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Two Valentines Day show's

Now that we’ve formally met, I have to tell you about the 2 shows I checked out on Valentine’s Day. Mysnikol had an early Valentines Day show that fit the holiday mood, the event was held at Arnellia’s in Saint Paul.

The artist line up was great- Shannon illeah, Rico Nevotion, Hadillah, and Shy Illah all sang their little hearts out and entertained the crowd. Especially, Hadillah, a very beautiful R&B singer with a strong voice performed a few original songs but still has some work to do on her storyline and Shy Illah, who ended the show with a bang. He performed Stevie Wonder’s “Ribbon in the Sky,” and killed it (we all know that Stevie’s songs are hard to get away with) in addition to that, he performed an original song called, “Not now but right now”.

There were some technical problems with the show, the sound guy seemed to have problems picking up cues from the artists and it was a bit frustrating but they all handled themselves very well. I didn’t like the guitar solo (performed by Spartacus) it really didn’t fit into the flow of the show, it seemed a bit pointless but I will give him kudos for going up on stage and trying to do his thing. It was a nice event for couples that wanted to enjoy their valentines day and take a break from loud rappers yelling at the crowd.

After Mysnikol’s show I went to Euphoria ( a nice little club in downtown Minneapolis that helps independent artists showcase their talents) to check out Ali B’s and DJ MV’s event – The Red and White Crunk Party featuring Yung Truth, Them Mccease, Tanqueray Loc, Sandman, and Loco Drama.. When I got there I noticed there was a good turnout (I guess people don’t mind getting yelled at on Valentines Day), DJ MV had the crowd going with a nice lil mix….and then the show began.

Ali B. introduced the first group, Loco Drama. These artists had a neat appearance, lyrics were decent and the sound was fine but there was nothing really spectacular about their performance it was easily forgettable. When the second act, Tanqueray came on stage and this artist blew me away. I felt like I was watching a private performance for his friends and his camcorder, don’t get me wrong I believe artists should document their shows but I feel this artist forgot he was there to entertain the crowd. **Quick lesson** Crowd interaction is okay! They paid for you to entertain them and not just yours boys, I know you love your people but if they’re not performing they don’t need to be on stage with you!***

Before the third act came on stage the weirdest thing happened, the host lost complete control of the show, Tanqueray’s hype man took over the mic, addressed the crowd for about 5 mins and then introduced the 3rd act, Sandman. This artist had a very nice stage presence, hot lyrics, and entertained the crowd. After his performance, Ali B finally regained control of the show and announced the intermission.

During the intermission, an older lady referred to as “Mama” hopped on stage and danced to laffy taffy- now, that was the highlight of the whole show. She was extremely entertaining and I believe she stole the show. She would’ve been a good contestant for the freaky couple dance contest, if they had it. What happened to the contest?!!

Anyway…..After the intermission, Yung Truth came on stage and had a wonderful set, he entertained the crowd and left us wanting more. Then we were introduced to our last act, Them MCCEASE. The group consists of 3 men and these men had a marketable look, they were very handsome and were dressed to impress. When they got on stage, their fans (mostly women) got up to support them, the music started, the artists opened up their mouths, and I was appalled. Their lyrics were awful, they didn’t have a method to their movement on stage, and the beats were decent I guess… I couldn’t really tell because their tracks weren’t mixed well. They performed songs with lyrics like, “Redbone, with the pretty long hair and the almond shaped eyes I can’t help but to stare. Dark tone, I like the way you move...” or my favorite “…spin around girl, turn around, I need me a spin around girl...”

Other than that, they were the only acts who made an effort to really interact with the crowd and I believe if Them Mccease did a little more work on their lyrics or hired a ghost writer, got beats from a hot producer that can create something to fit their style and they’ll be in business.

Well, I need to catch some shut eye, it’s almost 2:30 in the morning and I have some new shows to check out. If you have any suggestions, comments, or complaints J feel free to send them to nkemobirapu@yahoo.com

**HipHopClub and the artists mentioned in this Article are not responsible for the ideas and opinions expressed by the author... Peace!!***

--By Nkem