D-Nice (@djdnice) might be the true Hip Hop renaissance man. He went from beatbox to rapper to producer to web designer to photographer to DJ. Now add filmmaker to the mix. A few months back he started releasing shorts of his convos with some of Hip Hop’s great. Simple conversations about music that allowed you to get closer to the subjects in a way that few other have. Now he is talking to soul singers. Starting with Bilal, this series seems like its off to an incredible start. Hopefully we can see this as a full DVD in the future. Cross your fingers that I get a chance to talk to him about his own journey someday.
This past Saturday (August 8), Wiz Khalifa headlined at this year’s Boston Urban Music Festival. The annual free show, a collaboration between the mayor’s office and HUB media, also featured local hip-hop act M-Dot, as well as Harvard graduate singer/rapper Ryan Leslie. However, with chants of “We Want Wiz!” growing throughout the afternoon, it became increasingly apparent that this was an audience of Taylor Gang supporters, ready to see their rising star take the stage.
When Khalifa finally did come out, performing his verse off Rick Ross’s “Super High Remix,” the stage was rushed with diehard fans almost immediately, sending the Pittsburgh, PA MC running off stage and temporarily stopping the show. [Watch below]
“Because [of] the energy and the feeling from the crowd, it hit us like a ton of bricks,” Shadyville radio personality, DJ Peter Parker, who was on stage with Wiz, told XXLMag.com ”You can even see Wiz starts to panic. Nobody knew what to do.”
“I just wanted them to relax, because [Boston Mayor Thomas] Menino was telling me, ‘We’re gonna shut this down, we’re gonna shut this down,’” he continued.
Luckily for all involved, the show went on. The 2010 XXL Freshman returned shortly after, joking with the crowd about the incident and downplaying the situation. “Don’t worry about that stuff earlier guys, I know how shit just gets crazy sometimes.” He then launched into several hits off his Kush & Orange Juice mixtape including, “Waken Baken,” “Mezmorized,” “Never Been” and “In the Cut.” Khalifa then performed another fan favorite, “Ink My Whole Body,” after removing his tank top—much to the delight of the many female fans in attendance. After an eventful start and impressive set, Wiz winded down the concert with his single “This Plane,” off his 2009 album Deal or No Deal.
Weeks removed from his freshly signed deal with Atlantic Records, Wiz has fans eagerly awaiting what will be the next step for the 22-year-old star as his stock continues to rise. Boston fans looking for a more intimate Wiz performance can buy tickets for his November 21 show at the Paradise Rock Club starting next week.—Neil Martinez-Belkin
Say what you want but this dude is definitely creative. Below the director Marco Brambilla explains his motivation for working with Kanye. West’s “Power” video premieres Thursday at 11 p.m. on MTV
Telling actress Liris Crosse (@LirisC) that she can’t do something might be a guarantee she will try.
“I’m not a person that takes no easily. Once you tell me ‘no’, that’s my driving force.”
After being told by agencies that she was too curvy to model, she struck out on her own booking gigs for herself. Soon a favorite in urban “lad mags” like King and Smooth, the Baltimore native’s curves earned her the nickname “Black Barbie”. Eventually rising to become a XXL Magazine Eye Candy Hall Of Famer, she also became a staple on the hip hop video sets of stars like Jay-Z, P. Diddy, Jennifer Lopez and 50 Cent.
(Thats Liris in the gold dress)
Now as an actress, she is beginning a new chapter. Instead of resting on her fame as a model she chose to start from the ground up. Instead of resting on her resume, she hit the pavement. Small roles on shows like “The Wire” and “Law and Order” were all part of the process of getting to the next level.
“I’m committed to acting. I humbled myself. I even did background work just so I could be on set. I wanted to absorb the atmosphere and be near the work.”
The human sponge approach is seemingly working. In Abidjan, a featured film at this year’s Roxbury Film Fest, she has a stellar turn as a mother who takes her young New York born son on his first trip to her African homeland with eye opening results. The trip ends up with both of them coming away with some valuable lessons. Playing a Mom may seem a stretch for a former video vixen but that’s exactly how she likes it.
“That was what drew me to the role. It wasn’t anything that people knew me as. I really wanted people to respect me as an actor.”
12th Annual Roxbury Film Festival
Films Celebrating People of Color
various locations, $5-$125
I first heard of Tona (@thekiddaytona) when Cipha Sounds (@CiphaSounds) raved about this artist he found. We had a great interview when he shot his “Contact” video at Venu in the Bean. Then the follow up with him and Skyzoo was probably one of my favorite interviews of the year..
Now he is back with an heater. “On The Hill” has a classic East Coast feel without being dated. The wordplay is TOUGH. This has that disrespectful get money flow. After talking with Lek from Brand Nation, I got the word that big things are on the horizon. NIIICE!
