I've had a pretty incredible week. It would be hard to tell all my stories cause each one is so unique but I'll try to share all the highlights. This blog covers a full week, from one tuesday till the next.
day 1 - I did a performance at the www.ughh.com store in Boston, MA. Rather then just doing one or two songs - I did a full 35 minute concert including bonus freestyles. Footage should be going up on the website soon. One guy drove from Maine for this event, that's love!!!! He's the one in the grey throwing up the "IV" in the picture.
day 2 - I drove to NYC and stayed with my manager. We watched the American Idol finale and then went to www.wnyu.org where I did a live interview and freestyle for the "Halftime Show". DJ Eclipse using runs the show but he was out of town - either way, I had a great time. I got a recording of my freestyle and I intend to put it up on Myspace soon.
day 3 - I had a show in Danbury, CT. The turn out was a little small but I had a great time kicking it with DJ Halo. He showed some super hospitality and also DJ'ed for my set. Adam B (journalist who interviewed me for Beyond Race) was in the house and all the other acts gave excellent performances. Two kids drove to the show from an hour away, unfortunately they weren't old enough to get in. The venue was called "Cousin Larrys Cafe" - so they assumed it was all ages. I felt bad but was glad that I got to chat with them before the show.
day 4 - There was a huge youth event in Agawam, MA. I was performing in a church and there was about 200 kids (see picture with kids in the front). Shouts to Fat Soul, Wut and all the other performers. This was a memorable night, when it was time to talk with the crowd I felt like God was really moving. I crashed at a wonderful hotel and did some much needed laundry the next morning.
Day 5 - I drove back into New York City and got ready for my show. The doors didn't even open till 11 PM and I ended up performing around 2 AM. It was a late night, but the show was incredible. My friend Ken (from Seattle) came to the show with his brother. My manager and his girlfriend came through, and overall there was a great crowd. DJ Halo linked back up with me, so he held down the wheels and that always brings a fresh energy to my set. The performance definitely felt powerful. I even had an intern from DefJam ask for a CD. Word.
Day 6 - So I mentioned my friend from Seattle was in town for NYC. It just so happens that my friend Ken works for the Seattle Mariners. He translates for Ichiro, so he was in town because the Mariners were playing against the Yankees. He was able to get me 4 free tickets for the game and I was so thankful. First of all, the weather was perfect. Second, our seats were stellar. Third, this is the last season for the original Yankess stadium. Forth, my dad was a baseball fanatic - so I really enjoyed the game because I know it's something he would have LOVED. It looked like the Mariners were going to win, which I was kind of excited about but the Yankees pulled away with the win after scoring 4 runs in the 8th inning. It was a roller coaster game for sure.
Day 7 - I had a day off so I ended up hitting an open mic that a local artist named Propaganda Anonymous invited me to. The spot was called Sin Sin - and the vibe was super fresh. There was a live band - just a 3 piece - plus two singers. The singers would drop hooks and then a line of MCs would take turns freestyling the verses. After feeling out the vibe for a bit, I stood in line and waited for my turn. When my turn came, they switched the format. Me and another MC had to trade 4 bars back and forth. This is all freestyle!!! I love freestyling, so it was no problem but after waiting in line for three turns of trading 4 bars - I started getting restless. I wanted to flow longer. haha. So when my next turn came, I couldn't resist and I just kept spitting past my 4 bars and dropped a full freestyle. That's how the whole night was before they started the trading, so I just wanted to get my piece in before the night was over. My timing was perfect because the open mic literally got shut down after my turn - simply because it was two in the morning and the band probably was ready to call it a night. Real dope vibe though.
TODAY - So today I had a live performance for fearlessmusic.tv. Check out the website and you'll get a feel for what Fearless is all about. Bands come in and do a performance in the studio and it airs on Fox late nights. DJ Rob Swift came through and backed me up for this performance, and I also had some friends add live instrumentation. We had Ben on the guitar and Charlene on the keys and vocals. The set up was super professional, so we all did our best to be professional as well. We knocked out all four of our songs without messing up once - everything went super smooth. We were able to watch back our performances on a nice flat-screen in the lobby and it looked/sounded amazing. Once I get more info about when the show will be airing - I will definitely spread the word. Anyway - my wife and daughter are flying into New York City tomorrow morning. We have two days off and I was able to book us an incredible room at the Grand Hyatt Hotel near Central Park. I booked the room using Priceline and literally got about 50% off of the normal price. I can't explain how much I've missed Gabriella and Nikki. Tomorrow is going to be more exciting then all the last 7 days put together!!!!
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