever since I met the Lunchbox Theory team (Christine and Allison) through my man Spencer, and it’s awesome to see how much progress they’ve made. I remember the joint when it was $1 to get in, get face painted, and jam out with the drummer’s circle and DJ Underdog’s vinyl collection of everything soulful, African-rooted, and more funky stuff. Incredible. That was honestly a steal! I was having the most fun of the month for $1. Glad they realized that they were providing such a good experience that they could raise the price and still pack the house.

I digress. This Thursday at Liv (11th and U), there’s a special edition of Afrobeat 4 Ya Soul for you. Let me let Christine tell it how it is:

Afrobeat 4ya soul: concert edition ft. Blitz the Ambassador
http://afrobeatdc.eventbrite.com/

Lunchbox Theory is kicking off the fall with something special this September.  In addition to the earth thumping sounds of DC’s very own DJ Underdog, Afrobeat 4 Ya Soul: The Concert Edition will feature Blitz the Ambassador. Based out of New York, this Ghanaian emcee uniquely fuses melodic African sounds such as Highlife and Afrobeat with classic ‘boom-bap’ hip hop. Featured along with Blitz is his very own brass heavy band, The Embassy Ensemble. Together they will be giving you a sonic live show that will take you back to the days of the “Boom Box” while simultaneously flashing into the future of Afrikan sound. come out on September 30 at Club Liv (2001 11th St, NW), enjoy some FREE face painting and take a look into the future.  Advanced tickets are $10, $15 at the door, and doors open at 8pm.

Oh, and you already KNOW Underdog cooked somethin’ good up for your MP3 player, too. For those new to the scene, this is what to expect when you show up on Thursday. For those who know what’s up, I needn’t say much more. Enjoy.

AFRICA AFRICA AFRICA pt 3
http://lunchboxtheory.bandcamp.com/

The debut of this mixtape was the spark of a new style of African based sonics and a new movement into the realm of afrobeat. Its about the progression of the dance. There is no sonic comparison to these mixes. There are so many elements fused between the notes. This release signifies the next step in the evolution. As the groove continues, watch this space, and bring a change of clothes.

SEE YOU THURSDAY!

UPDATE: this is a throwback post, only to entertain in the downtime. and since i wrote this, i broke my rule on 7.18.09, when i went to station 9 and was leaning so hard that a clever girl with a great eye for a drunk guy got me. oh well. she was just at the right place at the right time. at least she was kinda cool.

i enjoyed my first weekend as (somewhat of) a college graduate recently, and i won’t lie – it’s more powerful than the typical college dorm get together. not to say that it’s better or anything; the two environments have completely different dynamics. at the college house party, you can have some b-ball shorts and one of these russian hats on and do better work than the guy who went to barney’s co-op and bought a whole outfit as long as you are smooth and keep people entertained. this “going out” stuff however, things aren’t as casual. you have to come presentable! if you’ll check the picture above, i’m the underdressed chump in the middle. if i didn’t have my man melvin (he’s in the all black. no games. promotes hard. let’s get it.) get me in for the freeskee, i’d be outside assed out with the promoters that hand out the flyers. pay close attention to the picture. i will refer to it again shortly.

friday i went to this afro beat event hosted by the lovely ladies behind lunch box theory (pics are here so you can get a nice visual…i think i’m in one.) and it was marvelous. i’m talking more east african nubian princesses than east africa itself. a very diverse crowd of people who came to have a good time and enjoy the eclectic sounds of DJ undadog and his african drummers rather than to stunt like the typical club/lounge situation. i think it was the best party i’ve been to in a while, and i thank everybody involved for that epic night.

saturday was also powerful in its own way. the picture you see above, with all smiles, is from an outing at a spot called republic. more for OG’s, me and my man spencer (checkered shirt, left-hand side. @drspaceman for you twitter fiends) somehow finagled our way in there without paying that $20 hit to the wallet. the hardest part about going out is the money for the alcohol. now, melvin and my homie daniel (aka @yebies for you twitter fiends) hooked us up with the majority of our drinks, but i did make it to the bar once to purchase my own concoction for me and spence. as i was ordering my drink, i heard some chit chatter to my left. as i turn, i discover it is the young woman pictured above. she’s talking about “…why don’t you add a jack and coke to that tab…” and tries to smile at me.

WHAT!?

chamillionaire once taught me, “if a skeezer, wants me to feed her, with my visa, then i’ma leave her.” now, she wasn’t a skeezer. that just sounds so god-awful. but how come when i was posted up like a stamp earlier she weren’t talkin about anything!? only when i hit the bar was she trying to milk me like a cow’s teats for some free drank. no way, josé. i don’t get it. i didn’t say anything crazy. instead, i pretended i didn’t hear what she said. “what was that?” she smirked and gave me one of those “nevermind” looks, visibly agitated. a few minutes later, she hopped in this picture with us.

what was my point behind writing this? that i will never ever purchase a drink for anybody i don’t know. it’s not my place. i know i’ll feel like if i buy them a drink, i deserve something in return. who knows what, and who knows why i feel like that. it’s only right if you purchase something, you get a product! conversation shouldn’t be purchased, should it!? but i know people who feel like buying drinks ain’t $#!t. that’s just how they get the night started. to each their own.

i want to know how guys and gals feel about drinks at the bar. hit the comment section and let me know.

What were you thinking? Also, in soccer-related incidents, I need your prayers for my ninja Charlie Davies, a Boston College alum and professional soccer player and U.S. team member. He was in a car accident in DC last night that left one of his friends dead, and him and his other friend in the hospital requiring surgery. More of the developing story here. Get better dude.

DC-based streetwear brand Durkl teamed up with producer/rapper/label owner Judah, one of the metropolitan area’s favorite producers, to celebrate two things: the grand opening of the Durkl studio / store (443 I St NW in Chinatown, 11-6 Mon-Fri!) and the release of the first installment of Judah’s Survivor Series mixtape. The masses were out, the drinks were pouring, the merch was flying off the shelves, and everybody had a good time.

RA threw me some of the flicks she took with her beautiful SLR camera, so I figured I’d throw them up so you guys could live vicariously through them. Enjoy, and shout out to everybody I dapped up out there, especially the Durkl boys.

Oh, and I can’t forget the mixtape Judah dropped that night either. Get it HERE. More photos from the event can be found over at my man Bryan’s photo blog, Go-Fresco.

]]> http://DCtoBC.com/2009/10/durkl-x-judah-party/feed/ 13 http://DCtoBC.com/2009/09/kia-presents-the-soul-collective-tour-dc/ http://DCtoBC.com/2009/09/kia-presents-the-soul-collective-tour-dc/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:25:08 +0000 modi http://www.DCtoBC.com/?p=6657

Talk about eclectic. I’ll be out at the Kia Soul Collective Warehouse in DC to check all these FREE shows. Wale, Ponytail, Dan Deacon, The Creepers, and much more. DJ sets by the best from our area, including Dave Nada, Chris Burns, and Stereofaith. I’m especially amped for MGMT‘s Sunday show, because I’ve never seen them perform.

Like I said, the shows are free. What are you doing this weekend? Exactly. So don’t miss this stuff. For ALL the info that you need, hit up kiasoulcollective.com (click that link because it takes you directly to the DC info). Whipless (read: do you have no transportation)? No worries. My people over at Brightest Young Things let me know that there’s FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE! More info on that here.

You should also test drive one of their vehicles while you’re there, too. I heard they’re giving away some free stuff for that. Let’s get it.

one of my goals with this blog is to shed light on anything major going on in my area. durkl is an emerging streetwear brand that was founded a couple years ago and is beginning to take DC and the surrounding neighborhoods by storm. the combination of skater influence mixed with a cleaned-up, organized version of second-hand ’80s and ’90s threads is pretty cool if you ask me. there was a trill party a little over a week ago at the new durkl heardquarters, housed in a recently converted taxi garage. the ’09 merchandise was on display, which features everything you need to make it through the fall season. house DJ chris burns was killing the jams while people were getting live tattoos (by adam’s morgan’s tattoo paradise), in-place bike racing, getting their drink on, and enjoying a swag bag of products, courtesy of durkl and the party’s sponsors. ALL FOR FREE! don’t believe me? check out my man ricky parker‘s video footage below.

crazy, right? vimby TV was also in the builing. shout out to my man luke pierce, the man in charge of durkl’s operations, for having impeccable execution for durkl’s first party. check out the ’09 lookbook over at durkl’s site.